Graupner Wiesel RC setup

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

Keith , have sent flag details to your message box, don't want to post them on here, as the bots will pick up the phone & email, that would annoy Mike.

[captainslogParticipant @captainslog]

cheers kip, sorry so long, got some xmas stuff to get out for customers. did i see right? £250 for the flag? or is it £2.50? i hope its a typo did you sort out the 3 motor set up? hope so

cheers keith

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

Definitely a 'fat finger' moment with the price, it is £2.50p

Have now checked the motors, they all seem fine, free running is less than 1amp, with a full stall of 5amp,

Looking at powering all 3 in unison using 3 ecs with a P-102 from Action, will also replace the original 6v sla batt. with a pair of nimh packs running through a P-103 from Action.

[Lawrence MorrisParticipant @lawrencemorris58437]

Hi All, came across this thread having a Google for wiesel boats. I've just become the owner of this one.. Little light resto, still got the original motors.. Maybe this winter I'll give it more than a light tickle 😁

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi Lawrence, and welcome to the forum. Looks like a nice project you have there, as you say just ripe for a bit of light restoration.

Feel free to take some “before” close-ups and so on, or even create a new thread detailing your voyage of discovery!

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Chaps (all). After all this sterling graft and cogitation regarding motors and fuses, is anybody near to sailing one yet?

i realise that it’s tricky at the moment, but I do like to carry out testing ASAP, he says with 4 boats from nished and unable to test.

Also what was the outcome of the motor dilemma? Pictures please.

Graupner motors running ok in the 🛁? As this is a common-ish vessel, having a “default” motor setup guide would be good.

Ashley

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

Maiden sail last Wednesday on the boating lake at Cleethorpes.

Had a minor hiccup, she took on about half a litre of water, due to my dodgy sealing of

the centre prop tube, getting things sorted out this weekend.

Edited By Kip Woods on 11/07/2020 00:25:22

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Looking good Kip.

Water entry…through the actual tube or around the tube/hull joint.

Thats a lot of water…good job it didn’t start Togo under!

Ashley

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

Around the tube, I hadn't got the body filler crammed in hard enough, must have left a pocket.

This time I mixed up a gill of resin , angled the hull in the correct plane & poured it in.

Water ain't gonna get passed that in a hurry.

[Lew ZeeParticipant @lewzee37517]

Always nice to see fellow modelers who have the Graupner Wiesel. I bought min in 1975 (in London) and had it shipped back to me here in Florida (USA). Started working on it back then and stopped for family reasons. Much later re-started the kit but found the model way off scale. (This is perhaps why I never seem to find this beautiful boat in shows.)

Anyway fast forward it to the early 2000's and I did a lot of research on the Zobel class boats and modified the model considerably. You can see it at: Lew's Wiesel on my web site. I have not had the boat running in about eight years but plan to upgrade the props and get it in the water this summer.

Enjoy!

Lew Zee

Florida, USA

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Hi Lew and welcome to the forum. Some great photos on your website. Look forward to seeing it with new props.

Looked up speed 300 motors and there exists a “speed 300 plus” which has a speed controller on a board on the end of it plus a BEC socket…very interesting but not cheap.

Ashley

[Kev.WParticipant @kev-w]

Update on my Wiesel, during lock down, I decided to take the advice of another club member.

I have added a touch more lead ballast to counter the rolling when turning, also replaced the 3 Graupner brushed motors with small brushless motors.

The 3 brushless are pushing the boat over scale speed, so will now change the 2 outer props so that they counter rotate & remove or make the centre prop free spinning.

[Lew ZeeParticipant @lewzee37517]

Thanks for the welcome!

I have been so busy during this Covid-19 crisis. (I also do RC tanks.) The history of my motors/, shafts, props, and rudders is something else. I bought the kit in London (as I previously said) at model shop. Had it shipped back tot he U.S. but the shop substituted some cheap Ripmax motors for the Graupner ones I ordered. They never responded to my letters ($@#$&*'s) so I had to order some from another shop. there. Installed the 3 motors (Graupner Jumbo 2000 6V), 3 shaft, 3 props, and 3 rudders soon after. Had to stop and raise a family.

Resumed shortly after year 2000. Now I had real photos available on the internet. I did two major things: Epoxied the cutout portion of the deck back in then made the cutout to be only under the superstructure eliminating the hideous seam and plastic hold down tabs. The other was to cut the entire aft bottom of the hull off, big enough to stick my foot into. Then I made a new bottom and installed all new – 2 rudders, 4 shafts, props (Graupner 2380, 30mm diameter), and motors (now Graupner Speed 300 7.2V).

The boat performed horribly! Here is a video from 2011: Lew's Wiesel 2011

I 3D printed new props last year but have not had a chance to install them. (Just got re-interested in the Wiesel this month when I update my site.) The new props are slightly bigger in diameter (there is a limit caused by having four props across the bottom), but have a much higher pitch and bigger blade surface area.

Brushless would be nice but that would be a lot of work, considering the limited access to the inside made by the smaller deck cutout.

I am wondering if any of you in the U.K. have any information on the fate of the "Puma" (sister to the Wiesel). If you check out: Fate of the Puma you will see that the engines were removed for the S-100 rebuild. I have been trying to find information and hopefully photos of the Puma (if it still exists) today. This is the last survivor of the Zobel boats.

Lew

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