Hornet Formula-1 Tunnel Hull with 540 Outboard Motor R/C Racing Boat (750mm)

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Customer Rated

Jul 28, 2016

Very nice boat, tight corners are a bit difficult.
Long turns are better, it's going very smooth on top speed.
I used an old 3s 5000mah 20c lipo, a slightly higher c rate is better I think because this lipo became hot.
But....it's an old lipo.
Can't see water coming out of the water outlet, so I'm going to drill a hole on the back of the outboard unit so I can put the outlet on the rear.
I bought this boat for my son, he's very happy with it.
Thanks HK!

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Customer Rated

Jul 21, 2016

Beautiful boat. Good quality navigation. Pleasant to see evolve over the water. Small downside, the flexible engine that regularly breaks. To avoid this problem, you must disassemble the hose after each trip and grease with marine grease.
Small video in 4S:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh5pQ99LruE&feature=youtu.be

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Certified Buyer Rated

Jun 14, 2015

excellent boat. they are also to supply this boat with a extra flex shaft i was told but i did not receive that in my boat. any how i LOVE this boat, and i have used it a bit with no shaft problems yet to date.. just make sure you use marine grease before use on the flexshaft and also make sure all screws are tight, also the screws supplies to hold the outboard cover on are just machine screws and will rust, so i would either tell you to replace with stainless or use plenty of liquid film so this does not happen!!!

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Customer Rated

Jun 06, 2015

Personally I'd be careful about buying this boat. The flexible shaft is prone to breaking. In fact the instructions quote you should get around 30 mins of use from one shaft and it should then be replaced !

The only place I have found that stocks replacement shafts is Conrad Electronics who charge around 12 euros...

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Customer Rated

Apr 04, 2015

Contrary to prior reviews, this is now sporting a 35mm prop, not a 40mm prop. As such, I got about 10 minutes out of the stock (40-45a) ESC. Many reviews complain about the ESC burning up. Tried to warranty the ESC, no luck and I didn't feel like shipping it back.

The prop change is good for amp load, but it's bad for cavitation. Stock, the outboard sits up pretty high - the 35mm prop can't grab and literally the boat just cavitates. Prop centerline is well above the sponsoons. Moving it down requires re-drilling the outboard.

No lube that I could detect on the flex shaft, so do that first.

Expect to buy a new ESC with it - marine versions can be expensive. Expect to spend time moving the outboard..

Reasonable finish on it. Doesn't look bad. With a 5000ma 11.1v lipo, properly adjusted, it's reasonably fast.

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Customer Rated

Mar 23, 2015

Meh. When it's running, it runs well, moderately fast on 11.1v Lipo. Mine would cavitate out of the box, so you had to bring it up to speed slowly. If you don't and the prop "catches" under high RPM, it'll flip.

It's otherwise smooth and flat running. Fast enough.

It has one major downfall:
The flex shaft. It's non-lubricated and when it fails (indicates ~30 min lifespan per instructions) it drops out the bearings and everything with it. HK doesn't have replacement parts. You can help keep it working well by spraying with WD-40 after use and it does come with a spare, but you can find tons of threads on "where to find a flex shaft" - HK doesn't carry them.

My ESC failed second run out. Motor struggles to turn (no binding when turning by hand) - basically the sign of a damaged ESC. That's with 10 minutes of run time on it.

Most people replace the outboard with something that has a lubricated flex shaft and long term part support - factor in another $100 for that...

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Customer Rated

Dec 30, 2014

I'm very disappointed with the boat. The supplied flex shaft broke after about 20mins of use & the replacement shaft snapped as well not long after. The boat itself is great running 3S but the flex shaft dilemma ruins the whole purchase for me.

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Customer Rated

Oct 14, 2014

This is a great RC Boat with plenty of power right out of the box (3S-5000, not tried 4S yet)! All in all the model is well finished and ready to go. I replaced the steering servo and set the motor slightly lower to get more "traction".
Speed controller and Motor does not become warmer then the battery. So the cooling seems to work.. It's a perfect fun boat for beginner and intermediate pilots for a competitive price. Thanks HobbyKing!

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Customer Rated

Aug 13, 2014

A very nice boat. I was a bit worried about other reviewers burning out thier esc or motors, so I rerouted the cooling hoses so ther were no kinks and the water out put exited out of the top of the motor. (after drilling a hole). I can now see water coming out and know the electronics are being cooled. I use a Zippy 35C 8000mah LiPo (because I already had it for my hexacopter), it was a tight fit. I added sticky back velcro to the battery and battery mounting plate as well as a velcro strap to stop the battery from moving around. You may also need to check the wiring and hoses where they run near the transom, they can interfere with the pivoting of the motor. I have just starting adjusting the motor height and angle to help it plane faster. Once up on plane, it goes ridiculously fast. It can get beyond reliable sight fairly quickly. Avoid any quick turns at speed, and make sure the lake or pond is dead calm for best results.

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Customer Rated

Feb 16, 2014

I am quite happy with this wee boat. I think that the manufacturers have listened to what the other reviewers have had to say as the ESC is larger than the one pictured and the motor is also different ..... It is what it is, and that is a great fun boat that is affordable and goes well. It would be fantastic to get a few owners together to have a race as in a standardised class as opposed to just running around by yourself.... If you run this boat standard with three cells, it will give you a lot of fun without over-stressing the set up to the point of destruction as us modellers are apt to do....Keep it in the design parameters!!!
Get one and race with your buddies.