RC surfer

[Zooport]

This is a stupid and childish way to waste time and money.  I think I want one.

[WhatsSUP]

Agree.......ankle biters are full blown barrels for little man!!!

Hah!  I think I could spend a few hours laughing my butt off with this thing!

[805StandUp]

Zooport-

I saw it on clearance sale at Toys'R Us since they are shutting down.  If I remember correctly you might be able to find it for 40% off.  You can thank me by sharing videos once you have it! 

[PonoBill]

I've built three of them, the third one is very high performance. The only remaining parts from the kit is the hull and surfer. Instead of a dinky little DC 480 motor mine has a brushless three phase water cooled monster with a water cooled 60 amp controller, deep twin rudder and big prop. Yes, 60 amps. I have a short attention span for stuff like this. I like building them but I haven't used them in years. Fun for about a week. Wicked fast though. The first and third are still around at the house in Maui. The second one with medium stout motor/controller was last seen headed for Oahu.

[TallDude]

I'm waiting for the foiling model.

[supthecreek]

Always amusing, but only for a few minutes

Why not Replace "Bob" with a GoPro Sessions and use it to film riders while out in the surf.

[PonoBill]

Threads like this are where I get into trouble, they foster really stupid ideas. I had an extra non-watercooled 60 amp controller and I thought "I could probably weld with that." The output is AC, so hey, try it on aluminum. I clamped the controller to my welding table, hooked up a battery and ground cable, wrapped the copper wire around a thoriated TIG electrode (might as well do it right) and then flooded the spot with argon from a gas lens on my TIG handle, Powered it up and tried to strike it, and blew the shit out of the electrode. I think I didn't have a solid enough contact so all the power went to the copper/electrode joint and vaporized it. Burned the shit out of my knuckle. Why wasn't I wearing gloves you might ask? What part of "really stupid" did you not understand?

[Zooport]

the third one is very high performance.

Why am I not surprised?

[PonoBill]

This is pretty much what I did though mine has a bigger rudder and prop. The standard one at 1:30, hipo one starts at about 2:20.

[Zooport]

My question is how would it stand up to salt water?  I can imagine the prop shaft freezing up without extreme care.

[Zooport]

Zooport-

I saw it on clearance sale at Toys'R Us since they are shutting down.  If I remember correctly you might be able to find it for 40% off.  You can thank me by sharing videos once you have it! 

Thanks, but I don't think a toy version would work all that well in salt water. 

[PonoBill]

My question is how would it stand up to salt water?  I can imagine the prop shaft freezing up without extreme care.

Stainless steel in an oilite brass bushing--the gold standard for salt water. Well, actually a lignum vitae bushing is the gold standard, so I guess that's the silver standard. The major worry is water getting past the long seal and hosing the electronics. I made mine internally waterproof so I didn't have to worry about it. opened it up and tossed it in fresh water with a little detergent after use. waterproof deans connectors for power, everything else soldered, coated with dielectric paste and heatshrunk. For the servo I added O rings and filled the case with mineral oil--same technique I used for the SUP RC rudder. Brushless motors are immersable, you just rinse them and let them dry.

I can't believe I did all that work and then hardly used it. Story of my life. That doesn't bode well for Fritz--the MoHo. Which is turning out to be endless work. Let's integrate the latest in battery tech into a 1978 motorhome--and build it all ourselves. Go totally counter to fifty years of trailer travel and eliminate propane. Let's build all the cabinets even though I suck at woodwork. Jeez, I've got to go lie down.

[stoneaxe]

I can't believe I did all that work and then hardly used it. Story of my life. That doesn't bode well for Fritz--the MoHo. Which is turning out to be endless work. Let's integrate the latest in battery tech into a 1978 motorhome--and build it all ourselves. Go totally counter to fifty years of trailer travel and eliminate propane. Let's build all the cabinets even though I suck at woodwork. Jeez, I've got to go lie down.

Story of my life indeed....I'd love to do a collage of just the projects you've done in your life that you built....half destroyed....built better.....3/4 destroyed.....1/2 built better....hung from a wall/ceiling. Even that would be a big collage.....

Give me the specs for any woodworking you want....all lightweight panels. Easy to ship.

That last RC surfer you built looked kind of Frankenstien-ish with that motor.