This is my first RC project with a correct Radio and servos. All my previous one were using radio from RC toys, had a lot of limitations.I gathered a lot of information on Radio's and servos from this forum.

I am building a Atlas van Lines Boat. Plans available on  Thanks to VKsingh for helping me convert the plan to a tiled one.
Heres photo of my Radio that I bought from srihari(sriharishine). Great guy to deal with. He first sent the Radio to let me check before paying. Thanks Srihari!

And of course my friend and guide Ashish Lampuse(ashJR7202) for helping me with the electric selection and other guidance. Calling Ashish is like pressing F1.
Thanks Ashish.

Here are the photos of the build. I am building this boat with a 4 mm Hard Advertising Board. I got this from my office. I thought this material has same strength as Balsa, and also does not break. Would be glassing it in the end.
Would be using the following electric
1) Brushless 2025 14L inrunner. would be water cooling this.( Again a Thanks to Ashish for sharing this motor)
2) 30 A ESC
3) 1600 mah 3S Lipo
4) 9 gm Servo
5)  Kyosho Prop equivalent of Octura X431
6) Would be using a two wheeler speedometer cable as a flexible shaft.
7) Epoxy Fast


First assembled the Transoms with the stringer. Then went on to Glue the Sponsom Bottom. and the Tunnel Strip. Next would be to glue the Tunnel Bottom.

Shreekant

Some more photographs

Some more photos

Hey shreekant!!!!

it looks grt yaar!!!! chalo jaldi jaldi complete karo would like to see it running!!!!!

do u think it needs some carbon fiber reinforcement???!!!!

Ashish

Thanks Ashish,
I would be reinforcing the two stringers with Balsa. But I am sure that Glassing would add enough strength.
shreekant

The waterproofing and tests of the same would be interesting to see !

Always exciting to see boats on the forum! I have some of this advertising board lying with me and was wondering where to use it. Thanks for showing the way. I have wanted to build one of these lobster boats for a long time. Do share your glassing details, material used and techniques with us.

All the best!

VC

Nice piece of work there!
Looks very good, I am sure the outcome will be a good high speed monster.
Will you use Thermocol blocks inside the hull for flotation?
Cant wait to see this ready!

Regards,

Dorwin

Thanks VC and Dorwin.
Shall post the glassing by week end. The structure would float by itself. It would not require any additional floats.

Shreekant

The idea to use speedometer wire will not work appropriate for you, cause speedometer wires are made to run at low rpm and not meant to transmit axial thrust. When it is force to rotate at higher rpm a lot of turbulence may occurre at propeller as well as motor end. Instead of using speedometer wire try with two number of propeller shaft at rare end coupling both shaft with a spring.

And sorry I was late answering the handmade propeller as I was in tremendous work pressure since last one month. I will post some videos within a few days.

Had a 2 hour long conversation with Maharana today, in which we ate each others brains out from Sailboats to Submarines. Couple of points to note here, as informed by Maestro Maharana:

1. Best try to make the two shafts out of bicycle spokes (Even Saikat advises the same), I have used it with great success.

2. The coupling spring will be available with any photocopier engineer. When they strip a copier, they are left with a lot of springs that they throw away. These springs are PERFECT for prop couplings. Don't try to use Ballpoint pen springs for this purpose, they will give way at high speeds.

Don't thank me, thank Maharana/Saikat for this info.

Cheers!

VC

See the main idea to use a flexible shaft in model boat is to position the propeller horizontally so that the max. thrust from propeller pushes the boat in a forward direction, because an inclined shaft wastes much energy in lifting instead of pushing the boat forward. But if the inclination / angle of slope is less than 15~20 degree, fine. So it is better to use a straight single shaft with less slope than a flexible or a joint shaft. 

Coupling shafts is surely a good idea

Some doubts.Why would there be a turbulence at the ends of the speedometer wire.The speedometer wire would be supported with Nylon bushes at both the end.( bush in the stuffing tube).
The doubt arises because the speedometer wire and the flexible shafts available from HK look to be the same.
If you could highlight the difference between the two.

Shreekant

Actually I don't know what kind of flexible shaft, clamping units and its accessories are used in model boats, but the use speedometer wire as flexible shaft at higher rpm creates a lot of doubt. So it would be better to make a test of it by temporarily fixing the rc unit, flexible shaft with clamps on a plywood, and see the result at higher rpm.


And read a conversion on this subject :
http://forums.radiocontrolzone.com/archive/index.php/t-180465.html

Got to complete the toughest part this week end.bottom planking. The boat shape has come out to my satisfaction.Had to re-cut the side sponson sides, since the earlier ones left some gaps. The rear sponson were relatively easy to glue. Also I realized the advertisement board does not react to Feviquick. It does not eat up the board like coro.So used feviquick to put the planks into place and then used epoxy to cover the gaps. Would be completing the centre plank and the rear bottom this weekend and also would be completing the glassing.

Got to speak to Maharana yesterday... Got some Awesome ideas on coupling from him. Good to get connected with people like him here.

here are some pictures of the boat

It is shaping up nicely.

Post your build log pics man!

This week just managed to fix the bottom plank of the boat. Went out to look out for the Fibre glass cloth with Ashish in heavy rains. Found a factory manufacturing Fibreglass pipes in Airoli. They were willing to fibreglass the boat for us. But we weren't sure on the quality of work that the  workers in the factory  could do. so decided on doing it myself.Bought a 2 meter fibreglass finishing cloth from them for Rs.20/per meter would use two layers of the same.
They also had the other fibreglass  cloth which was relatively very thick. Would be using Epoxy diluted with a nail polish remover to do the glassing. Will post pictures soon.

Also received my new Turnigy Accucel 6 charger and Lipo from HK this week.

After a lot of experiments with the Flexible shaft I have decided to drop it. since, I have realized that I need tomake the complex stub shaft arrangements at the prop end.No patience for this. Hence I have now decided to go ahead with a solid shaft.Made one myself from SS with a SS stuffing tube. Also made the drive boss from SS. Got access to a small workshop nearby my place to make all this. Used a 3mm SS rod for shaft. Also have installed a 'O' ring at both the ends to prevent the grease in the stuffing tube from flowing out.
As for the rudder used a stapler front piece for the rudder holder.

Before I installed the hardware I also went for a float test of this. Couple of places  water seeped in. This will be taken care off during the glassing.
Will be taking up the glassing once I have completely positioned the hardware.

Since this is a surface drive unlike the submerged drive..water line would be cutting through the prop hub. Heres more details on the same.  http://www.well.com/~pk/SPAprofboat.html
More pics of the hardware.

This is really beginning to look good!

Everything is looking fine  , just want to know:
(1) Expected weight of the boat after fiber glassing.
(2) Position of the propeller underneath water, I mean below waterline.

The approx weight should be around 600-800 gms. And the prop axis is parallel to water with the waterline cutting the centre of the prop.

wow!!! now it has started taking shape!!!!!

Surface Piercing Propellers, is what you are refering and even if you keep the weight below 1.5 kgs it will become a very fast moving on water.