Big Cat Hull

[Rolex]

Here she is...I've already taken off some of the graphics, and I'm gonna' take it all off and do my own. Lots of bubbles under the ones that came on it. I just wish they sent the boat and the decal sheet to do myself.

 

[RevoME]

Holy Macaroni!
Now thats a ship!

Who is playing the keyboard and where can we hear a sample?

 

[NCNitro]

Nice Cat Rolex, you have someplace to run it? I am having a hard time finding anywhere to run my Nitro Miss Bud.

 

[Rolex]

This is gonna' end up with brushless motors in it. Twin 540s right now. 40" long, 13 wide. With that wide catamaran hull, she looks like she'd be pretty content doing about 60.
The keyboards are mine, and so far my stuff is only on tape. I recently got everything I need to run it through a MIDI program. This week I'll be sending for a new mixing board, and moving one of my computers for dedicated use.
Well, tough call right now. Either the mixing board or another boat.

 

[Rolex]

Nice Cat Rolex, you have someplace to run it? I am having a hard time finding anywhere to run my Nitro Miss Bud.

Did you buy the one Zandor had?
When I was in New York, I'd take a canoe, my girlfriend and an RC boat out on the Hudson. Not always a good place to be. A lot of rough water in late afternoon. We got towed back to shore more than once when the tide was headed out.
Also up north, the back side of Lake Welch. That was great, but I lived in Rockland County, so it was only a 20 minute drive.
Down here, in East Tennessee, I live along the waterways of the TVA, or Tennessee Valley Authority. 59 dams, so plenty of huge lakes. When the dams are not running the turbines, there are massive lakes as smooth as mirrors. Lakes and inlets everywhere.
That's the reason I'm getting back into boats for a while. There's no track around here anymore. When there is, I'll start sucking nitro fumes again.

 

[NCNitro]

Yes it is Zandors old boat. In Florida I would have had more than enough places to run it, but out here on Long Island they make it very difficult to run a nitro boat. You have to buy an annual permit, you can only run one one lake in the area and only between 12pm and 4pm. I am seriously considering selling it at this point.

 

[Rolex]

Wow, permits? One lake? and a lousy time limit? I never heard of anything like that.
Next they'll require you to post your license numbers on the sponsons.
Then there's the running lights, and a proper trailer. Trade it for a real boat. Less hassles.

 

[NCNitro]

You know you're right, there would be less hassles with a real boat!

 

[sweetdiesel]

Sweet boat Rolex! Congrats on the new rig. Looks fast!

 

[Rolex]

The cat hull, overall design and enclosed cockpit are the reason I chose this one. Just for its' looks and size. All the internals will be going after I take it out for just one spin.
I'm looking into Hacker brushless, ESC, and possibly out drives.

 

[HeartBreak]

That is one sweet lookin boat. I have a feelin you'll be chasin ducks with that thing, lol.

 

[Rolex]

Well, tough call right now. Either the mixing board or another boat.

I picked up some parts and new graphics for the boat yesterday, and ordered a new mixer this morning. What you WANT, and what you need are rarely the same.
So here we go again. Where the hell is that UPS guy? Oh, it's the weekend. It doesn't ship till Monday.
Time to work on the boat. Batts are charged and ready.

 

[SkyMaxx]

Nice boat. My hobby shop has a bunch of nice pricey rigs that I was looking into. Big fiberglass hulls, weedwacker engine driven, tunnel hulls, cats, etc...at any rate, decided to spend my fun money on a heli, but your acquisition and the big empty lake behind my house are starting to call to me.

 

[Rolex]

Oh man, if you have water behind the house, how can you resist? Have you given any thought to nitro or electric? All my boats have been electric. I've never stalled one and had to swim out for it. That's really important, unless you're sitting in a boat with your transmitter.
The ones you're talking about go for about $900, right? You can get a Traxxas Villain for about $250, and it's really worth it. Twin batts, twin 540s, twin steerable outdrives, and an ESC that handles both at the same time. I had one, and it ran very well.

 

[SkyMaxx]

I had a nitro hydroplane back in the day. It was a bass wood kit. It was a blast until I caught some air and destroyed it.

I had looked at both nitro and electric. Yes, the big guns I was talking about run between $900 - 1200. Yes, the electrics are less expensive. My concern is the worry regarding swimming to fish my boat out of the lake should it stall mid-run or batts die mid run. I am certain there are work arounds and that I will get over my concern.

From there, I will just have to justify it to my wife (shouldn't be hard considering she was the one who told me to buy the heli and then said what about one of those boats...pointing to the $1100 weedwacker engine driven deep V.

Perhaps next week, I'll pick it up...

 

[Rolex]

If your wife pointed to the $1100 boat, I would suggest you get it immediately, before she changes her mind. Just be very thankful to her.
Those weedwacker engines are extremely reliable, and not prone to the stalling of nitros. Just keep clocking the run time, and start a timer when you start a run, allowing yourself about a 2 minute window to bring it back.

 

[godale03]

Hey Rolex... I have been away for a few days and have missed alot of this post. Well I am caught up now and man what a nice boat. I have a Prather Deep V with a nitro outboard... afraid to put in the water! LOL I have no real retrieval process. That boat is going to scream with twin BL motors. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

Tom


Hey Skymaxx... I am with Rolex on this one.... if the wife pointed it out... strike now while the iron is hot! LOL

Tom

 

[Rolex]

It's charged and ready for a test run. Just for grins. Most of the stock graphics have been stripped off, and I have all the new ones I want.
The motors it came with are 540s, watercooled, but the radio is very rinky dink, and so is the receiver and steering system.
It's called Vector push steering, and what that means is that it turns off one motor, to push with the other. Not what I'm used to, and not very accurate.
I knew that when I bought it, but only wanted it for the big cat hull.
I'll need some info on BL motors, since I haven't dealt with them before.
I have all the servos and hardware I'll need, other than the ESC.

 

[godale03]

It's charged and ready for a test run. Just for grins. Most of the stock graphics have been stripped off, and I have all the new ones I want.
The motors it came with are 540s, watercooled, but the radio is very rinky dink, and so is the receiver and steering system.
It's called Vector push steering, and what that means is that it turns off one motor, to push with the other. Not what I'm used to, and not very accurate.
I knew that when I bought it, but only wanted it for the big cat hull.
I'll need some info on BL motors, since I haven't dealt with them before.
I have all the servos and hardware I'll need, other than the ESC.

I am a student of the Brushless as well. I own 4 of them now, all Novak Velocity motors with the GTB ESC. I use them in my Emaxx, my T4, my 18T, and my TC4. I am almost certain they make one for Marine use. If there is anything I can help with just let me know. I am more than willing to part with the info that I do have. There are a few on here that are gods when it comes to electric and Brushless Systems too.

Tom

 

[sweetdiesel]

How do you plan on controlling each motor independently if steering is accomplished by slowing one motor independently of the other? A seperate ESC would be required for each brushless motor. I could see how you would be able to shut one motor off through a mixing function in your transmitter but then how would you control acceleration?


Can you add a rudder to the boat?

I am a student of the Brushless as well. I own 4 of them now, all Novak Velocity motors with the GTB ESC. I use them in my Emaxx, my T4, my 18T, and my TC4.

I want to see how you shoehorned that Novak Velocity into your 18T!