Aquacraft VS1 User Manual download pdf (Page 16)

CARE AND MAINTENANCE

• If you should happen to drip or spill fuel on the ﬁ nish of your

VS1, carefully wipe it off as soon as you can. Some fuels,

especially high nitro fuels and some with special oil additives,

can damage your boat’s ﬁ nish.

• Open the radio box and unplug the battery from the switch

harness. Leave the lid off the radio box over night to make

sure any water that might have entered can evaporate.

• Clean the exterior of the boat and check the mounting

hardware.

• After a few runs and things have had a chance to settle you

are going to have to re-tighten the pull-pull cables leading

to the motor. There is no need to overtighten the cables.

I have found that even a fair amount of slack cannot be

detected when the boat is running.

• If you should happen to ﬂ ip your VS1 you are going to need

to remove any water that might have entered the engine.

We recommend removing the glow plug and turn the engine

over a few times by hand to remove water. After most of

the water has been removed, leave the glow plug out and

turn the engine over with the electric starter to expel the

rest of the water. Make sure you hold a rag over the glow

plug hole. NOTE: Be careful to keep your rag and ﬁ ngers

away from the spinning prop. Re-install the glow plug and

start the engine. It is best to start the engine after you have

ﬂ ipped the boat to make sure ALL THE WATER IS OUT OF

THE ENGINE. It is also a good idea to inspect the radio box

to make sure no water entered the radio compartment.

HULL TUNING TIPS

The major tuning areas of your VS1 are:

• Propeller shaft (stub shaft) height

• Propeller shaft (stub shaft) angle

• Hinge Pin Angle

• Center of Gravity (C.G.)

• Propeller

Let’s start with propeller shaft height. To simplify, what we

are trying to do with propeller shaft height is to raise the

propeller to a height that gives us the greatest speed with the

least loss in stability. Let’s expand on this.

To measure the height of the shaft most racers use a set

up board. A typical tunnel hull set up board can be a simple

piece of shelf board with a slot cut into one end so the user

can reference the height of the prop to the bottom riding

surface of the sponsons.

Adjusting the shaft height plays a huge part in the speed

as well as the handling of the boat. Typically adjusting the

propeller higher makes the boat run faster but at a greater

risk of blowing off the water (ﬂ ipping over backwards). It

also can cause loss of steering in the corners if set too high.

Lowering the shaft has the opposite effect and makes the

boat more stable but considerably slower. It is also important

to note that having the shaft too low can cause the boat to

stuff or tuck under when going around the corner. Setting

the shaft (prop height) is a very important part of tuning your

boat. It is also good to note that even 1/16" higher or lower

can make or break a good running tunnel boat.

Propeller Shaft Angle: Changing the propeller shaft angle

causes the bow of the boat to either run higher or lower

depending on the angle. What we are trying to accomplish

by changing the shaft angle is to loosen up the boat on the

water to make it go as fast as possible. More positive (+)

shaft angle lifts the bow, causing the boat’s tunnel to capture

more air, hence less drag and more speed. The risk of having

too much positive shaft angle is the possibility of blowing the

boat off the water. Too much negative (–) and the boat will

run too wet. Typical modern R/C tunnel boats run with about

1/2° of negative (–) shaft angle.

Hinge Pin Angle: Not all outboard engine mounting systems

allow you to change the hinge pin angle separately from the

stub shaft angle. It is worth noting, however, that outboard

engines that do have a distinct advantage over the ones that

don’t. Let me explain. When the servo swings your engine

left or right, the stub shaft follows the arc that the hinge

pin has been set at. If you have a positive hinge pin angle,

your stub shaft swings in a positive, neutral, positive motion

( + 0 + ). If your hinge pin angle is set negative, your stub

shaft swings in a negative, neutral, negative motion ( – 0 – ).

It’s important to note this, as the more positive angle the

hinge is set at the higher the bow raises in the corners and

the opposite regarding negative pin angle. These can be a

huge tuning advantage for the way you drive. To adjust the

hinge pin angle you must shim either the top or the bottom of

the engine mount plate from the transom. Also: You are going

to want to avoid engine mounts that set the hinge pin past the

back of the sponsons. Having the pin in front of the sponson

we call under steer and behind the back of the sponsons over

steer. The VS1 likes the pin in the under steer position.

Center Of Gravity (C.G.): The center of gravity “balance” of

your boat is just as important as other adjustments you make.

Adding or removing weight from the front of the boat ultimately

decides the stability of the boat as it ﬂ ies over the top of the

water. The further forward you have the C.G., the more speed

the hull can handle, but like other adjustments to your boat

it comes with a price. As a model tunnel boat operates, the

boat’s ride can become disrupted. Any “acting forces” (i.e. wind,

waves, drag and or acceleration/deceleration) can cause the

boat to lose its balance. A properly set C.G. gives you the best

overall balance regarding all those changing conditions.

Propeller: First and foremost you need to balance or use

a balanced propeller. Not only will this provide the best

performance but it is necessary to avoid damaging your

engine. You can learn more about how to balance your

propeller at www.aquacraftmodels.com

1 2 ... 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Comments to this Manuals

No comments

Aquacraft VS1 User Manual Page 16

Comments to this Manuals

Related products and manuals for Water equipment Aquacraft VS1