Vac-u-boat.com fletcher destroyer build going on here. Overall opinion so far is that the kit is super easy to start cutting out pieces and building something that looks like a combat ship very quickly. Still need a new spectrum receiver to come in before I start hooking up everything. Shafts are in, motors are wired just need to add a plug to the pump install the gun and plug everything in sheet and float test before I secure it all down. Not much left to really do now before it’s ready. I’m liking the super so much way more attractive than my old zboat.
This just goes to show how easy this boat is to build. My garage is packed full of garbage from Florence the other week and my parents have my usual fold out table I use so none the less after dinner tonight I skinned one side. The other side and silkspan come next. Edit: Also have a stinger max on the way from Steve. Will finish more superstructure after I get the gun installed.
So today i had my cannon come in from Steve. Just test fired it and wow this thing really slings them hard and quickly. No double feeds no mis feeds.. Very impressive, too late to dig the cronograph out of the building but I like it. Going to try and mount it up this weekend and get the boat finished with pics of internal layout. Waiting on another drive esc I plugged the servo leads in backwards and fried it after taking it in and out too many times while working on where I wanted to lay out components. Worked like a charm prior though, I’ll be more cautious from now on. Heh
Made a sliding and elevating manual gun mount to keep that barrel steady, and find the sweet spot when I start water testing. From the pics you can see I just took a dremel disc wheel and filed a channel for the screw to ride in. Added fiber reinforced tape to the bottom of deck to give it some extra streagth. I use two brass nuts for the clamping force on the deck that free spin to adjust elevation and side to side. Tightened down the gun is rock solid. It has a brass tube that slid over the barrel and I soldered a third nut that attaches it to the brass tube. Just need to add the barrel armor back on and finish the superstructure and float test.
Well got everything pretty much set in the hull where I want. All systems are working great. Just need a decent scale to see how much weight I can add to the bottom of the hull before I do the waterline and add the rest of the paint. Other than that just need to add my quick connects for the gun, add some zip ties to my air lines and add the internal armor and I’m ready to do some water testing on some bigger water.
Thanks Steve, your gun fits well and packs quite a punch. Can’t wait to shoot some bb’s next time there is a event around the southeast. I haven’t battled since I was running a biz at nats in oakboro 2012. Here is a picture of the internal layout tried to keep everything as low and to the center as possible. The drive and pump esc are held down with Velcro on opposite sides of the electronics tray which I cut down shorter to move the mav2 and reg back further to make room for the gun. Might do a gearing next and see if I can do a solenoid and firing board instead to up the ROF. Would be nasty to run split unit stern guns. I’ll need a cheaper radio though for buttons. I use my dx6i for planes too so no push botton mods for it, poppets and sticks will have to do.
Added 8oz of lead weight to sink it down a bit and gain as much stability as possible using stick on wheel weights. Sits much better now and not as tippy. Added stack paint and some rigging bits. Never done it before always wanted to though. Now I need a flag and numbers for the hull.
Welp having a bit of an issue with my pump esc making my rudder and mav2 servo twitch like crazy when I toggle it on. Didn’t have this issue prior, maybe it’s the cheap $5 servos I got at the local hobby shop? Any ideas to fix this anyone, maybe better quality servos? Anyway, came home mowed the yard and then built a 8’-9’ above ground “pond” with some scrap wood and some painters plastic I had laying around and tested the turning and acceleration and the gun with the aide of my trusty headlamp. The victim was a gen1 fletcher hull without the added depth. Weighted it down and threw some masking tape down the sides to get some gunnery practice. Needless to say Steve’s gun made quick work out of the unarmed stationary vessel. Impressed with the all around performance aside from my pump issue. Might get some stick time on the lake this weekend when I go to winterize my camper.
I did, so right before I left for work I saw your post pulled everything apart and out of Hull so nothing touched and still no dice.. Never had this issue before with my spectrum stuff.
I’ve plugged in the motor straight to power in the boat and don’t get any twitching. I guess that kind of negates the the esc which is what the caps would fix right? Never had two esc’s in a boat before so this is a new problem to me. Think I have some caps on some old motors I may rob and crack open this small pump and see if that doesn’t fix it. I’m real new to a lot of this electrical stuff, did find an interesting read that helped me understand a bit more. I will try caps and report back. Thank you! https://www.pololu.com/docs/0J15/9
not sure if both of your ESCs provide a bec, but if they do- you pulled one of the two ESC's red pins so theyre not both trying to power the rx, right?
You guys are awesome, pulled the red and my servos act fine now. Thank you for the help! Just threw some bbs into the sitting duck hulk again, looks sweet on the water. Ignore the tie wraps my solder joint wasn’t as good as I thought. Damage to the unarmed masking tape covered gen1 fletcher hull. Not wasting good balsa on a target ship just yet. Most shots are a little high but I’ll get it dialed in. Hitting about 8-10” from the bow now. I’ll need. Ore practice and maybe some elevation adjustments.
This looks like a fun and easy way to get into this hobby. I wonder if I should plan on 2 of these as a starting point...
