It was with some trepidation that I put the vintage speedboat back on the water. If I'd not done a good job sealing up the back of the hull, all my efforts would end up on the bottom of the lake entertaining the fish.
Maybe worse, what if none of these modifications had made any real difference to the way the model handled?
As well as the rudder replacement, I'd also re-positioned the batteries further forward under the prop shaft to move the centre of gravity forward. I don't want to put weight in the nose, but the front needs to be kept down.
On the water, despite my lack of testing in the bath, the model sat pretty level. A good start.
Opening the throttle, it slipped across the water. I say slipped because it seemed so much smoother than previous sailings. There is no box dragging behind and it shows. The nose kept down enough.
Steering was good too. I'd been worried that there wasn't enough movement in the rudder but it's pretty much perfect. I don't expect the model to be as maneuverable as my Bantam Tug, but it can still be swung behind the overflow pipe in out lake without hitting the bank - my standard test as it's the tightest turn you can make to dodge things.
Battery duration is really good. I got 15 minutes out of the set with more to come. Not bad on only the second charge.
Speed is OK. It looks about right for the model although I'd like a bit more. Maybe a more aggressive prop is the answer as I don't have any obvious space for more cells to give more volts.
Anyway, I'm happy. Now I can think about some paint.
1 comment:
Perseverance rewarded!
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