Ok, thanks for the advice. As for the battery, I'm still not sure if it will work. Here are some pictures of the Suffren, What thickness of balsa should I use on the bottom? I was thinking 1/4in. Thanks for looking, Beaver
Hull's looking good 1/4" is fine for the bottom. I'm not sure that the 6V12AH battery I'm using for Edgar Quinet will work for Suffren; I don't think it will fit.
Why not? If I lay it on its side it should fit. As for power wise, would 12Ah be enough to power her? Thanks, Beaver
More than enough. Just looking at my Suffren, I don't think it would fit unless standing up (it's too wide when on its side) and having it vertical prevents the deck from going on and jacks up the balance
The height is 3.71 in, laying on its side there would be plenty of room considering that my Suffren is 5.5 in wide. Don't get mad at me or anything, but I just don't see why it won't fit. Beaver
Not mad at all. How many inches wide is the ship between the inside edges of the subdeck? The battery is 3.75" wide when laid on its side, plus the connectors. Will possibly fit, but it'll take a LOT of weight to ballast it right because the bottom end of the battery is heavier than the top.
I run LiPOs in my cruisers. Some people think that they explode easily in water, but I haven't seen it in 3 years of using them.
This one: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/uh_viewItem.asp?idProduct=16224 That link is to the one in their international warehouse, the US warehouse is sold out at the moment. Two of those is plenty, as you can easily run a full 3-sortie battle on one of them. So two will do you for a full day of battling. Any LiPO charger will do, I like the Thunder AC6 charger but there are many that'll do the job.
Make sure to order a couple extra pairs of 5.5mm bullet connectors from HK. The 8 gauge wires on that battery will not fit into any connector you're likely to use. Here is a link: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__2087__Polymax_5_5mm_Gold_Connectors_10_pairs_20pc_.html You can get Castle 5.5mm bullets connectors from your local hobby store, but they are a shorter length. Best to get what it comes with so you can make a harness for your charger and another for your ESC(s).
Thanks absolutek, I'll be sure to get those when I order. @ Tugboat Would one of those batteries work for the time being, because I don't want to spend $60 on batteries at the moment? I'm trying to keep this project around $250. Thanks for all the advice, Beaver
I did 5 sorties on one of those batteries at Nats last year, pumping every sortie and running around. That's plenty for a normal day of battling and you can always get another one later.
That's what I'm going to go with then. I looked for a LiPo charger, and this is the best I found: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__4574__GWS_Lipo_Battery_Charger_.html Do you think it will work? Thanks, Beaver
I would, but it's not built strongly enough for what you want to do with it. The charge leads that it comes with say a lot (and what they say is not good). I recommend this one: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__7028__Turnigy_Accucel_6_50W_6A_Balancer_Charger_w_accessories.html It's a few bucks cheaper, and it can do multiple battery types, it can charge at up to a 6A rate (vice 1A on the other one), and it will tell you how many amp-hours that you put into the battery during a charge, which reflects how much you are using in a battle (always nice to know). I have one and I'm getting at least one more. You will need to buy a wall adapter, but those are pretty cheap. I grabbed a 12VDC wall adapter out of my junk box and soldered on the right socket. It's that easy.
That looks like a nice charger! I think I'll get one when I order everything else. Also, what motor would you recommend? I've started gluing pieces of plywood to the front to shape the bow. Thanks, Beaver
If you use a stock BC gearbox, you want a motor in the 2200-2400kV range. go with one that's got a 3.17mm (1/8") or 5mm shaft, as the gears are easier to come by.
I did some shopping on Hobby King, and I think this should work. http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__11174__Turnigy_450_H2218_Brushless_outrunner_2500KV.html It's 2500Kv, but I think it should work. What do you think? Beaver
