Converting at gas boat to electric, need advise.

[stelerzman]

I almost forgot this one.

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[stelerzman]

How does the hull look so far??????
Am I on the right track, does anything look off????
Thanks.

[stelerzman]

Getting some sanding blocks tomorrow, what is a good grit to start and finish?
Thanks.

[stelerzman]

Well, I'm starting with 120 grit to take off the top coat then go to 220. Once it get it where I like it I'll start in with 400 and the final sanding will be 600. I hope to get sanding tomorrow. I'll post pics of my progress.

[stelerzman]

Here's what the bottom of the hull looks like after wet sanding with 120.

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Next will be the 220.

[stelerzman]

Here is the progress after sanding with 220.

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400 grit is next, I hope this will really smooth out the finish, this way I can start the repair process then paint.
Can I use Krylon spray paint and will it bond?????
Thanks for any advise

[stelerzman]

I started sanding the top of the hull and low and behold, look what I found under the top coat color of black.

Here is what I started with.
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In this picture you can see the gold penstripping, I removed it and started and this is what I found
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It kinda goes along with my color idea but in the reverse order, I want black on top and yellow on the bottom. I'll make this happen sooner or later.

[stelerzman]

I have some parts in to start mocking up the locations of the electronics. Ie batteries, motor, esc, servo and receiver. Here are some pic's, help me out if I'm going in the wrong direction. Thanks.

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Thank you for any help or advice you can offer.

[lenny]

How wide is that hull at the transom ?

I would set it up with the motor closer to the transom and stuffing tube,
And may be have the esc on a mount over top of the motor.
Than the motor and esc wires could be shorten up some,
And the cell can be moved bow to stern for better CG and ride attitude of the boat.
You could also put the two cells in back of the motor too,
And see how it handle and rides like that down the line.

[srislash]

Boy you haven't been getting much help here have you?
Your gear looks good. You want a baseline CG of 30% of the hull. This is where the hull will balance, in this case 9.6" from the transom is where you want it
I myself am just starting a 32" mono right now.
Yes finally getting to the Bling Rocket Lenny.

[lenny]

Good to hear Shawn,
I will be following the build if you do one on hear.

[stelerzman]

To lenny: The transome is 10" wide measured from the outside, I would like to move the motor towards the back of the boat. I'd like to know how do I cut the flex cable to shorten it up????? Also, do I need to get a flex cable sleeve?? Is it necessary????
The 2 cells are only in there for mock up reasons only, I'm waiting on 65c+ batteries, they should be here with in a couple weeks.

To srislash: I'm OK with the info I've received so far as this build is not a priority at the moment. It's more of a project than a necessity. I'm enjoying running my UL-1.
I'm confused on how to set the CG and how to read it. You stated "9.5"from the transom" How do I know if the boat is set up correctly????? How much of the hull should be in the water while it's floating?????


Thanks guys, I really appreciate the advice.

[lenny]

On the flex cable shortening,
A high speed cut off wheel works very good for that.

9.5 will be where the boat hull seasaws or balances on a thin line,
From bow to stern at that 9.5"
Also CG will be done on the edge of a table or a boat stand with all the setup in place for mock up,
But you will not need the cell in the boat for that.

As for a sleeve,
What is the OD and Id of the stuffing tube in the boat ?
And what size flex cable are you going to be using .187 or .250 ?

[stelerzman]

The flex shaft is .15" ,.the stuffing tube is 4.85mm-id and 6.4mm-od inside the hull.
The strut is 4.8mm id and the od is 9.75mm.

[lenny]

No you should not need a sleeve than,
The grease on the flex and a 1/2" piece of fuel line on the stuffing tube where the flex come out,
Should work as a seal to help keep water out of the hull and grease in the tube.