Propping Up for Floats?

Aretaic

New member
So I'm setting up the FT Simple Cub with a set of floats, I'm curious if the 8045 slow flyer prop is still alright with the extra drag (both in the water and the air) and additional weight. I've been using the B power packs, with the 20A ESC and Emax 2213-935KV, Hyperion 3s 1100Mah batteries.

Are folks generally adjusting power setups to accommodate float kits?

I have a handful of Gemfan 8045 3D and curved props already, but maybe a 1045 would help with torque and be more consistent at those same low speeds? I'm going back and watching a few videos and reading up on it, but I thought I would get into a little discussion here as well. I could stand to have a few extra props in other sizes just to experiment with anyhow.

What have you done when adding floats? Did you find no adjustments were necessary beyond a little trimming? Or did you upgrade your power systems? (ex. going to C pack from B pack)

Edit: I just used a HK-010 watt tester on an 8045 and 1045. 95-100 watts full-throttle on the 8045, and 140 watts on the 1045 with an 11.5 amp draw. The whole plane is at about 1-3/4 lbs, I'm thinking the 10" prop would work well for more intermediate flying without roasting anything.
 
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SportyModder

Active member
Just fly it...

My only experience with floats is with my Timber. She flew just fine all stock off the water. But all stock she has a lot of power, I'm not sure how your ft cub flies, but if she can take off in 10 ft or less, she has plenty of power.
 

quorneng

Master member
That would be my recommendation as well!
For smaller planes taking off from grass needs as much power as from water.
The bigger issue tends to be how it rides once a speed but most models have powerful elevators as well so even if things are not quite in the right the plane can be simply 'pulled off' the water.
The water drag on full size tends to be rather higher than wheel drag so the position of the step, the way the float rides and the angle of the plane are much more critical.