26 APRIL 2015 http://www.marinemodelmagazine.com
NOTE: Vibration ‘pads’ can also be situated between your radio
box/hull connection in the form of rubber or foam sheeting as
they’re both a good source of vibration materials for this job.
Going a bit further, your servo mounting can also be modified
to suit how your control unit is facing in regard to the location/
routing needed on their linkages. Instead of a standard in-line or
side-by-side arrangement, each servo can be attached however
is necessary to ease its linkage routing needs. Many RTR nitro
marine craft use this method and in general the smaller the hull the
more servo tweaking can be seen inside the container. Should your
particular hull design have the radio compartment built into the inner
hull or deck, you may have to get creative when positioning the
servos. More common on small centre tub style hydro hulls a built-
in radio box may limit your servo’s linkage routing; so, be careful
about making any rod openings in the box exterior!
This theme can also carry-over to the location of your radio’s ON/
OFF power switch as it can be mounted either inside the box or via
its removable lid/cover. Available servo/receiver clearance will help
you determine if it’s smart to attach the switch to the inner cover
space; plus, you can use an aftermarket switch bracket that are
generally waterproof to help protect the switch and/or the rest of
the radio hardware inside the container.Sealing StepS
Once you’re happy with your radio box’s mounting, its servo,
receiver and battery/switch positioning, the normal/final step will
be to seal up the entire container to keep H2O far away from the
whole control package.
In the event your throttle/rudder control rods demand some
side-to-side movement as they work through their needed range of
motion using a larger diameter sealing grommet will likely be your
best sealing choice. Smaller rubber boat grommets can limit or
even bind up a control rod’s motion; but luckily there are good-sized
grommets available through your hobby dealer that can handle
larger I/C boat linkage applications. Once you’ve installed the rod
sealing grommets you can improve their ease of movement and
sealing abilities by inserting some regular white/marine grease into
their inner bellows. I use a small throw-away style syringe for this
job and with only a minimal amount of the waterproof grease inside
it will prevent water from getting around the linkage rods should
any spray or a shunt introduce an unwanted level of water into your
boat’s radio box zone.
Finally, when sealing the actual cover on your radio box either
a suitable tape layout or a gasket/screw down lid is the way to
prevent moisture entering the inside of the container. Vinyl tapeWhen moisture gets into a leaky radio box the end result can be a
major shunt like this one that will put a lot more water inside the
crashed hullAny number of different adhesives and sealants are usable on
radio boxes; but using one that is dependable may be your best
choiceA cover mounted radio switch/bracket will demand enough
container space to avoid contacting the components inside the
servo holder unitEpoxied-in hardwood blocks make good radio box mounting
points and heavy-duty clevises with/without ball ends will enable
the boater to both install the radio box and service it afterwardsp24_MMAPR15_Powerplug.indd 26 9/3/15 09:27:40