Things I've learned about my SV27

[SweetAccord]

Twards the bottom of the page... http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/products.php?cat=70 Next time you order grab a liner. Take the bushing out and stick the new liner in the old small pieces will come out, then you have to measure with the shaft in the tube and cut the liner at the other end. It just makes everything run smoother.

I dont have a pic, I throw the old ones away. The pieces are about 2 to 3 inches long.

I agree with ice329, that is exactly what I did on mine. The Product ID: oct-oc150L-24c Octura .150 cable system for 3/16" props is apparently smoother/freer than the stock setup. Nice boats Bill! The yellow one is tieeeeeght!!!

[Bill-SOCAL]

The yellow one is a 32 inch hull by Delta Force called the CyberStorm. It is one of my favorites. Has a Nemesis 10XL on 4S2P. Best speed so far is just a shade under 50 mph using a x452. This is my P Offshore ride for '08. It is rock solid and a load of fun to drive.

The big boat (Sniper 44) gets here tomorrow!! Another Pachmayer build. That has the 3060/10 on 10S2P. THAT should be sort of quick, I hope!!.

[offshore1]

You lost me. Zpoxy IS epoxy Zpoxy is differnt. epoxy is brittle. Zpoxy is Zpoxy. Use the finishing resein no need to thin it.

What epoxy do you find brittle? 1/1 ratio epoxy is what is used to coat fishing rods. Very flexible. 1/5 epoxy is very stiff but still not brittle.

I was a sales rep for a composite distributor for several years where I sold to all the OEMs and yards in S. Florida from Key West to Deerfield Beach and have worked in the marine service industry for several more. Epoxy resin is structuraly sound. Any statement to the contrary is false.

[MLJones8]

No worries then. What I said about the water jacket is that mine is working OK. I did not say that there might not be a better one out there.

As far as my boat. I am not new to boats. I am new to FE and have been away from boats for several years. However, I think I still recall how to check if the shaft is properly aligned. Is mine absolutely perfect? No, but it is close enough that I am not going to worry about it.

My concern is for the total neophyte who will think that they need to do all kinds of complicated adjustments and exchange parts to have a decent boat. Truth is that out of the box this is a good boat for most people. It is also a good platform to work from when you want to start making changes.

Are we friends now

Edited to add:

I did add some epoxy mixed with shredded CF around the stuffing tube a the transom as well as putting the CF filler around the rails and to fill a minor void where the wood was glued to the transom. I used 30-minute Z-Poxy expoxy resin for that. And again, I guess I am just the lcukiest guy on earth to have gotten the one SV27 that did not need major work on the stuffing tube alignment. I've been buying lottery tickets but my luck does not seem to extend into that venue!!

How do you tell if your not one of the lucky persons who doesn't need to realign the stuffing tube?

[wizard122]

You have to check to see if the cable goes into the collet with out any interference it should just go right in.

[wizard122]

Had my SV27 for a short time (run +/-30 times). Here are some things I've learned or done to mine:

1 - sealed all wood with thinned epoxy

2 - Removed and sealed all hardware on transom with silicone. Bolts were loose from factory

3 - moved antenna to exit on top of transom. Sealed hole in radio box and hatch.

4 - removed and sealed hatch latch. Simply tape cowl/cover down.

5 - sealed hatch lip with silicone

6 - Removed water jacket on ESC and used blue Loctite on the brass nipples. They were loose and leaking

7 - re-soldered two of the three wire plugs from the motor to the ESC. Wires came out of plugs = dead boat

8 - Replaced stock radio with Futaba 3PM-FASST

9 - trim tabs just very slightly negative (0.5 degrees ??)

10 - Drive shaft even with bottom of boat

11 - rudder tucked full forward (negative)

12 - changed prop to GrimRacer 42x55.

13 - changed water pick up tubing to slightly larger. Had to, messed up the stock tubing and I only had the next size up laying around

14 - Removed wood at front of battery tray to allow packs to be located farther forward. Packs are 2.5" forward of stock. CG is at 7.75" from transom this way. Stock location makes boat very tail heavy and prone to blow over more easily. I use 3600 & 4200 mAh NiMH packs.

15 - added more flotation across stern against the transom. Also put some more up front. I use piping insulation from Home Depot. Cheap and floats nicely.

16 - roughed up the bottom with a Scotch-Brite cleaning pad. Took the "shine" off it.

17 - Added port turn fin

Seems like a lot, but it really only took a few hours time spread over a couple of weeks to end up doing all this. Knowing what I know now I think I could take one out of the box and do all the above in 3 to 4 hours.

My boat runs very nicely with unconfirmed (but estimated by experienced racers) speed of mid 30's. I am very pleased with it overall, especially given the cost and it being RTR (with minor touch ups).

Great Post thanks

[Ctonez]

How do you tell if your not one of the lucky persons who doesn't need to realign the stuffing tube?

remove the radio box and look at the alignment of the tube as it goes from the transom toward the coupler. On one SV I have, when I did this I could see that the tube was twisted so the bend went to the right instead of being vertical.

grabbing the tube with pliers and twisting should snap it free of the brittle factory glue. I've seen more than one that already spun freely. So I suggest resetting the stuffing tube anyway just to make sure it is more solid.

Not to stir the pot, but Z-poxy is a brand name of a type of Pacer epoxy. Easy to misunderstand.

[MLJones8]

You have to check to see if the cable goes into the collet with out any interference it should just go right in.

remove the radio box and look at the alignment of the tube as it goes from the transom toward the coupler. On one SV I have, when I did this I could see that the tube was twisted so the bend went to the right instead of being vertical.

grabbing the tube with pliers and twisting should snap it free of the brittle factory glue. I've seen more than one that already spun freely. So I suggest resetting the stuffing tube anyway just to make sure it is more solid.

Not to stir the pot, but Z-poxy is a brand name of a type of Pacer epoxy. Easy to misunderstand.

My SV arrived:
- The stuffing tube definitely wasn't aligned properly, the bend was slightly to one side.
- I noticed right away becuase there was a gap on one side of the cable & stuffing tube (and not a gap on the other side). This was clearly seen by just looking between the coupler and radio box.
- So I pulled the radio box out and a pair of pliers easily turned the stuffing tube.

Problem:

- The bend of the stuffing tube seems to be a bit off, no mater how it is turned the cable won't slide straight into the coupler. I've managed to get it very near perfect but it still needs a little shake to get in there. Is this a concern?

[m4a1usr]

My SV arrived:
- The stuffing tube definitely wasn't aligned properly, the bend was slightly to one side.
- I noticed right away becuase there was a gap on one side of the cable & stuffing tube (and not a gap on the other side). This was clearly seen by just looking between the coupler and radio box.
- So I pulled the radio box out and a pair of pliers easily turned the stuffing tube.

Problem:

- The bend of the stuffing tube seems to be a bit off, no mater how it is turned the cable won't slide straight into the coupler. I've managed to get it very near perfect but it still needs a little shake to get in there. Is this a concern?

Its going to add some friction which in turn reduces rpm's and can heat the area where contact is greatest. There are a some options;

1) You can rotate the motor mount 180 deg. This puts the motor further forward. Problem is this requires you to use a longer after market coupler or a slightly longer flex shaft. The coupler is easy.

2) Remove the old flex tube and install a new one with a reduced bend. This is the cheapest method but overall the hardest for level of effort.

3) The simplest method is to slot the holes in the motor mount. This will allow you to raise and pivot the motor towards the flex tube. The coupler will align better with the stock setup.

All easy to do. Using the the stock flex tube still leaves you with a slight "J" bend at the end. Replacing the tube allows you to shape it so that there is a minimal bend. I prefer to remove the flex tube and install a new one. Thats just me.

John