Motors / Drives / Bow Thrusters

Motors: What motor to use was one of the biggest questions I had while building my 1/87 Edmund Fitzgerald. I originally thought a 700 motor geared down 3.1 would be just right. In fact it proved to be way to much power, I could have got away with a 540 geared down 4.1. Here are some rough guide lines to match the right motor with your Laker model. Note different types of vessels will require different drive systems, but I hope this will at least give you an idea on what to start with.

Voltage: Power is another question. I would recommend a 12v power system for a 600 motor and larger, and 7.2v power for a 540 motor or smaller.

A little over powered, low work load on the motor.

Just about right.

Just about right.

Just about right.

Just about right.

One motor geared for two screws.

Just about right.

Just about right.

A little over powered, low work load on the motor.

Just about right.

Groupner Inpeler 1/2 inch. Strong but noisy.

Robbe Props 1 inch. Better for larger models.

The teeth in a gear drive system are very large. Although strong it makes the drive very noisy.
Nothing more disturbing to me to see a nice model in the water and all you hear is the drive system working away. Belt drive systems are very quit, in fact all you hear is the prop wash coming from the model.