Finally got to give the boat a run on the new pond I recently found (only 1km from my place and didn't know it was there, -And I've been travelling 30km to the other one!☹️😐) Also spotted 2 more a short distance away which I'll investigate. Boat went really well on the water and was easy to control, (apart from an excursion into the grass😁) Bit dark to see well, as the sun was going down on the other side of the hill, so I couldn't give it too much power for long, as I was losing sight of it in the shaddows. Turns well (if a bit skippy) and slides without tripping a chine (I built a slight V in the stern which flattens off to the bow) Might add some spray rails, although it stayed pretty dry on the deck with no cockpit leaks.

I'll do a daylight vid when the sun's up, (been dark and raining lately)so I'll be able to see what it's doing properly, (just couldn't wait any more,- hence the night sailing😁 Tail light works well! and easy to see for orientation at a distance if you turn slowly.

Just fitted some alloy pylon braces, as I think the pylon was flexing under higher throttle and affecting the steering, Seems to have made a slight improvement.

Pylon braces now painted black, (to keep Martin happy, - if it looks crap, blame him😂)
JB

Finally got round to improving the steering. It tended to slide a bit much on turns, keeping the fingers quite busy, so I've now added 3 - 10x12mm strakes to the bottom, and used the adjustable mount to crank in a bit of down thrust to lift the nose. Works a lot better now (probably gone a bit the other way if anything) but at least it runs straight on full power and turns without spinning. Might halve the down thrust, as I want it to slide a small amount so it steers a bit sharper.

Vids in the media gallery.

Also fitted a camera mount so I can use it for filming . I have also swapped the 9X RX for a an HK 6DF RX and re bound it to the 6DF TX I use for small planes. This will enable it to be used as a rescue boat without clashing with the 6DF TX (modded for boats) I am using for most of the boats, (except the Hartley model which uses the 9X TX as more channels were required)

I'm re purposing the airboat as a camera boat, as I found it's a bit too heavy and needs more freeboard. Goes well but I think I'll build a better one as it's a bit battery hungry. Recently bought a cheap kit of camera mounts, and one of them was just the ticket for mounting a camera in a better place. The bracket I've used is for a motorbike helmet camera, but as I sold my last bike a few years ago, I won't be needing it.

I removed the camera mount base from the rear behind the prop where it was originally, and attached it to the foredeck along with the helmet bracket. The bracket can be moved to any position or the whole thing unscrewed and turned 180 deg to lean out over the bow.

I might be adding twin hull extensions with rudders to lift the boat up as well (catamaran like) and changing the motor for a less hungry one. Can't believe it's been 2 years since it was finished !