Playing with the putt-putt boat and adding RC control for a rudder.

Plan A was to buy a $10 WalMart RC truck and scavenge the parts from it.

Well, by golly, there's a reason it's only $10 and just too crude for my taste. The steering I hoped to use to control the rudder is an all-or-nothing deal. A rack and pinion that's run by a reversable motor that just goes SLAM, left or right to the limit of travel. No in between. Centered, hard a-port or hard a-starboard.

So, noooooooooooooo, can't do that. Just dropped a Grant on Amazon for a transmitter, servo control receiver and a battery pack.

Of course that'll be too heavy for the motive power available and the next thing will be a brushless motor and a bigger battery pack...

Saaayyyy, is that a rabbit I see down there?

Sigh.

I think your going to need a bigger boat

Hope you post pics or a vid of it working once you get it sorted out

Well you've kept it slightly simpler than one of my best friends and what he's doing with his kids...he bought a 3-D printer to build his own replacement/repair parts for their RC cars. Don't even ask...

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
Well you've kept it slightly simpler than one of my best friends and what he's doing with his kids...he bought a 3-D printer to build his own replacement/repair parts for their RC cars. Don't even ask...

Wonder how long it'll take to amortize that!

would you happen to be a Gemini?

Shop for RC parts at Goodwill. There is usually a few to choose from and then you can get the engine out of the weed eater to make your boat faster.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Shop for RC parts at Goodwill. There is usually a few to choose from and then you can get the engine out of the weed eater to make your boat faster.

I just happen to have a couple of weedeater engines laying around too. That used to be a regular thing in the Metal Shop when I worked at the High School. At least one kid every year would build one.

Never did see one actually run tho.

quote:

Originally posted by bendable:
would you happen to be a Gemini?

I'm a Libra:

LIBRA (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
You are the artistic type and have a difficult time with reality. If you are a man, you are more than likely gay. Chances for employment and monetary gains are excellent. Most Libra women are prostitutes. All Libra people die of Venereal disease.

That is just great.

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Shop for RC parts at Goodwill. There is usually a few to choose from and then you can get the engine out of the weed eater to make your boat faster.

I just happen to have a couple of weedeater engines laying around too. That used to be a regular thing in the Metal Shop when I worked at the High School. At least one kid every year would build one.

Never did see one actually run tho.

I bought a used 60" RC boat that had a weedeater motor (homelite). It ran at least 30 mph and was fun but always a pain in the rear......I used it twice, one time water got in it and ate up the servo's. Another time it stalled in the middle of the lake and I had to wait half an hour till it floated to shore. It was a blessing that someone stole it from my storage garage!

This problem is nothing a couple hundred grand can't fix.