BladeRunner and HV-Maxx Brushless.

[txtmisery]

I have a new Blade Runner and I was wondering if someone
Could help me in figuring out what I would need to do to set up
my Blade Runner with an HV-Maxx Brushless system from Novak. (14.4v)
I have read a number of articles in these forums and almost anything I can learn on the boat. Ive read people are usng the SS5800 but this motor has considerably more power. I have the option of running two 6 cell packs or two 7 cell packs. Or I can simply rewire and run single packs. 7.2v-8.4v .
So my question is , would I be better off using direct drive, or should I keep the gear box? Also if I were to keep the gear box , then what pinion and or prop would be reccomended ? Should I stick with dual packs or should I opt for a single pack?
My main reason for this motor set up is simply because I have the system and its collecting dust , so I want to use it in a slow boat and hopefully make it quick enough to keep up with a friends Villain EX. Also the fact that it has great run times really helps. That and I just plain dont have any brushed motors available at the moment.

Thank You , Paul

[txtmisery]

I purchased a book on R/C boating basics and it is helping me some. But due to the fact I have no experience at all with real boats or planes or models of them for that matter, its all a grey area for me. And Im pretty much lost.
Ive been running cars and trucks for almost 20 years, but have never ventured into boats or aircraft. So from a build standpoint its very similar to cars and trucks, but from a gearing perspective its very hard because I havent got a clue as to where I should start. When there is no one around locally that can even give you a hint it makes it even more aggravating. Most hobbyshop employees havent got a clue. And parts are extremely limited.
But I love a challenge and since this is all brand new to me Im having a lot of fun with R/C again.
Any help or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Thank You , Paul

[MikDee]

Ok, I was not familiar with the Novak HVMaxx brushless system, so I checked it out, apparently it is a single replacement for the E-Maxx motors, meaning it should have good torque available, now IMO, you should run it with reduction gearing, (example 12tooth pinion, 24tooth spur gear) or use what gears you have available, as long as you end up with 2X1 reduction gearing. Find this ratio by dividing the number of teeth on the pinion, into the number of teeth on the spur gear (propshaft gear). This should be a safe setup to keep your motor from overheating, but still give you plenty of RPM at the prop. Use the original 42mm red plastic prop (it's actually pretty good, & hard). Run it on 12 cells in series, battery placement in the boat, should be so that you have a balance point, at about 1/3 the hull length from the transom. Remember this sytem is not waterproof!, like boat systems,,, and check for heat every 2mins. at least. You will probably need watercooling, (a coil on the motor, & a tube across the ESC. Next, later on if your not running too hot, (you will know if your ESC "thermals" and momentarily stops dead, too hot!),,, you can go to a 45mm prop, Properly setup, this should blow any Villain away! Good Luck, Mike

[txtmisery]

Hello Mike ,
Thank you for the help It is greatly appreciated.
The stock prop is a very good prop (IMO) . I first tried the boat in stock trim and was completely disappointed with its performance . I was expecting it to run similar to a 7.2 villain but it was not even close.
I next tried out a Speed spec 21 turn car motor , and it had a minor gain in performance , but still left a lot to be lacking in the speed dept.
I now have an Aquacraft 550 motor (the only Marine application motor at my LHS) I have an assortment or 48 pitch pinion gears from 12 all the way up to 31 teeth. As for props , supplies are extremely limited, and so far I only have 4 total. an x440, x447, x642, and the stock red one. I basically bought what the LHS had in stock.
As for the HV-Maxx I have currently built a water cooling fin out of an old esc heatsink , by drilling through the center and brazing a brass tube in place. I have been using this on my Novak Dually ESC that is currently in place and it keeps it cool.
I am hoping that since the esc has a marine application it will do quite well.
However untill I get the hull completely sealed up the HV-Maxx will need to wait. (The stuffing tube slid forward and allowed water to get in, and I fried the 21 turn motor)

Thank You again for the help Mike, I will keep you updated.
Paul

[MikDee]

Alright then, I would say try the 550 motor you've got on a 12T pinion, and an 18t spur gear, giving you 1:5x1 red. gearing, and use the stock prop, this will help from cooking the motor, but probably not fast enuff. The X440 is a bit small for this boat, the other props are fine to try, but I would get it running good with the stock prop first, sounds like the ESC will be fine this way.

[txtmisery]

Yes Im thinking it should be ok , as for the ESC , Currently the Novak Dually is what I am using. The Motor cooked when the boat flooded. Thats why Im holding off on the HV-Maxx untill I have the bugs worked out and I am comfortable with the boat.
As for the Spur gear I am limited by what came on it . As far as I can tell it is not an interchangeable spur. Im not sure of the number of teeth on it as I will need to check and count them. It has bearings throughout the gearbox , but it feels as though there is a lot of friction or binding inside. I have torn it down to check , and from the design of the gearbox I have determined that there will be friction. Which I believe is why everyone says this gearbox wastes as much as 10% of the power. Is this of any concern to me ? I know its not wanted in cars so I am assuming its the same in boats as well.
But thats another hurdle , my first goal is getting the boat up and running good.
To be honest Im almost wanting to just go and get another boat. But at the same time , Proving that I can take a boat no one really cares for and make it a runner is still one of my main goals . That and keeping up with my buddies Villain EX .

Thank You , Paul

[MikDee]

Your cheapest, & easiest way out is run it direct drive, get a 700 8.4volt BB motor, a motor mount (homemade, or store bought,) a matching 5mm x 4mm flex coupling (motor to driveshaft), a servo operated micro switch, the stock prop (to start) and 12 - 14 good cells.

[cbhanlock]

I have a blade runner with the ss 5800 system form novak in it and when the cells are peaked and the water is smoth the motor is to fast for the hull to handel. When you get good enoufgh power to run this boat up to around 25 mph it spinns out and looses controll when you simply try to keep it going in a straight line. The gear box will take the power but you need to get rid of the steerable out drive. Eliminating that reduces the spins conciderably but major hull modifacatoin is needed to really get any performance out of the hull. I finaly gave up on mine and now it looks really cool on a shelf. But just for fun you should bolt that motor in to the boat and tell us how she dose. I am curios to see if the boat will re stabalize once it reaches a higher speed. By the way the blade runner may be aquard at high speds yet it performes twice as well in 3 foot waves as compared to my villan. the boat loves the ruff surf.