RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Dock hit damage.
Posted on: 3/3/2012 11:15 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10985021

RE: Replacement hull for Miss Vegas?
+1 Need a vegas or deuce hull. A dock jumped out and tackled my boat. :(
Posted on: 2/26/2012 6:02 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10977372

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Well, I'm now part of the 'need a new hull' crew. Pilot error and boat met dock at full tilt boogie. I think I'm going to try to fix it... will post some pics. Any suggestions on how to best flush out all the fuel oil residue coating the inside of the hull?
Posted on: 2/26/2012 3:51 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10977150

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
OK - new set of batteries in the igniter and it starts much better. Doh! Anyone know what size the set screw is that secures the rudder to the rudder post? Mine has vanished and I now have a floppy rudder. :(
Posted on: 7/16/2011 4:46 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10624294

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Can one of you guru's advise - my Aquacraft vegas .18 is miserable to start the first time out. It's gotta be me - what am I doing wrong? Here are the symptoms: - after the boat has sat for a few hours, overnight, etc. - boat won't start (easily) - will do a quick "braaaappp" for a .5 second or so then die - will keep doing this until out of some miracle it catches and runs - THEN it runs great....and will do a hot restart with one or two pulls Setup specifics: - Aquacraft .18 - either K&B or Odonnell OD-9 plug - wildcat 50% nitro fuel - head shim installed - C cell igniter Starting procedures: - prime fuel line, get bubbles out - put thumb on carb, pull starter a couple times, make sure fuel is in throat of carb - set throttle adjust on RC unit so throttle plate is partly open (about midpoint) - put igniter on plug - very gently pull starter until i feel a little 'pop' in the engine - pull starter with medium velocity Typically it will then go....brrrraaaaapppp...and die. Once it does start, it idles great and then runs fine from there. Restarts when warm are a breeze. Technique problem? Wrong plug? Wrong fuel? Wrong settings on the motor???? My neighbors are starting to think I have OCD. HELP!!
Posted on: 7/5/2011 1:41 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10607272

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Thx Amax. I'm going to resleeve the motor and put in a new rod and see how it behaves. :)
Posted on: 6/9/2011 7:15 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10564726

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Thanks Amax. Can you clarify what should be replaced? Is it the rod or the crank? I'm a bit perplexed on why the journal is loose when flip the rod. Regardless of how the rod is flipped, its loose on the journal and appropriately tight on the piston pin. That seems to suggest that it's the crank pin with the problem. Buuuuut...no scoring on the crank pin. Strange... PS - thanks for the note on the RC twitch.
Posted on: 6/8/2011 1:23 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10563522

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Hobbico advises that this exhaust gasket works - <![if gte mso 9]> <![endif]><![if gte mso 9]> <![endif]><![if gte mso 10]><![endif]>DTXC8259 Anyone have suggestions on the rod connection question above?
Posted on: 6/8/2011 7:33 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10563026

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Good idea to contact Hobbico. That part number shows for the Deuce SuperTigre engine, not the Aquacraft... do you know if they cross over?
Posted on: 6/7/2011 6:33 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10562280

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Also, I need an exhaust gasket...looks like it's NLA. What are people using?
Posted on: 6/7/2011 11:47 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10561627

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Vegas v1 question on engine rebuilding.... What is the amount of play that should be in the rod to crank bearing connection? I need to put in a new piston and sleeve; cooked the motor via getting too lean. When disassmbled, I seem to have a bit of vertical play in the rod to crank connection. Reversing the rod to put the piston pin on end on the crank side does not change the play. I don't feel any play in the rod to piston pin connection. I don't see any scoring on the crank. Is this normal or do I have a problem? Thanks!
Posted on: 6/7/2011 11:44 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10561623

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
What's this - servo 'surging' issues. Miss Vegas with stock aquacraft radio. (edit: this is not the deuce with the digital radio unit) When the boat radio is on and I touch the antenna, the throttle and rudder servo's randomly surge and move. Anything I can do about this? It's strange.
Posted on: 5/8/2011 11:32 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10508309

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
And last but not least, my own vegas running on a different lake...
Posted on: 7/20/2010 1:29 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9875897

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Well, made it out over the weekend to see JD and Beaverboy run some races. Turns out Beaverboy's social calendar was maxed but did get a chance to chat with JD and watch him grease everyone with slick starting line moves. Few pics just for grins.
Posted on: 7/20/2010 1:26 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9875893

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Well stated Amax. For a pond runner like me, a bit more protection will be a good thing. :)
Posted on: 7/13/2010 2:48 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9862578

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Okaaaay. I'm on it. Great info.
Posted on: 7/13/2010 1:17 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9862403

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Haven't added oil. What sort of issues? Thanks for the heads up.
Posted on: 7/13/2010 11:07 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9862128

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Got it. Thanks everyone.
Posted on: 7/13/2010 10:10 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9862001

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
OK. I'm with you on the leaner is hotter, richer is cooler discussion. Understand a bit on the plug distortion discussion - it's tied to the day to day variance of rich / lean. My takeaways seem to be this : - If the engine is "too lean", then the plug doesn't tend to last. - Going from rich to lean seems to be a sure way to expire the plug faster. What this doesn't much explain is why the boat ran so much slower when fast plug A died and I swapped in new plug B and boat went from quite fast to sort of pokey. The span of time was less than 10 minutes. Exact same plug. Exact same day. Exact same air pressure....blah blah blah... Not sure how one really tunes the A/F mixture correctly short of understanding the correct target head temp and doing some trial and error with the needle each day to get it there. Yikes...that's a bit messy!
Posted on: 7/12/2010 12:26 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9859759

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
No engine temp gauge so I can't tell that. OK - understand that if the coil is distorted, it's lean. Can you explain what happened with the second plug?
Posted on: 7/12/2010 9:36 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9859452

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Thanks for the reply. The first one - the fast one - a little distorted. The second one - slow one - looked like it came right out of the box.
Posted on: 7/11/2010 10:29 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9858827

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Got to run the boat again this weekend, couple questions on glowplugs..... First, is there anything to avoid that is more likely than not to 'kill' a glowplug? For example, I had a few kids who were interested in the hydro and so I gave them some turns to run the boat. They were being good and not running the boat full speed. We ran a few lap and came in to refuel and *zot* - boat wouldn't restart and the ignitor showed a bad plug. Put in a new OS#8 plug and did the same thing. A few more laps and zot - dead plug. Is there something going on here? Is there a 'right way' to run the boat and shut down the boat to make the plug run longer? Also, noticed that when I went from plug #1 to plug #2 above, the boat ran much slower..... Both plugs where OS#8's. The first plug - the fast one - was well used and the second plug - new - didn't last and was much slower. No other changes were done between runs. What gives? Boat setup details... - Aqua .18 engine, head shim pulled, stock otherwise. 30% nitro. Boat runs a fuel filter. Fuel is Blue Thunder brand. Cheers! Jeff
Posted on: 7/11/2010 5:05 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9858193

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Thanks Jerry...might just be able to pull that one off. No weekend plans yet by SWMBO.
Posted on: 7/7/2010 10:30 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9849732

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Thanks Kevin. I have been playing with the depth a bit and am pretty much all the up on the factory slot. Yes, have thought of making the slot a bit longer to try a tad higher setting. Also have marked the strut so I can better assess the strut angle. Am finding it seems to run best with a bit of positive angle to air it out somewhat. Again...lot's of playing I can do. Have not messed much with fuel. Just running 30% nitro which is the max my LHS has. Beaverboy - near me - has a shop with 50% and I think that's the next gallon I buy. Can you pickup much with glow plug changes? That seems to me like the 'timing' of the motor but haven't seem much written on that (or searched much). Likely the smartest thing I can do is go meet up with Beaverboy and JD and see what they are doing relative to my homebrew setup. That alone would eliminate years of trial and error. :) Amax - thanks for tip on the Garmin rigs. I'll check it out!
Posted on: 7/6/2010 1:54 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9847122

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
BTW...just to keep the thread rollin' So I've been slowly adjusting and sorting my original Miss Vegas. No serious mods - just an upgraded fuel tank, an Octura Y535 prop, and some careful 'blueprinting' of stuff. Cut the rudder a bit, sharpened the strut and skid find, sanded the bottom, pulled the head shim, all that. Boat's finally starting to scoot along. No GPS but it's clearly going much better than before. This weekend I tucked the stock skid fin in from vertical to maybe 15 degress tuck. Whoa. That sure made a difference! Also disassembled the carb and adjusted all the linkages so that at WOT the throttle plate would correctly open. Again, nice little pickup. Next may be the sponson mods.... Be nice if I had a good way to measure the speed. Anyways, fun little boat...enjoying playing with it.
Posted on: 7/5/2010 11:22 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9846923

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
OK. Tried a different search on Tower and found the factory box. http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXMNG3&P=7 ...and there are lots of antenna whips and wires at Tower. Note to self: Search first, ask second.
Posted on: 7/5/2010 4:49 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9846208

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
OK. Next question. While running this weekend, the boat conked and a 'helpful' boater decided to retrieve it from me. Before I could wave him off, he tried to lift the boat out via the antenna. The antenna severed at the radio box and lost the plastic whip support - old style radio. Donkey!! So, couple questions. How long is the antenna supposed to be? I'm assuming there is an optimum / desired length based on the frequency. I'm assuming that I can just solder and insulate in a replacement wire, any reason not? Also, while on the topic, my factory radio box is showing problems with some cracks at the screws. I'll do an archive search but I'm curious what the best replacement is. Don't think I saw the box as an orderable part from Aquacraft...?? Cheers, Jeff
Posted on: 7/5/2010 2:35 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9845966

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
Thanks BeaverBoy... I looked for the second time and see them available. I must have missed in the first look - saw that the motor, head, pipe were NLA. Should have looked closer to see the sleeve and piston. Finally got and put in my Rum Racing after muffler. Nice..takes the edge off the sound...neighbors are happy! BTW, one of these day's we'll connect. . Cheers, Jeff
Posted on: 7/3/2010 8:25 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9842997

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
See now that the Aquacraft major engine parts are NLA. What is the engine replacement of choice? CR-V? TZ? TZ seems to be a lot more work than the CR-V due the changed exhaust port. I'm still running the Aqua .18 but i'm sure it will need a replacement at some point.....
Posted on: 7/3/2010 11:03 AM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9842235

RE: AquaCraft U-18 Miss Vegas Hydro Thread_Make it Fast!
There are epoxy specific dyes that are like $5 to $10 for an ounce (more than plenty). I used 30 minute expoxy with a little dye (look back a few pages for my boat; orange hull with grey interior). I didn't thin my epoxy but you certainly could. If you've run your boat, the real trick is to get the hull clean before you coat it. I had really clean mine. Used alcohol and sanded it well - especially in corners - to get it clean. PS - be careful about covering the motor mounts. Can raise the engine height messing up the stuffing box alignment. I left mine uncovered. Also, don't fill too much under to collette lest it run and you have to grind it out.
Posted on: 10/7/2009 10:53 PM by Author "SilentSeven" in the forum "Speed - RC Nitro Boats"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=9155408