Hey r/rcboats,

I'm working on designing a relatively large RC boat (90"x26") for racing as part of an engineering competition I am a part of through my university. To achieve our team's design speed of 40 knots, we're planning on using two SSS-5684-V2 motors with a combined power output of ~9kW, each with a maximum power draw of nearly 165A at 45V, which is our expected nominal voltage running a 12s LiPo configuration.

Now, doing some napkin math, according to the motor specifications, the nominal power output of each motor is 4.5kW, with a maximum power output of 7.5kW. Assuming current and power scale linearly, since 4.5kW is 60% of 7.5kW, I assume each motor will draw approximately 100A at normal conditions. This seems like an enormous amount of current to me, and according to some wire charts I've looked at, may require up to 1 AWG wire to connect our pack to the ESCs at the currents the motors have the potential to pull. Additionally, in order to be able to run at normal conditions for half an hour, we're looking at around 100 amp-hours of capacity, which is gonna require a boat load (so to speak) of batteries.

This being said, I have two main questions:

1. For the experienced people of this forum, does this plan seem realistic? These seem like colossal power requirement numbers, and after talking to some other RC enthusiasts, I'm concerned we may have gotten too in the weeds with our calculations and missed something obvious.
2. If so, are traditional AWG charts a good resource for sizing power transmission wires in this application? Looking at our chosen motor, the connections appear to be substantially smaller than 1 gauge wire, leading me to wonder if such a large gauge would be overkill.

Any and all comments and critiques are welcome! I look forward to hearing what you all have to say.

I'm putting together a unit for my design and technology class. I want to have them build an RC boat with the intention that they learn some basic engineering, control systems and electronics. They would then build (3d print, lasercut and waterproof) a custom hull for a given design situation, likely track collection. Are there any kits you might recommend for for the proposition/steering and radio? Budget about $150 per boat..

I'm located in Australia, if that helps!

TIA.

As the impulse is on sale I have a Sonicwake v2 already and love it. Debating on if it’s worth it or not. Are there key differences between the 2?

The cell phone controls the boat by sending a sequence of characters (aka a string) to the Arduino onboard. The string will be of this format: "[Servo Motor Angle (3 Characters)][Throttle Value (2 Characters)]". The throttle value will switch from 00 to 99 when the toggle button (in the cell phone app) labeled "Throttle On" is pressed. When the toggle button is pressed again, the throttle value will switch from 99 to 00. The cell phone app calculates the servo motor angle using data from the phone's accelerometer. So far, I am pleased with how my RC boat turned out. It was a lot of fun to build and I hope you all enjoy!

Test Runs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffPeEjzpoZc&t=45s

Images + Circuit Diagrams: https://imgur.com/a/rc-boat-project-j7Lvsfo

Arduino Code + Rudder 3D Print: https://github.com/CaptainRichie/RCBoatProject

The cell phone app was developed using MIT's App Inventor: https://gallery.appinventor.mit.edu/?galleryid=357c8c51-8163-4d6e-9966-8aacbc3e2654

My cell phone app has multiple 'screens'. The screen used in this video is named: 'nothrottle'.
Picture of `nothrottle` (in case you couldn't make it out in the video): https://imgur.com/qywtMIe

I usualy carry my rc car in a Backpacking bag but I am worried about damaging the rudder,prop and trim of my rc boat if I just shove it in a backpack. I can't find an rc boat backpack so will I just have to taxi or is there a solution? Boat is proboat recoil 2 26'. Thanks

Hello, I’m looking to get my bf an RC boat but I’m looking for an affordable starter boat to get him started. I did some research a while back and learned about specific batteries and that it’s not just a remote and a boat and some batteries. Help please.

#rcboats #rcforbeginners

i know traxxas has good boats but i can't paint them, dunno of any other hobby grade boats.

https://preview.redd.it/en2lu7ycjp0e1.jpg?width=240&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1c9ab00e3a3749029a38190e4ae64cb45c9240b1

Hi guys I need help beacause I need to know the model of this boat hull for all the reference

thanks you for your help

I’ve had an rc boat for a few months now (deerc 2104). I swapped the previous battery which was a 3 cell 11.1v battery for another 3cell 11.1v battery which the only difference would be that it’s 2200mah rather than the stock 2000mah. For some reason the boat has gradually been having a shorter and shorter battery life to the point where it no longer runs, that includes both battery’s being charged on a balanced charger. Now the boat just has a low battery sensor go off with no motor function or servo function. I’m quite new to the rc world and I’d like to get this little boat back and running.

I bought a cheap 30 dollar boat and having loads of fun with it, looking for better boats?

I am working on a project where i need a camera to go through a water filled tunnel. I'm trying to stay under 200€ and have no prior experience with RC boats.

Hey guys, about to build my first boat from scratch, it's gonna be a bigger slower model with two big screws and since I never want to have to swim to retrieve a model again...

I'm thinking if I could could plug 2 ESCs into one receiver, each ESC having it's own motor and battery pack. In theory, one battery dies first, or one screw gets jammed (happens often in local lake) I can still limp to safety on the other.

Is BEC a concern? As far as I understand the ESC function, it gives power to the receiver, would it be problematic it was getting it from two channels?

English isn't my first language, sorry if I butchered anything.