Hello! And Guidance...

[veefanboy]

Greetings, all - I've been lurking on the forum for some time now, but as you'll note... this is post #1 ... I'm official! I looked for some type of 'introduce yourself' forum but didn't see one ... so, hello! People call me 'dubs' and I'm from the balmy state of Minnesota.

I'm looking to get into the RC FE hobby. I don't even have a functional boat and I'm already hooked! Before I get too long-winded... I bought an old Shockwave 36 Nitro off of craigslist for dirt cheap, and I would like to convert it to brushless... and when I say "I would like to" ... I really mean "I would like to do what you guys tell me to do" ...

I'm handy, but am completely ignorant to the world of RC. I will need your help. I'm willing to invest the time and money into a project that will result in a semi-fast boat (40mph?), that will run for 10 min ... preferably longer.

So my actual first question is this: Should I start a thread in the 'build' forum? I read the 'where to 101' and if I understand correctly, that is where I should post... but I wanted to pose the question to get confirmation. I don't want to be the noob to break the rules with post #1.

I have read just about every post from the search function, particularly those related to SW36 BL conversions... but they all seem fairly dated, and not very complete (in the sense of tracking progress of their actual build).

Cheers - happy to be here.
dubs

[Heaving Earth]

Hey dubs welcome aboard. Lots of fe boaters in your state man.
Anyways, you can Just look thru tons of build threads. You have a v hull so pretty much build it the same basic way as you see in the other build threads.
You should start a build thread and post pictures of what you got to work with so we can help you get er goin... Here is my 29" Titan rippin it up for inspiration

[Heaving Earth]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYWeEdz-Keo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[lenny]

Hi,
And yes I do still run the modded shockwave.
I still need to paint it,
And I was thinking of try a different motor in it,
Like the Atomik V700 1100kv outrunner I have that came stock in the 58"Atomik.
Or a Turnigy T600 1400kv outrunner just to see how it run and sound in this hull.
Get some pictures up of your boat,
I would like to see what you picked up on CL.
Hear one of mine from last year.

photo(6).jpg

[veefanboy]

Thanks for the welcome!

Heaving Earth - your video is private. Or at least that is the message I get when I click on the link provided. As you suggested, I'll head over to the boat build forum and read up on what others are doing for their mono/vee hulls. I've been hesistant to copy what others are doing as I was hoping to use as much of the stock hardware on the SW36 as possible... and like I said above, I'm completely ignorant when it comes to the world of RC so I have no clue as to what setup will work for me.

Lenny - Thanks for chiming in! As you know, I sent you a PM after seeing many of your past posts re the SW36. I hope you don't mind me pestering you with questions, as I assuredly I will have many.

I've got some homework to do - I'll do some more reading on the forum to further educate myself, and I will also make some time to snap some pictures and show you what I'm working with.

Happy Friday, gents
dubs

[Speedracer128]

If this is your first rc boat and looking for a 40 mph fe. It will be easier and probably cheaper to buy a rtr boat and start from there. Check out the used boats that members are selling in the for sale thread. Just a thought

[Southwest]

Speed is correct on a rtr boat. Now if you work on the big boat you have, the sticker price for parts might scare you off. Find a 26" mono like a No Step 2 at 25.5" on Finedesignrc.com. I know there's pro and con but No Step 2 is a nice boat as I have a No Step 1 and easy to power and setup and runs great. Just a suggestion, only.

[veefanboy]

Speedracer - I considered that before buying the used SW36... and I very well may regret not buying a rtr setup (I was very close to buying a new SV27r). However, I have a feeling I would have had that SV27r torn apart and upgraded in a short amount of time ... for me, the tinkering/re-building will be a part of the hobby. I imagine I'll spend more time with the boat on my workbench than I will in the water... but that's all part of the draw to the world of RC for me. I found this used SW36 on craigslist for $100 ... I figure I can sell the engine for $50? ... so it was a pretty cheap investment.

What are your initial thoughts... and I not only welcome your opinions... I NEED them to ensure I'm not going to burn up any of my shiny, new, expensive equipment.

I'm leaning toward buying this:

http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...-leo4074-combo

Or ...

http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/pro...ose-4082-combo


Again, I'm looking for a relatively fast boat that handles well and will run for at least 10 min.

[Speedracer128]

I like the second option. I have a similar setup in my boat and its smaller and lighter than the hull you bought.

Keep in mind that even if you buy a rtr or a used boat from another member, you spend plenty of time working on it and will be cheaper.

[lenny]

Hey,
It does not take much power to get this boat to move.
And you do not have to spend at lot of money to get a goo running setup in it,
Their are some good deals some times in the swop shop to be had.
Also some good and cheap motor and esc and cells at HK and HP to,
At this time I have a used 4074 2200kv and a used turnigy 120a esc with 3 add cap on it,
Running it on 4s in parallel with a x446/3 and it runs at about 42 mph and pretty good run times.
Using 4s 40c 4500mah or 5000mah packs,
And the hardware is modded some but all stock stuff.
I like running the three blades on all my mono for speeds and handling.

Hear a link to some old info and some pretty good video's to on 4s to 6s setups,
Read and learn about how this hull handles at higher speeds.

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...36-Converstion
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...-36-FE-Rebuild
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ess-conversion
http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ess-Conversion

[veefanboy]

Can you provide link to the guy parting out his boat? Can't find it. Think I'll jump on it. Thanks!

[lenny]

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...oat-Impulse-31

Can you provide link to the guy parting out his boat? Can't find it. Think I'll jump on it. Thanks!

[veefanboy]

Here she is! Craigslist beauty. Appreciate all the insight, guys. I agree that an RTR would be cheaper, but I really like the look of this hull and I like that it's a project.

Time to dismantle.

[Speedracer128]

Good luck. I want to see a video of this boat running. I like the oldschool arch that's on this boat

[lenny]

You do not need to gut it all,
If you just want to get it running and wet and have a little fun with it.
Than later on down the line add some new mods to the setup and hull,
In less you want to do a total modding of the hull and layout right away.
The stock servo and receiver box will work fine as it is,
On the hardware.
I modded the turn fins to angle with the hull bottom.
And I just oblong the strut holes shape for more movement to adjust,
For better ride attitude from the hull and run better with the new brushless setup.

Run time is all about the size of the cells MAH and a good C rate and how will the boat is setup and trimmed out,
You want 30 C rate or higher and soft packs.
So size does matter hear,
If the boat is setup right with very little resistance and drag.
That will also equal out to less heat and more run time for the setup and boat.
Start your build post and I will add pictures of mine and info there if you need it.