Vac-U-Tug, Jr.™
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Length: 22.5 in. Beam: 7 in. Draft: 2-3/8 in.
Displacement: 4 lbs.
Decals not shown.
1:48 Scale (1/4 inch = 1 foot)
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| Model Tugboat Hull Kit |
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For Radio Control |
| Manufactured by Vac-U-Boat™ |
You can now purchase this hull in three configurations:
| TG100 Vac-U-Tug Jr. Complete Hull Kit. | A complete hull kit described below. |
| TG101 Vac-U-Tug Jr. Replacement Hull Kit. | All of the vacuum-formed plastic with a piece of Velcro a new set of decals to rebuild a boat using salvageable parts from the damaged model |
| TG102 Vac-U-Tug Jr. Builder's Hull Kit. | All of the vacuum-formed plastic, piece of Velcro, set of decals, rub rail, and rudder-skeg assembly. A complete "exterior" for you to install your own drive system into. |
It is easy for the novice to build the Vac-U-Tug, Jr. in just a few hours. The drive system is very durable and should provide years of service with very little maintenance. The H.I.P.S. "High Impact Poly Styrene" hull is lightweight and strong. It is trimmed by a rubber rub rail that will greatly reduce the chance of damage to other boats during a collision. At full throttle, it runs at a normal walking pace making it easily controlled by young children without the risk to the "adult toy boats" in the area. This is an ideal "first kit" for anyone new to scale model boating. At club meetings it makes a great visitor's boat because of it's long run times, slow speed and low maintenance.
There is plenty of room inside for your radio gear and batteries. The motor is pre-installed in the removable motor tray. It draws only .45 Amp cruising at full throttle. With a two channel radio, electronic speed control & regular servo use, the total draw can average .76 Amp. With a new, fully charged 1,500mA 7.2 volt Ni-Cad battery, Vac-U-Tug Jr. will run for 1.5 to 2.0 hours! With this setup, about 29 ounces of ballast weight is necessary. This means that you can substitute heavier batteries or add electronic gear without overloading the hull. Oilite® bearings support the stainless steel prop shaft in a custom drawn brass stern tube. A tube of non-toxic, plastic-friendly Synco Superlube® synthetic grease is included for filling the stern tube. Our exclusive brass motor-prop shaft coupling uses an acetal plastic dogbone that has self-lubricating properties to minimize wear. The resin rudder is cast over a solid brass shaft and supported at the rudder arm with another Oilite® bearing. The motor tray & skeg screws are stainless steel. A DU-BRO™ E/Z Connector is provided to attach the stainless steel pushrod to the servo . The boat can be painted with standard "hobby enamel" short spray cans available at discount & hobby stores. To finish the boat, a set of outdoor sign-quality vinyl decals are included.
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Click HERE for details! |  |
Find out how much your Tow Boat Tows, or your Tug Boat Tugs!
Pull-Type Spring Scales Manufactured by OHAUS.
When I am thinking of buying something, I like to look at the instructions first. Here they are: Printed instructions are in black & white. These are PDF images of the instructions. Acrobat formatting may cut off a word or two at the bottom of some pages (#12 for example). To download a page, click the thumbnails below. You will need Acrobat Reader on your computer to open the files.
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Complete Hull Kit Contents: Nine-piece high-impact polystyrene hull assembly (marked for trimming), "385" type Johnson electric motor pre-wired with leads and capacitors, Motor-Tray, Motor-Shaft Coupling Assembly, Prop, custom drawn brass Stern Tube assembly with stainless shaft and Oilite® bearings, shaft alignment tool, synthetic Stern Tube Grease, brass Skeg, Rudder assembly with solid brass Shaft & Oilite® upper Bearing, Antenna Tube, stainless steel Pushrod with Du-Bro® E-Z Connector, stainless steel Screws, rubber Rub Rail, Velcro for mounting the Hatch & Cabin Roof, sandpaper, a vinyl decal set, 24 gluing clamps for assembly, and easy to follow instructions printed with over one hundred photographs.
To complete this hull kit, you will need: ADULT SUPERVISION, 2 ounces of 6 or 15-minute epoxy, medium CA glue, (Regular or non-toxic model cement will work fine but CA "super glue" is needed for the end joint of the rubber rub rail) electric drill with bit assortment, screwdrivers including a tiny Phillips screwdriver for servo screws, scissors, hobby knife or Xacto® knife, 29 ounces of ballast weights (a carton of 5,000 BB’s or lead shot work well), pencil, masking tape, light sewing-machine oil, two short cans of model spray paint or non-toxic type brush paints compatible with plastic.
To complete the radio-controlled boat, you will also need:
A two-channel AM radio, (rudder & throttle), with one servo,
You can use a two-stick model or a pistol-type radio like R/C cars use,
An Electronic Speed Control (ESC) with forward and reverse,
A "High Frequency" ESC will give you smoother low-speed control than a standard ESC.
A 7.2 volt rechargeable battery (six cells),
For a 20% boost in power, a seven cell 8.4 volt pack, (Recommended for tugs used for towing or recovery work.)
For 7 cell performance on 6 cells, this optional 4-blade, 2-piece prop is available.
A Battery Charger. Inexpensive wall chargers will work
but "Peak Detection" chargers are best for your batteries
You will need some means of discharging the battery after use. Ni-Cad batteries are best stored "empty". Buy a discharger or make one. Discharge to 6 volts before storing.
