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XHydro Instruction Manual
It is vitally important that you read this manual
thoroughly to obtain the correct setup and the safest,
most rewarding operation of your Arrow Shark RC Boat.
Please study the manual carefully before attempting to
work on or operate your boat.
Safety Precautions
* This is a high performance radio controlled boat it is not a toy. Adult supervision is
required for children who should be warned about the dangers of playing with gas
engines, fast spinning propellers and of being in close proximity to water.
* This boat is controlled by radio signals which are susceptible to possible
interference from other transmitters, paging systems and other sources of electrical
noise. Before turning on your radio transmitter and receiver, make sure that no one
else in the area is operating a radio on the same frequency (channel).
* After turning on your radio, watch it carefully to ensure that it is operating correctly
and not being affected by interference. Carry out a range check as advised by the
radio manufacturer to ensure you will be able to maintain control of your boat at your
planned maximum operating distance.
* Always fit a "Fail Safe" device so that your engine is stopped should the radio
encounter interference, go out of range or have its battery go flat. Some radios have
inbuilt Fail Safe systems, but others do not. They can be purchased separately at any
good hobby shop.
* When the engine is running, the propeller can spin at high speed. Never touch the
propeller anytime the engine is running. Be very careful that any item such as loose
clothing, shirtsleeves, ties, scarves, long hair or anything else does not get anywhere
close to the propeller, even when it is stationery. If the clutch engages, the propeller
can start to spin without warning and loose clothing etc can become entangled and
cause injury.
* The speed and mass of this boat can inflict property damage and severe personal
injury if a collision occurs. Never run this boat in the presence of swimmers or where
the possibility of collision with people or property exists.
* Model engines generate considerable heat. Do not touch any part of your engine
until it has cooled. Touching the cylinder head or any part of the exhaust system may
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Table of Contents
Related Manuals for Arrow Shark X-Hydro
Summary of Contents for Arrow Shark X-Hydro
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Page 1: Safety Precautions
XHydro Instruction Manual It is vitally important that you read this manual thoroughly to obtain the correct setup and the safest, most rewarding operation of your Arrow Shark RC Boat. Please study the manual carefully before attempting to work on or operate your boat. Safety Precautions * This is a high performance radio controlled boat it is not a toy. Adult supervision is required for children who should be warned about the dangers of playing with gas engines, fast spinning propellers and of being in close proximity to water. * This boat is controlled by radio signals which are susceptible to possible interference ... -
Page 2: Step 1: Accessories Check
result in a serious burn. * Gasoline is poisonous. Do not allow it to come into contact with the eyes or mouth. Always store fuel in a clearly marked container and out of the reach of children. * Gasoline is extremely volatile. Never allow naked flame or any possible source of ignition near your boat. Be very careful when refuelling your boat. * This boat is set up to racing standards. If you are starting from scratch at driving a fast boat, get a more experienced driver to take your boat out for the first few times. When you are initially going faster, do so on clear waters away from other boats and with your more experienced driver close by to give advice and support. If you don't know an experienced driver, find an RC Boat Club in your area and join up. Most clubs welcome new members and nearly always have experienced drivers who will help you. It's more fun running your boats with others too. ... -
Page 3: Tools Required
#1: Flexible Shaft (precut to the right length to fit in directly to your boat). #2: Rudder Assembly and Bolts. #3: 7016/2 Prop (factory sharpened, balanced and polished). #4：6717/3 Prop (factory sharpened, balanced and polished). Curved #5：Hydro Turn Fin and Bolts. Boat Display Stand. #6: 15kg Metal Gear HiTorque Servo (for rudder operation). #7: #8: CNC Dual Servo Mount and Bolts. #9: Prop Nut. #10: Receiver Switch Cover. #11: Antenna Tube with Black Cap #12: Shaft Drive Dog Tools Required You will need the following tools and items to complete the installation: #1: Phillips Screwdriver #2: Scissors #3: Wire Cutter #4: Hex Wrench (1.5mm, 2mm, 4mm) #5: Spanner (7mm, 8mm, 16mmx2) #6: Spark Plug Spanner #7: Loctite #8: Shaft Grease #9: Lubricating Oil #10: Zip Ties #11: Small Hole Opener #12: 4mm Round File (with handle) Step 2: Boat Display Stand Assembly... -
Page 4: Step 3: Rudder Assembly
* There are four plywood boat stand pieces two narrower pieces that form the sides, and two taller pieces that form the ends to support the bottom of your boat on rubberpadded sections. Match the angled slots in the bottom of one of the end pieces to similar slots in the top of the side pieces, and slip them together. Repeat for the other end piece. Optionally, for a more secure stand, you could apply CA glue or epoxy to the joints of the stand. ... - Page 5 * Use the pushrod connector supplied in the accessory bag to join the section of pushrod that came with the rudder to the end of the pushrod projecting through the transom via the black rubber pushrod seal in the center of the rudder bracket. Note: You might still need to adjust the length of the pushrod after you install the steering servo (we'll do that later) in order to center the rudder for proper control when ...
- Page 6 Performance Tips For Turn Fins Turn fins help your boat run quickly and smoothly through a turn. With hydroplanes like your XHydro, the turn fin gives extra grip in the water as the boat changes direction. It's very important that the fin be mounted so that it is exactly parallel with the centerline of the boat. Angling the fin back or forward a little can help correct any tendency of the boat to pull to the right or left, and can help to improve the ride angle of the boat. Only very small adjustments should be made at a time. Tilting the bottom of the fin toward the front of the hydro will tend to make the boat track to the left and will tend to lift the sponson and the front of the boat. Tilting the bottom of the fin toward the back of the hydro will tend to make the boat track to the right and will tend to drop down the sponson and the front of the boat. Step 5: Flexible Shaft Installation * The flexible shaft that comes with the package has been pregreased and precut to the right length to fit your boat. It is best though to regrease the shaft with lightweight marine grease before you insert it into the strut drive unit that has been preinstalled on the back of the boat. ...
- Page 7 Very Important Tip For Shaft Installation * When inserting the flexible shaft through the strut and up into the collet, make sure you leave a 23mm gap between the back of strut and the face of the thrust washer on your prop shaft. This is critical for the proper working and long life of your flex shaft. When the crankshaft accelerates from low to high speed, it will cause the clutch bell to stretch out and draw back a bit, taking the flex shaft with it. If there is no free space left on the prop shaft, when the clutch bell draws back it will create a strain on the flex shaft that could cause it to fail in a very short time. Step 6: Prop Installation And Strut Adjustment Tip * There are two propellers provided with your boat the 3blade 6717/3 and the 2blade ...
- Page 8 the 7016/2 prop offers quicker acceleration. Try each prop at different times until you become familiar with which prop gives you the best results depending on your preferences and water conditions. * We suggest trying the 6717/3 to start with, but either prop is fine. Slip the prop onto the end of the propeller shaft and turn it so that the slots engage into the lugs of the drive dog that has been preinstalled on the shaft. * Apply a little Loctite to the thread on the end of the shaft and screw the prop nut onto the prop shaft. Use an Allen key or similar smalldiameter metal rod through the hole in the nut to tighten it in place. Note: The prop is sharp, so make sure you wear a glove, or use a piece of clean rag when holding the prop as you tighten the prop nut. Performance Tip ...
- Page 9 The less of your hull that touches the water, the less drag and the higher speed. But with too little hull in the water, the boat will become less stable and could overturn. If there is too much hull in the water so the bow (ie the front) is running low, the boat is said to be running "wet". If the boat is too light on the water with only a small length at the back in the water, it is said to be running "loose". Angling the prop up will lift the front of your boat generally resulting in less hull in the water and faster speed. Angling the prop too high though will cause instability and the prop may "ventilate" or spin without gripping because it's too close to the surface. Angling the prop down will lift the back of the boat and keep more hull in the water generally giving more stable running but with less speed. Trying different prop angles will find the one that works best for your boat in different water conditions. To start with, run a straightedge along the bottom of the boat projecting out the back, and set the strut drive unit so the prop shaft is parallel with the straight edge. When adjusting the strut, you may need to also slightly change the angle of the stuffing tube. If you do need to slightly rebend that, do so very carefully with the flex shaft inside the tube to minimise the chance of making too sharp a bend. Step 7: Tuned Pipe Performance Tip Tuned pipes boost engine power by using the pressure waves generated by exhaust gases to literally pull more fuel into the cylinder. However, to achieve this, it is critical to have the right length for the exhaust gases as they travel from the exhaust flange to the "belly" of the tuned pipe (that's where the pipe is at its widest diameter). For our billet XP254M engine, this distance is between 370 and 390mm which needs to be measured along the centre line of the exhaust including the header pipe, as shown in the diagram. Having either a longer or shorter length will reduce the engine's performance.
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Page 10: Step 8: Servo Installation
Adjusting The Tuned Pipe Length You can always adjust the length of the tuned pipe to see the effect it has on your engine. It is also interesting to find out what are lengths other people are using and compare the performance they achieve with your own boat. To adjust the length, simply loosen the bolt on the pipe stop collar and slide the pipe and the collar backward or forward to the length you want to try see the diagram below. Before making any change though, note (or mark) the position of the pipe as delivered from the factory. Our testing shows that the best performance is around 370390mm between the flange to the belly of the pipe. If you change the pipe length and find your engine no longer performs properly, just reset the pipe to its original factory setting. Step 8: Servo Installation Please note that we do not include radio systems in our RTR boats as most modelers already have their own preferred RC system. This approach also saves the extra cost that the radio would incur. However, we do include a 15kg HiTorque Metal Gear Servo in all our RTR packages for the rudder. This servo is of the standard servo size, yet it has all the power you need for precise control of the rudder at high speeds. To attain this level of servo power in the past required a larger 1/4 scale servo and modifying the servo tray to fit it in. Our new rudder servo fits the standard servo tray without any modification. However, you still need to provide the following items to complete this installation. -
Page 11: Installation Diagrams
#1: Radio Transmitter. #2: Rechargeable battery (or dry cell batteries) for your transmitter. #3: Rechargeable battery for your receiver. #4: Standard servo for controlling the throttle. #5: 15kg hitorque servo for your rudder (this is included with your boat). #6: Servo arms. #7: Receiver power switch. #8: Receiver. Note: Not shown in the above photo but strongly recommended is a "Fail Safe" unit that will close the throttle and stop the engine in the case of a radio failure. Some radio control systems have a builtin failsafe, but others do not. Ask an experienced driver for advice if you are not sure on this point. Note: Before proceeding to install the servos into the boat, connect them to your receiver along with a battery and switch. Turn on your radio and check for correct operation of your servos. Have the servos centered and turn off your receiver before you turn off your transmitter. This will leave the servos at the correct position for connecting the servo arms and pushrods in your boat. Note: When operating your radio, always turn on your transmitter before you turn on the receiver, and always turn off the receiver before turning off the transmitter. If the receiver is on when the transmitter is not, it can operate with unpredictable results. Installation Diagrams... - Page 12 * Unscrew the 6 screws on the main cover and lift it off along with the servo box cover. * Unscrew the pushrod adapters and remove them from the pushrods. * Using a 4mm round file modify the servo mounting hole bigger in order to fit the servo to the CNC servo mount properly (the mount is provided in the servo box). * Install both servos into the CNC servo mount using the screws provided. The servos must be mounted so that the spindles for the arms are in the center, as shown in the above left photo, and the supplied 15kg metalgear servo should be mounted at the back of the servo box ready for connection to the rudder pushrod. * Prepare two single arm servo arms to accept the pushrod adaptors. Use the second hole from the end on the servo arm for this installation in order to get the proper control from the pushrod.
- Page 13 * Using a small hole opener, enlarge the second hole of the servo arm to 2.5mm in order to get the pushrod adaptor screw to fit through. * Install both pushrod adaptors onto the servo arms. * Install both servo arms on to the servos and tighten them with the screws that came with the servos. The arms should be fitted at 90 degrees to the servo bodies, and so that they will be facing up when installed into the servo box. * Fit the CNC servo mount and servos into the servo box remember that the 15kg metal gear servo goes at the back of the box. Connect both throttle and steering pushrods into their adapters. Then, screw the servo mount into the box. Note: In this application, do not use a screw that has longer than a 10mm thread on it as a longer screw could possibly penetrate through the bottom of the hull. * Using a small hole opener open a 2mm hole in the corner of the servo box (see the left picture above) for the receiver antenna wire to go through.
- Page 14 * Install the switch, with the waterproof cover supplied, into the provided cutout in the servo box cover. * Thread the receiver antenna wire through the 2mm hole in the servo box and into the back compartment. Seal where the wire goes through the servo box with a small amount of silicone. * Connect the servos and receiver battery/switch wires to the correct positions in the receiver. Neatly arrange and secure the wires with a zip tie. Note: A 5cell inline rechargeable battery is required for this application. * Check that the radio and servos are operating correctly. * Fit the servo box cover in place and secure and seal it with waterproof tape. * Thread the receiver wire through the antenna mount on the main cover. * Screw the main cover back to the boat by using the 6 screws you removed earlier. * Thread the receiver antenna wire through the antenna plastic tube and secure the end...
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Page 15: Step 9: Before Operating Your Boat
of the antenna with the black cap supplied. Step 9: Before Operating Your Boat Please complete the follow instruction before starting your engine Fill The Gas Tank The capacity of this gas tank is 900cc. Open the black cap and carefully fill the tank with your gasoil mixture. Wipe away any excess gas that may have spilled into the boat. We recommend using 87 or 90 octane regular pump gas. Mix that with 100% synthetic high quality two stroke oil at a ratio of 16:1 (6% of oil). A good quality outboard engine oil is advisable as it contains anticorrosion additives. Fill The Shaft Lubrication Oil Cup Your boat is fitted with a lubrication oil cup on the Tbar that supports the top end of the flex shaft. It provides fulltime lubrication for the shaft which is especially beneficial during long highspeed runs. Fill the cup with a good quality lubricating oil you can use the same oil that you use to mix the gas. Trimming Your Throttle Function Adjust the pushrod so that the carburetor is fully open at full throttle and at a reliable idle when the throttle is at neutral. You can adjust your throttle linkage with the pushrod connector or, if necessary, cut the pushrod shorter. You may need to adjust this linkage when you first start your engine. Note: It may take some trial and error with both the pushrod and your radio trim and "EPA" (End Point Adjustment) functions, but you need to end up with the throttle ... - Page 16 Note: For your first runs we recommend that you set the throttle butterfly to open no more than about 3/4 of the way rather than fully open even when your transmitter trigger is at its full speed position. This will help you correctly runin your high performance XP254M engine. After having set up the throttle linkage as described above, use the "EPA" function in your transmitter to restrict the throttle from opening more than 3/4 of its full movement. After the engine has been fully runin, you can reset the "EPA" for the throttle butterfly to fully open for top speed. Trimming Your Steering Function Similarly, you need to adjust your steering linkage via the pushrod connector to obtain the correct rudder operation. First make sure your steering servo is in its neutral position, then adjust the length of the pushrod so that the rudder is centered. If necessary, cut the pushrod shorter. Note: We recommend using the "EPA" function on your radio to set the rudder so that it turns about 2025 degrees either way for both left and right turning. This will give reliable and stable turns at high speed. Connection Check Before you start the engine, please check all connections and ensure they are fully tightened and secured. If any of them are loose, it might cause the boat to operate incorrectly. In particular, check the engine mount bolts, the rudder blade bolts, both throttle and steering pushrod connectors, the prop nut, exhaust bolts and the clutch system bolts. Before running and between runs, frequently check that the flex shaft collet is tight otherwise the shaft could fly out of the collet at high engine rpm and cause damage. ...
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Page 17: Step 10: Starting The Engine
Line#1: Water intake line from the rudder into water pump. Line#2: Water intake line from water pickup directly to engine. Line#3: The water outlet from the water pump to the engine. Line#4: The pressure tube from the carburetor block to the water pump. Line#5: Water outlet from the nipple on the engine cylinder (under the exhaust flange) to the pipe. Line#6: Water outlet from the pipe out of the boat. Line#7: Water outlet from the nipple on the engine cylinder (under the exhaust flange) to flange. Line#8: Water outlet from flange out of boat. Step 10: Starting The Engine The billet XP254M comes with a Walbro WT257 big bore carburetor which does not have a primer bulb, choke or return gas line like the more common WT644 or WT711 carbs as usually ... - Page 18 * Manually choke the engine by blocking the carb intake venturi with your thumb or finger and slowly pulling the starter rope a few times. * Check that fuel is being sucked along the gas line up to the carb; continue slowly pulling the starter rope until the gas line is clear of bubbles and you can feel fuel wetting your thumb or finger. * Remove your thumb or finger from the carb and open the throttle a bit less than half way. * Slowly pull the starter rope one more time to check the engine is not flooded (see below). * Smartly pull the starter rope in the usual way until the engine starts. * Bring the throttle back to a steady idle. Do not allow the engine to overrev as this can cause damage. You may find that you need to fine tune your throttle servo trim or the throttle linkage so that the XP254M idles reliably but not too fast when the transmitter trigger is at its neutral position. You may find it best to increase the servo trim setting for a slightly faster idle when the ...
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Page 19: Step 12: Stopping The Engine
For "hot restarts" you may not need to choke the engine. Check that the fuel line is full of gas without any bubbles and smartly pull the starter rope. If the engine doesn't start after a few pulls, then manually choke the engine as above and slowly pull the starter rope until you can feel fuel wetting your thumb or finger before removing it from the carb venturi. Slowly pull the starter one more time to check the engine is clear, and then pull smartly until the engine starts. Never run the engine with the boat on its stand for more than a minute or so without water circulating through the cooling system. This is long enough to start the engine and to check the idle ... - Page 20 b) If there are other radio control models in the vicinity, check with the operators that your radio is not on the same frequency. If it is, make arrangements to run your models at different times. This step does not apply if your radio is on the 2.4GHz band as this automatically selects an available frequency. c) Turn on your radio and check that it is operating correctly; carry out a range check as explained in your radio instruction manual. ...
- Page 21 conditions. * When you are ready, prepare to bring your boat back to the shore. Do this before your engine runs out of fuel. The gas tank should give you about 20 minutes running time. * Check that other boats are clear before you leave the running circuit, then steer into toward the bank and bring the engine back toward an idle. If the clutch disengages, just open the throttle a bit again until the boat moves toward you but keep at a low speed so that you can ease the boat safely near the bank before allowing it to drift to a stop before it hits the shore. * Stop the engine by pushing the trigger. * Have your friend pick up the boat and bring it back to the stand. If you do this yourself, first put your transmitter down in a safe place. Remember that the engine and exhaust will be hot, so be careful not to touch them as the boat is picked up. * Place the boat back on its stand, remove the engine hatch and turn off the radio. * Allow the engine and exhaust to cool before getting close to them. * Check the interior of your boat to see if any water has come onboard; if so, carefully clear it away. If there is a lot of water onboard, find out where it is coming from and correct the problem. Some water will usually get on board, especially when running in choppy conditions. * Generally check over the boat to see that nothing has come loose. Step 14: Procedure Should Your Boat Flip Over * Sooner or later, all high speed RC boats will flip over. You should drive to suit the conditions to minimize the chances of this happening, but it's almost inevitable that circumstances one day will result in the boat turning over despite your best efforts to avoid it. * Retrieve the boat with your rescue method (inflatable dinghy, tennis ball on a line or other method). ...
- Page 22 have it fixed by an expert. * If the servo box is dry, restart the engine and relaunch the boat. Run it for 3 to 5 minutes at half throttle to clear any remaining water out of the bearings, then resume normal running. Step 15: After Running Your Boat * At the end of the day's running, wash all over the boat with fresh water. Wash the hardware on the back of the boat. Dry everything, and then spray all the hardware generously with WD40 or a similar water displacing and lubricating product. * If you have been running in salt water, you must flush the cooling system with fresh water. As explained in Step 11, you can adapt a garden hose to provide a supply of fresh water while you idle the engine for 3 to 5 minutes. * Hold the boat vertically with the bow up and allow any water or excess oil to drain out of the exhaust system. * Remove the flex shaft from the boat, dry it off and spray with WD40 or similar. Keep the shaft out of the boat until you next run it this allows the inside of the stuffing tube to dry out. Remember to regrease the shaft when preparing to next run the boat. * Spray all over and around the engine and the exhaust system with WD40 or a similar product, then carefully wipe everything down inside and outside the boat with a clean rag or towel. * Remove the cover from the servo box and check that the inside is dry. Leave the cover off until ...
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