Hi, I'm new here. I normally fly airplanes but then came accross this site. This looks SOOO FUN! Right now I scratch built what looks like a hull and a deck. What do I need to make it rc? I have an old 4 channel 72mhz radio from my airplane that I don't use much. Will that work? I also have a speed 180 size motor. Can I use that? What battery do I need? How do I make moving turrets? Sorry about all the questions! Thanks! Armon
Hi Armon, You'll need to either get your 72MHz radio converted to 75MHz, or buy a new ground-legal one. They're not too spendy these days. Then, you need a hull that is in scale with the club you want to battle with. Most are 1/144 scale, and they all require that the hull resemble a real ship to within a certain amount. This sounds pretty daunting, but pretty much all the clubs can give you advice and assistance in that, or you can buy a fiberglass hull from several places. I'm afraid that the 180 motor is a shade small for our purposes... most cruisers run 380 or 400, and bigger ships run 550s.
My ship is about 25-27 inches long and is made out of balsa wood. It has a scale look at the back of the boat but does not have the "angled" front area. I don't exactly want to compete but just cruise around and have a friendly battle. What would be an easy destroier to replicate without going in to deep scale and money wise? Is it still ok to use 72mhz? what about battery? And can I use a hitec HS-311 standard servo? How do I make a rudder for the ship? Again, sorry for all the questions. THANKS!!!!
The first and most important thing is to get in contact with the club nearest you. Meet them, talk to them, see what ships they have. Where are you located? Once we know that we can get you pointed in the right direction. And now for your questions: I'm sorry to say but your scratchbuilt destroyer probably will not be usable. Almost every club I know of requires that ships be based on historical ships. That helps determine stuff like what guns they get, how fast they go, etc. The other thing is that destroyers are really not a good idea for a new skipper to start out with. They are lightly armed and require very lightweight construction techniques, which take time to learn. Depending on what club you're joining, you will probably want a cruiser, dreadnought, or treaty battleship. These do not need to be highly detailed precision-scale models, and most are not (although a few rare individuals enjoy the challenge of making bullet-proof details). They only have to be recognizable as a ship from 10 feet away. Technically, it is illegal to use a 72 mHz hobby radio in a model boat. However, I'll be honest and say that because there rarely are model airplane fields near the ponds we battle at, many people use 72 mHz radios. I use one myself, a Futaba computerized 7-channel monster that I bought used for very cheap from another club member. As long as you don't advertise that when the police visit, you should be just fine with the radios you currently have. As for using the Hitec HS-311, that's a great servo. Its standard, strong, and cheap. The "cheap" part is very important because occasionally they get damaged by water, and its better to replace a cheap servo than an expensive one. About rudders, many people buy them prebuilt. There are several sites that supply them. If you have the equipment, you can make your own by cutting a brass plate to shape then slotting it for a rod and soldering it together.
Thanks for the reply! What is the easiest boat to replicate? I have a flat bottom hull btw. I am in San Jose, CA. Do I need a rounded hull? Can I use a balsa or ply rudder? Can I use only one rudder? Can I still use my 180 motor? What speed control should I use? And what about batteries? I wouldn't consider my boat as a destroier right now because is is just a hull with a deck. No fixtures, gun, or anything. It just has a hatch in the middle. Thanks again!
The easiest way to replicate a boat is probably to buy a fiberglass hull from one of the suppliers, such as Battlers Connection or RC-Artwerks. You can always get a plan set for whatever boat you want and build the hull yourself but thats harder. For a rookie generally a cruiser or such would be recommended but that also depends on what rule set you want to play by. you can make the rudder out of whatever you want, they are normally limited by size. Most rudders Ive seen are molded resin, plywood or metal, I build mine out of aircraft ply cause its cheap and easy to work with and they look so pretty unpainted. number of rudders is based off of what ship you are modeling. A speed 180 motor probably wont be strong enough to get most boats moving differently but thats also dependent on the size and weight and what propeller(s) you use. As for speed controllers, some people love them and some hate them, if you want to use one make sure it can handle the motor and will not get wet when your boat sinks (cause it will sooner or later, its just a part of the game), some people like micro switch throttles instead of a speed controller, to each his own. batteries depend on all the other stuff in your boat. most people tend to run 6v but you can run whatever you are comfortable with really, for instance my cruiser runs off a 6v 5aH SLA while my battle cruiser runs off of two 7.2V 10aH NiMH packs I built for it, large battle ships tend to run in the 6v 36 aH range. oh and all this is in regards to fast gun type rules, that and alot of people do their own thing so really its whatever you can get to work to get the job done. If you just built a ship without plans or modeling it based on a real historical ship you probably wont be able to use it in any club, but you can still learn a lot and have a ton of fun with it, or use what you learn with it to build a ship for whatever rule set you want. As for the radio I wouldn't use your 72Mhz radio for the boat. while under normal circumstances it probably would never be an issue if something ever was to happen (these boats DO shoot metal balls at fairly decent velocities after all) then it would probably cause a lot more problems then its worth if you were using a radio illegally. Id suggest looking into the hobby and learning as much as you can about it before deciding what club to join and ship to build, its a big investment of both time and money so its helpful to have a good grasp of what you need to do to get a boat on the water.
Hmmmm...... Right now I feel WAY over my head. I don't think I can afford any of this. It would make a VERY large cut in my already small airplane fund. Does anyone maybe have some old plans they don't want? I don't mind scratch building a hull from wood. I do a lot of wood working in my airplanes. And I can't afford a whole nother radio.... O well. Thanks for the reply.
You can pick up a set of plans that work well for our purposes for many ships for a reasonable price. George (at the following link) is a good source. http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/community.dll?ep=16&groupid=231663&ck= -Greg
My brother Carl (kotori) and I are members of the Western Warship Combat Club, located in San Jose, CA. We have the campaign battle next weekend, and I suggest that you come check us out. We can work out a boat for you. www.westernwarshipcombat.com
Armon, you should definitely come check out the WWCC's annual Campaign Battle next Sunday, on Labor Day Weekend. It's the biggest battle of the year, and this one is looking like there will be some major casualties. Bring your safety glasses, because bbs will fly and BBs (battleships) will sink. We fight at the Penitencia Creek Percolation Ponds. Let me know if you need directions. What kind of budget are you looking at? I am currently arranging a boat trade with one of the other club members, and I could probably get you into the deal for $300. You would get a complete ship (this particular ship helped me win Most Feared Captain last year) in perfect working order, with guns, motors, batteries, and everything you need to run except a transmitter. Talk to me at the Campaign Battle if you're interested. I'll be the tall guy with long hair who sinks every other ship on the pond.
Don't you mean the short guy with a long nose!? *I am a real boy!* $300 for a boat? Damn! I might just buy it from you! My New Jersey is like $1000 and counting!
Well, there are two trades that will happen. I will be trading my Luigi Cadorna (combat ready, built in Neal's garage, very nice hull, good torpedoes and internal layout, and can lay mines) for a partially built Viribus Unitis (built in Neal's garage 3 years ago, hull, superstructure, no propshafts, and most importantly a tandem triple 7/32" BDE cannon that fits the cannon spacing of the VU). Neal wants $500 for that ship, and we both consider the trade a fair deal, so Cadorna is also worth $500. Carl will trade his Spahkreuzer (combat ready, 6-8 year old Hoffman hull, powerful torpedoes, poor internal layout) for a Conte di Cavour built by Dan almost 20 years ago (crappy 19-20 year old hull, one of two tandem rudders, two of four prop shafts, the matching cannon for the tandem triple 7/32" cannon in the VU). Dan is willing to sell the Conte for $300, and though a RTR Spahkreuzer is probably worth a bit more, Carl's hull is old, so the trade probably works out about even. If you want in on either of these deals, you just need the money for the cruiser you want. I suggest, however, that you wait until after the battle, so you can give my brother and I a chance to fix up any battle damage and I can finish making the new superstructure and decks for Cadorna. Carl and I will finish up the transports so we have something to run next year, then we will lay down two new VU hulls using up-to-date construction techniques. The dreadnoughts are just under 20,000 tons, so in the WWCC they are allowed to be fully armed with 12 7/32" cannons in 4 triple centerline turrets. Each ship will get one of the tandem BDE cannons in the bow, and we will make fixed tandem cannons for use in the stern. Neal's dreadnought Normandie (not the ocean liner) was a fierce ship for two years until he sold it, and the VU will be built as an improved Normandie. -Eric
Torpedo-cruisers operate on 3 channels (throttle, rudder, firing), but more channels will prove useful if/when you move on to bigger ships. You'll also need EPA or ATV on the throttle channel, to trim ship speed down to legal levels. My radio is set at approximately 80% throttle, though it needs a little adjustment each time to stay at 36 knots.
Do you have an recomendations? Is there like a little button for firing? Are the turrents movable? Thanks!
Don't forget that there is a fast-gun club based out of northern california as well. If expense is a concern (which it sounds like it might be?) that might save you a bit of money, or at least get a brand new ship for what a big un might cost used. However we aren't quite as close (Sacramento area) but I suggest at least checking out our website (there is a link in my sig) and trying to come up for the September 22-23 battle. Hope to see you up there! -Brandon
Hmmmmm. I'll see if I can make it. How much would a fast gun ship cost? And can I use my DX7 radio? (2.4ghz)
