Operation; E Trouble Shooting - 4M Bottle Catamaran Assembly Instructions Manual

E. OPERATION
Test the motor before putting the Bottle Catam aran in water. Move the switch to the 'O N ' position to make
sure that the motor runs and that the propeller spins freely. Switch off again.
Test your Bottle Catam aran in a bath of shallow water. Lower your Bottle Catam aran into the water. It
should float easily on its bottles. If the catam aran tilts forwards or backwards, adjust the position of the
crossbeam as explained in step 1 to make it balance. Turn the motor on and allow the propeller to run up
to maximum speed. Point the Bottle Catam aran in the direction you w ant it to go before releasing it. Your
Bottle Catam aran will skim across the water, pushed by its propeller.
M ore fun
• You could try adding a little water in one of the bottles to increase its weight. Add water to the right-hand
bottle to make the catamaran turn to the right. Add water to the left-hand bottle to make the catam aran
turn left.
• Why not try as many different bottles as you can fin d . Your catam aran will look great w ith two 1.25-litre
bottles installed.
W arning
• Always check the propeller is unbroken before each use (see note 6 in Safety Messages).
• Be careful not to drop the Bottle Catam aran into the w ater upside down, or let water splash into the
battery case or motor. You could dam age the motor or the battery case.

E TROUBLE SHOOTING

If the m otor does n ot run:
• Check th a t you are using fresh batteries.
• Check th a t the batteries are inserted the correct w ay round in the battery case.
• Check th a t all four wires are touching the metal terminal caps.
• Check if any water has been splashed into the battery or motor case. If so, take the battery case and
motor case apart and let everything dry out.
If the fan turns th e wrong w ay:
• you have connected the wires the wrong w ay round. See step 8.
6. FUN FACTS
How does it work? The batteries provide electricity to the motor, which turns the propeller at high speed.
The propeller blades force air backwards. The laws of physics say that every force has an equal force that
pushes in the opposite direction. So when the propeller pushes air backwards, the air pushes the propeller
forwards. This pushes the Bottle Catam aran along. The model is quite light, which allows the propeller to
accelerate it quickly. The floats sink only a little w ay into th e water. This means they can slide easily
through the water.
C atam arans A craft with two floats (or hulls) is called a catam aran (cat for short). Catam arans are faster
than single-hulled boats (monohulls) because they cut more easily through the water. There are all sorts
of catam arans, from super-fast sailing dinghies to giant, high-speed ca r ferries.
Trim arans A trimaran is a craft with three hulls - normally a large central hull and two smaller side hulls.
In 2 0 0 7, the trimaran yacht
kilometres per hour).
Groupama 3
crossed the Atlantic a t an average speed of 29.3 knots (54.3