Going WaterBoarding!
In preparation for your WaterBoard™ outing bring
the following items with you to ensure success:
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Paper towels for cleanup.
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Medium CA glue and Kicker. In the event of a
crash or capsize at high speeds the rudder
will break away from it’s mounting tabs
(usually a clean break at the glue joint) You’ll
need glue to tack it back on.
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5/64 in. hex wrench for accessing electronics
hatches.
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Charged transmitter
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Charged power system batteries
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Battery Charger
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Volt Meter or Watt Meter
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Retrieval Items: You should always be
prepared for the worst occurring at the pond
so have a retrieval method in mind should the
unthinkable occur. A long pole, 100’ of poly
rope, a fishing rod, hip boots, inflatable boat,
a team of Navy seals, and a second
WaterBoard™ (to be used as a retriever boat)
are all excellent items to stash in your vehicle
when you go RC boating. .
..What’s that you
say? Oh yes, I’m certain that you’ll be careful
NEVER run it dead, stuff it deep in the cat-
tails, nor flip it at the far side of the pond...
right.... well in that case don’t bring any of the
aforementioned junk. [insert sarcastic grin
here]
“Pre-Flight”
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Inspect balance (CG) of boat using a length
of dowel or 1/4 in. square wood stock placed
under boat perpendicular to the sides. Boat
should balance between 4.25 and 5.75 inches
as measured from transom. If required,
adjust balance by shifting electronics within
radio hatch or adding adhesive backed lead
weights to either end of boat.
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Inspect propeller to make certain that it has
b e e n i n s t a l l e d p r o p e r l y ( t h e l e t t e r s
designating brand and size should face
forward).
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Tighten prop adapter. Spray getting kicked
up into the prop will, over time, wear and
loosen the prop adapter (especially collet
style adapters) Consider filing a flat in the
motor shaft and replacing the collet style
adapter with one of the “set screw” variety as
these have proven more secure.
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Pick a calm day for your first outing.
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Airboats are not designed for heavy chop
conditions and the WaterBoard Mini™ is no
exception. These boats should be run only in
the calmest of waters. Unlike flying small
model aircraft, where the wind sends you
packing, I’ve found that even when the wind is
kicking up chop on the water there is still a
calm spot to be found (usually towards the
windward side of the pond, over an algae
mat, or on the leeward side of an obstruction
bordering the water).
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Turn on transmitter and connect battery to
speed control. Whenever the boat is live you
should keep hands and body parts clear of
prop arc.
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Verify that the motor and prop are spinning
clockwise (as viewed from the stern of boat).
If motor runs in reverse of desired direction
swap any two of the three connector leads
connecting motor and ESC.
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Verify that the rudder is moving correctly and
not reversed. The rudder should always
swing in the direction you wish to turn.
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Install the electronics access hatch lid.
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Place the airboat in the water and begin to get
an idea for how it handles start slow (no more
than 1/2 throttle at first) then build speed as
you become comfortable with the controls.
Boat Operation
Airboats that lack a water rudder will only turn
with power on to the fan.
At low speeds the airboat hull will be displacing
water with the transom riding low. Turns will be
sluggish and the boat will resist. Slow speed
t u r n s a n d t i g h t m a n e u v e r i n g a r e b e s t
accomplished using liberal amounts of rudder and
short bursts of partial throttle to the fan.
At 1/3-1/2 throttle the airboat should begin to
plane out and turns will begin with the airboat
“stuck” to the water resisting the turn then quickly
progress to a “skid”. Once you have the airboat
skidding reduce the rudder applied to drive the
boat through the turn; finish by counter-steering to
stop the skid thus ending the turn. Practice this at
partial throttle before building more speed.
High speed turning. Since less of the airboat hull
is in contact with the water surface you may find
that the boat is actually faster in the turns than on
the straights. You truly end up “flying” the airboat
through the turns. This is what sets an airboat
apart from any other form of boating. Turns at
wide open throttle (WOT) should be made with
the utmost care as you can detach the boat from
the water surface completely and go airborne, flip,
and land up-side-down! With the recommended
Build Instructions
© 2013 Stevens AeroModel all rights reserved.
Page 22 of 25
