Boat lingo

[fisheydude]

Man, I have been planning on getting a hydroplane boat soon since it was brushless and fast... traxxas is going to put this out just in time. I'd rather have the v-hull. I just wish I knew the boat talk. I know what a rudder is, that's about it . And 6s, wow! Can't wait.

[wirgej38]

i can't wait either...to afford one :P

[H2O~Boy]

Man, I have been planning on getting a hydroplane boat soon since it was brushless and fast... traxxas is going to put this out just in time. I'd rather have the v-hull. I just wish I knew the boat talk. I know what a rudder is, that's about it . And 6s, wow! Can't wait.

Well fishey if you have questions about boats or their lingo either do a search or ask em on here. I'm sure someone will know

[j-rock]

well...
hull: is the part outside part of the boat that sits in the water
prop: is short for propeller the spinning thing that makes the boat move
hatch: the thing you open to get to the motor and batteries
flex shaft: goes from the motor to the prop
well that covers the basics.
anything elce?

[fisheydude]

I was looking at the pics. The rudder is the steering fin I assume but what about those metal tabs on the bottom? I guess they are there for some type of speed/stability adjustments? And the other white stationary fins on the edges of the rear of the boat? I think it said something about them getting into the water to "bite" while turning. I already see the upgrade parts too. I got a traxxas email a few minutes ago.

[H2O~Boy]

I was looking at the pics. The rudder is the steering fin I assume but what about those metal tabs on the bottom? I guess they are there for some type of speed/stability adjustments? And the other white stationary fins on the edges of the rear of the boat? I think it said something about them getting into the water to "bite" while turning. I already see the upgrade parts too. I got a traxxas email a few minutes ago.

Yes you are correct, the metal tabs are trim tabs which are used for stabilizing the boat and adjusting how high/ low the bow rides in the water (if you get the accessory for it).
And yes the metal fins on the outside are turn fins which do essentially bite into the water on turns to keep the boat stable & from spinning out on turns as well as chine walking at high speeds.

[filmmaker]

Then there is the strut and CG
And adjusting the strut and CG is the best way to balance out the way the boats handles

[fisheydude]

You would adjust the strut up and down to get it in the water more or less... so what does that do exactly. I assume CG is the center of gravity. Low and in the middle like anything I guess. A video I watched last night had the dude from a website and a designer driving together, he mentioned the designer "tuned" his and it was noticably faster. What can you do to make more speed besides change the prop? Raise the boat off the water more or something?

[H2O~Boy]

Yes you are correct. Essentially the less boat there is in the water the faster it will go. Obviousely you will have less control as well. But less hull touching the water means less friction to hold the boat back. The key is finding the sweet spot.

[filmmaker]

You would adjust the strut up and down to get it in the water more or less... so what does that do exactly. I assume CG is the center of gravity. Low and in the middle like anything I guess. A video I watched last night had the dude from a website and a designer driving together, he mentioned the designer "tuned" his and it was noticably faster. What can you do to make more speed besides change the prop? Raise the boat off the water more or something?

setting the angle of the strut to 0* and the trim tabs the same with a good metal prop and the CG set at about 29-31% should get good speeds

[fisheydude]

My wife and friends keep asking the same question when I say I'm excited about getting my first rc boat, "What happens if you flip it in the middle of the lake?". I can only reply "I guess I'll go for a swim". V-hull boats are pretty easy to drive without flipping so says alot of stuff. I've been driving rc trucks for about 5 years so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

But what if you do flip it ? I would guess boats still float pretty high in the water up-side-down since there is a big air pocket where your batts, motor, esc and such are. I have a gopro hd camera I plan to put on it asap. I hope that doesn't weigh it down too much.

[makaveli72]

^^^ I say to that...don't boat where you can't swim.

And I think it would be wise to see where the current flows too. So incase something does go wrong you will have an idea which direction the boat might end up.

[rabbithazen2]

all the weight appears to be stuck on the bottom of the boat so i think there is a good chance it will just flip back over.

[H2O~Boy]

^^^ I say to that...don't boat where you can't swim.

And I think it would be wise to see where the current flows too. So incase something does go wrong you will have an idea which direction the boat might end up.

That's def a good tip. If your boating somewhere where there's current and you have no other powered boat to go get it. Find out where the current flows, otherwise your boat may be floating away faster than you can swim after it (even tho you shouldn't swim for it, try to keep at least a raft, kayak, tube, etc around for that scenario).

As for center of gravity, there is no one spot that's perfect for everyone. There are too many variables involved, ex. batteries used, battery placement, etc. Just those two things can drastically change the transverse & longitudinal center of gravity.
And then you must adjust according to your water conditions as well to get it to run exactly how you prefer with your driving style.
So as for making adjustments, just play around with it and see how each variable affects the handling of your boat. Set it up to your liking.

[filmmaker]

My wife and friends keep asking the same question when I say I'm excited about getting my first rc boat, "What happens if you flip it in the middle of the lake?". I can only reply "I guess I'll go for a swim". V-hull boats are pretty easy to drive without flipping so says alot of stuff. I've been driving rc trucks for about 5 years so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

But what if you do flip it ? I would guess boats still float pretty high in the water up-side-down since there is a big air pocket where your batts, motor, esc and such are. I have a gopro hd camera I plan to put on it asap. I hope that doesn't weigh it down too much.

never swim after your upside down boat..
when I run my FE boats I look to see what direction the breeze is blowing and move so its blowing towards me.. I also keep a fishing reel with a tennis ball on the end and use that to pull in my boat, and I also have a back up rescue boat to push it in if my dead boat is far out in the lake

[nitrobaby]

never swim after your upside down boat..
when I run my FE boats I look to see what direction the breeze is blowing and move so its blowing towards me.. I also keep a fishing reel with a tennis ball on the end and use that to pull in my boat, and I also have a back up rescue boat to push it in if my dead boat is far out in the lake

Look to see if you have a boating club in your area if so see if there is a pond they test at regularly near you. If so ask if they have a retreive boat on site. Many clubs if not most in our organization keep a resident row boat or when possible motorboat available for you to retrieve your boat. In addition to access to a wealth of knowledge this is a good reason to join a local club.

[filmmaker]

Look to see if you have a boating club in your area if so see if there is a pond they test at regularly near you. If so ask if they have a retreive boat on site. Many clubs if not most in our organization keep a resident row boat or when possible motorboat available for you to retrieve your boat. In addition to access to a wealth of knowledge this is a good reason to join a local club.

I'm already a part of a club in my area and help many out
when you are out alone testing your setup, its good to bring what I listed to bring your boat back to shore..
not many cities have boating clubs who will have a boat to use

[fisheydude]

I doubt there is a boating club here. There isn't a hobby shop close, there is one about 50 miles away and another about 80. There is a plane guy here but he and his store sucks. The tennis ball on a fishing pole I think is what I'll keep with me. Although I do swim a mile at a time several times a week at the gym.

So now I'm dreaming of having my Titan . It has been raining alot here. I dreamed that I was in the middle of town boating in the shallow flood water. After a while the Cro-mags came on there ships (I've been watching Sliders through Netflix) and started blowing stuff up. I had to abandon the boat, but I swore I was going to go back for it.

[BR549]

I got my first FE V-hull 10 or 12 years ago. The first time I flipped it I didn't know what to do. I noticed it was slowly spinning around in the pond. Each time the nose came around towards me I hit the throttle. The prop pushed enough air to get it closer by a few feet. It took me 30 minutes, but I got it without getting wet.

After that I bought a cheap RC boat from Walmart for a rescue boat.

[keithy4129]

lol, if i had this boat, i would buy a traxxas blast just for recovery, that is really a good idea, tell the wife you bought the blast for the kid, the kid can have fun with it, and you can use it as a recovery boat, brilliant!

[filmmaker]

lol, if i had this boat, i would buy a traxxas blast just for recovery, that is really a good idea, tell the wife you bought the blast for the kid, the kid can have fun with it, and you can use it as a recovery boat, brilliant!

perfection!