powering large boats with electric

[expresscraft]

We have been manufacturing model boats for 22 years,and just a few years ago i probably only sold one or two boats a years that where going to get powered with electric.Today its more like 2 out of every ten.Thats pretty good considering our most popular boats are over 50" long.I do think electric is the future of the hobby so great job on that,OSE im sure is very responsible for a lot of that growth as well, So fantastic job to you guys as well,My question is what do i tell people they need to power say a 60" 11-12 lbs hull? we have hardware, but the little research i have done says esc's are still just a risk at best. is there a really good standard esc that just works well? and what motors and batteries are the go to brands? remember i just make hulls,so im looking for the items that are going to make our boats look great when a customer get's his parts together.i could really use some list of what you guys are using and like to use and what its in,size boat and type, motor size and manufacture,prop,esc, batteries and charger.and of course im looking more for larger boat info, smaller boats are covered pretty well, but large electric boats seam to be spread out, a big problem with that is what was good just a little while ago may not be so good today.so im also looking for the newest info. thanks in advance, Tom

[egneg]

I am not sure how much help I can offer as I am building a boat and so it has not been proven yet. The hull is a 51" shovel nose of unknown origin. It will be powered with a Neu 2230 water cooled, Swordfish 300amp HV esc (with added cap bank), on 10s2p. The prop I will start with is a 6717/3 and 1/4" flex. As for the charger I use a Hyperion Duo.

S5000556.JPG

[T.S.Davis]

Tom, not a lot of people have expereience with boats that big. Your boats are REALLY big. For us at least.

You'll probably run into the same thing that we do. Sticker shock. Everyone thinks they want a big electric until they start doing the math. That's when the hedging starts. Well..........do I really need the super high dollor motor/esc/batteries? Folks will scrimp on something vital and build in a failure point. Like putting a cheap radio system in a $5000 boat.

The gold standard for motors of late has been Neu motors. Steve here at OSE can get you nearly any wind you could need. Another very high quality motor option is Lehner. Pricey but the quality is fantastic. You may have to go direct to Germany to get them right now. I don't know if anyone is importing right now.

The benchmark for speed controllers is Schulze still. Again, probably need to get them from Germany. Super super pricey. Those that have them will likely tell you they're worth every penny. There are lots of other options for speed controllers but I can't say that I've had expereience with them first hand. The Castle speedos have been good to me but I've not run them in monster boats.

Batteries.....so many ways to go. Most consistent quality wise have been the Hyperian cells. They're made well and deliver consistent voltage throughtout the packs. I'm pretty impressed with the new Dinogy cells. They can take a pounding but they don't have a long track record yet. The construction is great.....and they're pretty. Like that matters. haha

Chargers......go Hyperian. Still my favorite. Priced accordingly. Many many acceptable chargers out there for less money.

Motor mounts.......look up a guy here by the name of Punisher 67. Every different motor brand size and shape is a tiny bit different. Peter has CNC machined motor mounts for a bunch of us here on the forum. As a result he's developed quite a collection of patterns. He has options that include a plate for mounting the speed controller on top of the motor. Pretty sweet. They give that polished P'CHING! look inside the boats too.

[expresscraft]

Thanks a lot for the reply, I agree that some will be sticker shocked, but we are a small manufacture and can only build so many boats,we will never be a pro boat or on that level, most guys in the hobby know the price will be up there,that said electric has taken every other segment of the hobby to a new level,I do not think large boats will be very far behind,A nice gas engine and pipe with mounts modified for good speed is 1000.00 so they are not cheap either.I think the big difference in price will be batteries and a charger.Not a bad trade off to be able to run in more places with your boat.not to mention the extra speed with electric.I think this could be a very helpful thread for the guys that have built some big boats to help those that are thinking about it.the info needed is not very easy to find,the contact info on punisher 67 sounds like a great lead,thanks.Tom

[KartRacer]

Express raft
I am new to FE but doing my research there seems to be a shortage of available mid size hulls in the 35 to 45 inch range. May want to keep that in mind for any future expansion of your line.

[T.S.Davis]

Wearing my negative nancy pants today.

An example

Say a big mono (60"+)

Schulze 40.334wk ESC - $993
Neu 2230 - $700 ish
10s (x2) Hyperian cells $600 for only 35c rating
Coupler $50 +-
Motor mount $85+-
Cooling jacket? $65
8 mm Gold connectors $30 ish

Plus shipping peanuts. haha So $2500+ and you haven't bought a boat yet. Then there are those that feel all cats should have twins. Y....yy....yikes! Of course it could be done a cheaper with some cheaper equipment and some knowledge. But there's a trade for cheaper equipment in all things.

I know it's just me but I always worry that the guy that needs someone else to build a boat like that for them probably shouldn't be handling batteries with that much potential energy. With gas, you filler up, run it till the gas is gone, and then row out to get it. With electric it's a touch more complicated. Not unlearn-able or anything. Just not sure that's any place for a guy that hasn't the experience to build it himself. We see it with RTR boats in our spec classes. Some have money and ambition but they don't quite understand the tech yet. They'll learn but at a sane power level.

Negative nancy pants. Sorry Tom..........er welcome to the forum! haha

Sifting through your website, I'm certain you're all too familiar with customers you wouldn't trust to ride a tricycle wanting some crazy build.

[T.S.Davis]

bahaha I know it's a typo but Express "raft" is funny as big as his line is.

[egneg]

Tom, not a lot of people have expereience with boats that big. Your boats are REALLY big. For us at least.

You'll probably run into the same thing that we do. Sticker shock. Everyone thinks they want a big electric until they start doing the math. That's when the hedging starts. Well..........do I really need the super high dollor motor/esc/batteries? Folks will scrimp on something vital and build in a failure point. Like putting a cheap radio system in a $5000 boat.

The gold standard for motors of late has been Neu motors. Steve here at OSE can get you nearly any wind you could need. Another very high quality motor option is Lehner. Pricey but the quality is fantastic. You may have to go direct to Germany to get them right now. I don't know if anyone is importing right now.

The benchmark for speed controllers is Schulze still. Again, probably need to get them from Germany. Super super pricey. Those that have them will likely tell you they're worth every penny. There are lots of other options for speed controllers but I can't say that I've had expereience with them first hand. The Castle speedos have been good to me but I've not run them in monster boats.

Batteries.....so many ways to go. Most consistent quality wise have been the Hyperian cells. They're made well and deliver consistent voltage throughtout the packs. I'm pretty impressed with the new Dinogy cells. They can take a pounding but they don't have a long track record yet. The construction is great.....and they're pretty. Like that matters. haha

Chargers......go Hyperian. Still my favorite. Priced accordingly. Many many acceptable chargers out there for less money.

Motor mounts.......look up a guy here by the name of Punisher 67. Every different motor brand size and shape is a tiny bit different. Peter has CNC machined motor mounts for a bunch of us here on the forum. As a result he's developed quite a collection of patterns. He has options that include a plate for mounting the speed controller on top of the motor. Pretty sweet. They give that polished P'CHING! look inside the boats too.

Peter no longer does motor mounts for folks but here is a link to one that does ...

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...unt&highlight=

[expresscraft]

Its good to have the whole spectrum covered,compared to a lot of forms of racing model boats are still pretty reasonable, to play with or race,our big hulls are carbon fiber and most are around 350.00, so even if we do get up to that 4000.00 range, there are bicycles that cost that much, and these big boats do represent the very high end of our hobby.so i agree its not for every one. but for those that are leaning this direction, the info is very much needed,These price ranges fit right into what a guy would have in a large aircraft or heli,even a 1/8 scale race car could have that much in it with support items.So it really does come down to what its compared to.just like the top end items vs the low end items,I tend to lean somewhere in the middle,i dont mind only getting 80% of whats available for half the money.it is sometimes hard to pay the extra 50% more cash and only get a item that is slightly better.if you have the skill to get the advantage it offers thats another story, but if you are like most of us.just a great fun boat that will do what expected is all we are after.I had a sighn that read, if you want good quality oats, expect to pay a fair price. If you want oats that have already been through the horse, Im sure you can get them at a better price.Thanks for the welcome.after 22 years of owning a hobby shop and building boats,Its cool to know there is still a whole new aspect of r/c for me to learn.I am looking forward to it.

[Flying Scotsman]

Very well said and on the button....Thank you sir.

Douggie

Tom, not a lot of people have expereience with boats that big. Your boats are REALLY big. For us at least.

You'll probably run into the same thing that we do. Sticker shock. Everyone thinks they want a big electric until they start doing the math. That's when the hedging starts. Well..........do I really need the super high dollor motor/esc/batteries? Folks will scrimp on something vital and build in a failure point. Like putting a cheap radio system in a $5000 boat.

The gold standard for motors of late has been Neu motors. Steve here at OSE can get you nearly any wind you could need. Another very high quality motor option is Lehner. Pricey but the quality is fantastic. You may have to go direct to Germany to get them right now. I don't know if anyone is importing right now.

The benchmark for speed controllers is Schulze still. Again, probably need to get them from Germany. Super super pricey. Those that have them will likely tell you they're worth every penny. There are lots of other options for speed controllers but I can't say that I've had expereience with them first hand. The Castle speedos have been good to me but I've not run them in monster boats.

Batteries.....so many ways to go. Most consistent quality wise have been the Hyperian cells. They're made well and deliver consistent voltage throughtout the packs. I'm pretty impressed with the new Dinogy cells. They can take a pounding but they don't have a long track record yet. The construction is great.....and they're pretty. Like that matters. haha

Chargers......go Hyperian. Still my favorite. Priced accordingly. Many many acceptable chargers out there for less money.

Motor mounts.......look up a guy here by the name of Punisher 67. Every different motor brand size and shape is a tiny bit different. Peter has CNC machined motor mounts for a bunch of us here on the forum. As a result he's developed quite a collection of patterns. He has options that include a plate for mounting the speed controller on top of the motor. Pretty sweet. They give that polished P'CHING! look inside the boats too.

[gb tiggycat]

Express raft
I am new to FE but doing my research there seems to be a shortage of available mid size hulls in the 35 to 45 inch range. May want to keep that in mind for any future expansion of your line.

You could have a loook at this http://www.waveridermouldings.zoomsh..._1911_copy.jpg

[expresscraft]

ok, so I have a customer asking me to build him a 60"MTI. He is wanting me to use 2 leopard5692/2y 1090 kv motors,2 swordfish hifei 240A esc's,2/10s batteries,octurax450/3 blade props, what do you guys think before we get started? It's a 11 lbs hull that does fly well on gas motors, my concern with his suggestion,and i know very little about electric, so bare with me, but will the small prop push the boat or just boil the water?outside of that I simply do not know enough to question his other recommendations,please give me a reason why it will not work if you think these are not in in line for this build so i can explain to him,and so this thread is useful to all that look at it.I for one will be using this info over and over.thanks, Tom

[martin]

For 10s you need to look at lower kv motors, thats over 40000rpm unloaded & way to high.

[expresscraft]

what would you recommend?

[stumblinh]

If you couldnt make a 6s lipo setup work; with several lipo packs run in parallel to increase not only mAH but total "c" rating and with good connectors (6mm+) a Hobby Wing seaking 180/360a and larger 4-6 pole motor. I'd almost say go right to a a Mamba XL2 combo; snag a cooling plate and be done with it... This system is perfect on 8s, proven reliable from what I've seen and wow is it BIG. Castle already coats their ESC's, a little work and you could really protect it further if needed as well. They do also make hydra ICE's that have the water cooling built in as well.