Precedent Perkasa 1/24 scale.

[derfledermauseParticipant @derfledermause]

I am a newcomer and this is my first post. I am starting the build of the Precedent Perkasa 1/24 scale all wood kit. I have little fear of buiding the kit but when it comes to powering it, I am at a loss as to where to start. I have been trawling the model boat sites and have come up with a bewildering mass of information. Brushed or brushless motors?, 1,2 or 3 motors, what voltage thereof?, what ESC is needed?, do you need a mixer?, what size of prop or props, what voltage and physical size of battery?. I am aware that with the wooden kit one must be careful that the finished vessel can become to heavy and not plane correctly. As the cost of propulsion equipment can be quite exorbitant, I would be most grateful for any information on this subject. I am aware that there are to many variables to give hard and fast answers but one has to start somwhere.

May I thank you for reading this post,

Noel.

[derfledermauseParticipant @derfledermause]

Propulsion help.

[Hans KuhnParticipant @hanskuhn]

Hi Noel,

 

I’m a newcomer too, but seeing as no one else has replied yet I’ll chip in with my 2p, as I’m building the 1/32 all wood Perkasa. I received some advice from people at various model stores and traders at shows.

 

Firstly, you can get better performance going with a brushless/lipo setup, but it’s expensive, so I went a more conventional route using 2 x 545 brushed motors and 2 X 9.6V 3700 NiMH battery packs. I’ve got 35mm screws on my shafts, and a 40amp Mtroniks Viper speed controller. The speed controller is way overkill, but I got it at a really good price, and I thought I could always use it for a future project if I needed it, and then replace it with something more suitable.

 

The 545’s are cheap, and the battery packs aren’t too bad either.

 

Here’s a photo from my album with the layout: http://www.modelboats.co.uk/albums/member_photo.asp?a=14835&p=249017

Of course my boat is not finished yet, so I can’t say for sure how it will perform, but in testing it sure sounds good!

 

I think if you went with 3 545s and 3 battery packs you’d probably be ok. You could probably use two motors if going for more performance oriented motors (Graupner have several models) or going brushless – but it will cost you more.

 

Let me know if you have any questions, and maybe someone more experienced can point out any errors or problems!

 

Hans

Edited By Hans Kuhn on 22/03/2011 18:11:10

[derfledermauseParticipant @derfledermause]

Hello Hans,

May I thank you for your informative reply, I have noted the motor size, battery pack info and especially the prop size. I have only just started the build and looking at posts from this and other sites on the net, it becomes obvious that before the hull is finished one must make a decision as to how to power the vessel. I have looked at your photo and the motor and battery setup looks very nice.

Thanks again,

Noel.

 

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Noel

You would be better advised to use two or even three Speed 700 BB Turbo motors and maybe 40mm props. The big wooden Perkasa is a heavy beast and needs a lot of oomph to get it up onto the plane. On the other hand one of our 900 motors running on 20 cells and a 50-55mm prop will make it fly on just a single shaft. Whatever you choose, don’t be tempted to fit a lead-acid (SLA) battery. They are just too heavy for a planing hull and you WILL be disappointed.

Dave M

[derfledermauseParticipant @derfledermause]

Hello Dave,

Thank you for your info. I am new to the model boat fraternity and wonder if your reference to “one of our motors” indicates that you have something to do with one of the many suppliers of model boat equipments?.

Thanks again,

Noel.

 

[Dave MilbournParticipant @davemilbourn48782]

Yes – please check my profile for details.

Dave M

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