Product Review Article ...by Dom Mauro
A look at the new Lazer 45 Race Mono by AC Model Boats...
 A.C. Model
Boats is renown for their line of unique, high quality mono hulls. Every A.C.
hull typically exhibits the finest workmanship, and flawless fiberglass
finishes. We were anxious to review the new Lazer 45 mono from A.C. Boats.
Fortunately for us, our good friend Dom Mauro got his hands on one and offered
to give us his impressions of it's performance capabilities.
Building
the hull
 My first
impressions of the new A.C. Model Boats Lazer 45 Mono Hull were laced with mixed
emotions. I built this boat in record time, at least for me. I had around 12
hours in it total from start to finish. I got the hull on a Friday night and had
it wet 2 days later on a Sunday afternoon. Working fast meant taking shortcuts.
I usually build all my boats with a sealed Dubro Quick Charge with on/off switch
mounted in the top of my radio box lid. I couldn't find the one I had when I
completed the boat, so I put in a fully charged 1800 mAh, 5 cell Sanyo battery
pack, plugged it into the receiver, added a Volt Watch battery meter, and taped
the lid closed. I equipped the boat with a Quickdraw 25 that was prepared and
assembled by M&D Designs with a 175 sleeve, and a Quickdraw pipe with ½ inch
cut off the header. I notched the transom to fit the pipe lower in the hull. For
hardware, I chose an M&D Drive, Speedmaster rudder, and trim tabs.
A Hitec
MG645 servo for the rudder, Futaba 3003 for throttle, both controlled by a JR
XR3 transmitter rounded out the radio gear. I used a 1000 mL I.V. bag as a fuel
tank. The M&D drive and I.V. bag really helped reduce the assembly time!
On the
lake
On Sunday, I went to the lake by
myself with my full-sized 26-foot Crownline cruiser. I loaded the Lazer 45 into
the cockpit and launched the cruiser. I fired up the Quickdraw and launched the
Lazer off the back swim platform of the cruiser. I made a few very slow laps and
watched for good water exiting the water outlets; everything looked good. I
started making a few blasts with full throttle. The water was very calm that day
and Andy at A.C. Boats did warn me that "I wouldn't be happy with the boat in
calm waters".
The Lazer did seem a little slow when I first put it into the
water. I started doing circles around my cruiser, which stirred up some rough
water. The boat seemed to go faster and faster as the water got rougher and
rougher. I did have to add some left rudder trim on the boat that day to get it
to run straight. I was afraid that this might happen, since I had not mounted a
rudder extension on the Speedmaster rudder yet.
Once I had
driven the boat and played with it some more, I brought it in and looked it over
for any problems. I reinstalled one motor mount nut that had fallen off (that I
am sure I had left loose in my haste to finish the boat), checked the other
fasteners and installed my Garmin Etrex GPS in the boat in a Zip Loc bag with a
piece of floatation. I tossed the boat back into the water and made a few speed
runs. The best I could get out of it was 53.1 mph in the calm waters of the cove
I was running in.
I
proceeded to head out onto the main lake, where the water was kind of rough. I
hadn't changed anything in my setup and made a few more speed runs. The boat started skipping across the water with
a real attitude and I thought to myself, "It's going over!", but guess what; it
never did!
I
brought it back in and the Etrex read a best speed of 59.8 mph! Remember that I
hadn't changed anything in my setup from the previous runs! I was using a 1475
prop prepared by Andy Brown, and I had cut it down some.
I
thought that was enough for one day and headed back to the launch ramp on my
cruiser with my Lazer 45 sitting on the stand in the cockpit, with a big smile
on my face. I knew with the right prop the boat was capable of mid 60s!
 I extended the rudder back 1-1/2 inches with a custom made
extension (now sits 6 inches from leading edge of rudder to transom), lowered
the M&D drive from 1/2 to 7/16 of an inch from the hull bottom, and I was
off to my first race of the season at the North Coast Pond Hoppers. I am by no
means a good driver and I will be the first to admit it. I was running a 470
3-blade prop that I had prepared, and knew it was a 56-57 mph prop that seemed
to be a great heat race prop when I had tested it. I wasn't looking to be the
fastest boat in Open class that day, as I just wanted to be competitive and
finish heats. I did manage to nail a few starts, but the best thing I felt was
how very comfortable it is driving this boat, as it seemed to go wherever I
pointed it. If I screwed up, I could simply aim it in the right direction and it
went there with ease and the boat didn't care one bit. I was actually running
the buoys that day without even trying, and it was all due to the way the boat
was handling and the way it boosted my confidence level driving it. I had my
first "Perfect Day" ever in Open Class; all firsts in all heats! A major feat
for me anyway!
Conclusion
My final
thoughts on the Lazer 45 are that it's a serious race boat that seems to really
show "it's stuff" in race water conditions. The boat will be 5 mph  or so slower in calm waters. I also assembled a Lazer 45 for
Matthew Waldron from M&D Designs, and equipped it with one of their new
M&D 25.4cc Hybrid Motors. His boat looked really good on its first outing
and proved that the new Lazer 45 doesn't need a Quickdraw to look good or go
fast. The top speeds were the same, but the QD had just a tad more grunt out of
the corners. If you build a Lazer 45 with an M&D drive, extend the rudder
back for optimum handling, and start with the prop shaft trimmed parallel with
the bottom of the hull.
The A.C.
Lazer 45 is a competitive heat racing hull and I am confident that you will
begin to see this boat make it's presence known at the major racing events as
well as at the local club pond.
Technical
data
Hull
length: 45 inches
Max. Beam: 12-3/4 inches
Deadrise angle: 18
degrees
Hull weight (empty): approx. 5 lbs.
Hull weight (RTR): 14 lbs.
Dry
Hatch area: 8-1/2 x 19 inches to the vee in front of the motor
Hull
bottom configuration: Sharp keel from bow to stern with 2 full length strakes
that stop 5-1/4 inches from the transom. Hook built into the hull bottom at the
transom.
Finish: Fiberglass mat with flawless gelcoat.
Hatch: none
supplied or available at time of testing
Cost (hull only): $269.00
retail
Contact
Information
A.C. MODEL
BOATS
P.O. BOX 23041, PLAZA 33,
KELOWNA, B.C.. CANADA, V1X 7K7
PH.
250-765-7730 FAX 250-765-6888
http://www3.telus.net/acboats/
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