DTFB Car/Hovercraft type Vehicle
- Thread starter MarshallX
- Start date
ghost civic
Senior Member
I have made a few airboats out of DTFB to use on snow.
the main issues I had were the prop hitting the snow if I rolled it over, which often would rip the motor off its mount and the front lifting and catching air at higher speeds.
the first issue can be solved by making a cage, but doing so with light materials can be tricky.
I solved the first issue by using a EDF motor. It basically has its own cage, is much smaller and can sit much lower on the craft...with lowers the CG.
Here are 2 versions of my EDF air boat. Both move pretty quickly, turn well and are fun. Both still like to blow over at full throttle tho. But roll overs don't damage anything!
The version with blue was a bit lighter. The red version was a bit heavier, but easier to construct. The blue insulation foam (1'' thick) made a good base to mount the EDF/rudder and raise it up a bit to get it clean air.
The rest is just DTFB with clear packing tape. 1 piece for the bottom, 2 side pieces and 1 piece in the center to cover the battery and receiver.
I am using a 1300mah 3s lipo. A bigger battery would be better because EDF's use more amps than prop motors...but more weight reduces the performance. But if you also limit the speed to say %50-%70 then the runtime will be longer anyway.
the main issues I had were the prop hitting the snow if I rolled it over, which often would rip the motor off its mount and the front lifting and catching air at higher speeds.
the first issue can be solved by making a cage, but doing so with light materials can be tricky.
I solved the first issue by using a EDF motor. It basically has its own cage, is much smaller and can sit much lower on the craft...with lowers the CG.
Here are 2 versions of my EDF air boat. Both move pretty quickly, turn well and are fun. Both still like to blow over at full throttle tho. But roll overs don't damage anything!
The version with blue was a bit lighter. The red version was a bit heavier, but easier to construct. The blue insulation foam (1'' thick) made a good base to mount the EDF/rudder and raise it up a bit to get it clean air.
The rest is just DTFB with clear packing tape. 1 piece for the bottom, 2 side pieces and 1 piece in the center to cover the battery and receiver.
I am using a 1300mah 3s lipo. A bigger battery would be better because EDF's use more amps than prop motors...but more weight reduces the performance. But if you also limit the speed to say %50-%70 then the runtime will be longer anyway.
Mostly Harmless
Member
Check out the thread at: http://forum.flitetest.com/showthread.php?14372-FT-article-inspired-Foamboard-Air-Boat-on-SNow
A few of us have been building snow boats out of a single sheet of foam board. The rudder assembly acts as a bit of a cage to protect the prop in case of a roll-over (which I've done more times than I can count). These take a beating and are fairly easy to repair.
To make mine a bit tougher, I used several coats of poly-urethane / paint, plus a couple of layers of colored packing tape on the bottom (it gets pretty scraped up if you go over bare ground, rocks, or ice). I also had some heavier vinyl tape used for joining sheet plastic vapor barrier material -- another layer of that on the bottom adds a bit more toughness.
Don't worry about weight -- too light, and it likes to take off (and it's definitely not a good flyer!). In fact, I added another battery just for weight to keep the nose down. Where you have the C/G is a trade between keeping the nose down and maneuverability. So, some experimenting is called for.
Right now, I'm waiting for some more snow to get out and play some more...
A few of us have been building snow boats out of a single sheet of foam board. The rudder assembly acts as a bit of a cage to protect the prop in case of a roll-over (which I've done more times than I can count). These take a beating and are fairly easy to repair.
To make mine a bit tougher, I used several coats of poly-urethane / paint, plus a couple of layers of colored packing tape on the bottom (it gets pretty scraped up if you go over bare ground, rocks, or ice). I also had some heavier vinyl tape used for joining sheet plastic vapor barrier material -- another layer of that on the bottom adds a bit more toughness.
Don't worry about weight -- too light, and it likes to take off (and it's definitely not a good flyer!). In fact, I added another battery just for weight to keep the nose down. Where you have the C/G is a trade between keeping the nose down and maneuverability. So, some experimenting is called for.
Right now, I'm waiting for some more snow to get out and play some more...
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