Feed: Balancing RC Boat Propellers - AggScore: 14.0

For most models, propellers of radio controlled boats spin with the same revolutions per minute (RPM) as that of a gas or electric motor. Almost always, you will notice the propeller vibrating if it is not properly balanced with the horizontal shaft taken into consideration. The propeller shaft momentarily handles the stress with every spin of the propeller in the direction of the propeller's heavy side. With each repeated back and forth revolution of the propeller, the stress is responsible for the reduction of the propeller's speed and the destruction of the fragile electronic parts. To prevent this incident from happening, you can balance your propeller by following the quick and easy steps below.

Before you attempt to balance your boat's propellers, you need to prepare a clean dry rag, paper clip, dry eraser marker, small hand file, 220 grit dry or wet sandpaper, eye protection and RC boat propeller.

 

Take the propeller out and clean thoroughly until there are no more noticeable contaminants. You have to clean the propeller hole as well.

 

Take a paper clip and straighten the outermost loop making sure that it will stick out at a 90 degrees angle with respect to the other loops.

 

Use one hand to hold the paper clip and place the horizontal portion to the center of the propeller with the hole.

 

Wear eye protection and gently spin the propeller making sure that it will not be dislodged from the paper clip. By the time the propeller stops spinning, use a dry erase marker to mark the lowest part of the propeller blade to the soil or floor.

 

Do the same process of spinning and marking for a number of times. You will notice a part of the propeller with more marker dots compared to the others. The markings indicate the heavier side of the propeller. Smooth the contours by using the hand file but be sure not to change the shape of the design.

 

Wipe off all markings and repeat the spin and mark sequence. When using the file, just do a few strokes every time. Repeat the process until the propeller is relatively balanced. You will know it when there are no more apparent dry erase dots.

 

Use the sandpaper to sharpen the blade edges lightly. By doing it uniformly, the balance of the propeller will be maintained.

Scott Thomas has quite a collection of RC helicopters. With over 15 different models to boast of, his hobby for radio control toys is growing with his favorite being RC helicopters. He loves meeting people who also share the same passion for RC cars, trucks and toys like himself.

how to stop water from leaking in on my RC race boat?

I have a Balaenoptera Musculus rc boat and the top that you can take on and off to get to the battery pack and engine does not fit snug on top. There is some room for water to get into the engine and battery pack. Is it bad for it to get wet inside? does any one have the same problem? how could i seal it and what could i use?

Answer
It's electric. You DON'T want water in there unless you have a proper water cooling system set up with motor jackets, proper plumbing, intake and water exhaust. Geez, the other answer is hogwash,.Water sloshing around will short out the speed controller, the motor and the receiver. What I found works( I have an old model Traxxas Villain http://www.traxxas.com/products/marine/villainIV/trx_villainIV_features.htm) is surgical tubing around the top of the hull where it mates with the top deck. It acts as a really good gasket. I have it glued onto the hull portion, not the deck top. My Villain needed something since it's highly modified from factory. I use 12 turn motors ( not industry standard 540's or 20 turn that came with the boat) water cooled ( in proper water jackets) and home built cooling system for the speed controller, in it and the dual battery set up. Going into reverse just for a second will pull the stern down and flood the hull ( toasted one speed controller and a motor before I made the surgical tubing modification). No problems since I used the surgical tubing and I smoke a lot of gas boats in races. They never knew what hit 'em. :)