Got the high down to 28mm.
And build I little sister of the tow which is airline compatible.
I have now one week of testing in the waves and can switch between gen2, backpack and tow.
Going to be fun 
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Where did you buy that thick spiral cable?
So you are relying on cable strength instead of leash?
Yes:
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I had two great sessions in salt water and then this happened (in tow setup).
Unfortunately I have only this flycolor 160a based Controller with me. I had not really tested this one before at home. Therefore I am not sure what really caused the issue.
I would appreciate some ideas!?
- heat issue?
- shortcut at the motor plugs ( salt water)?
- flycolor just not reliable?
- ???
I have used the same setup a lot with two SQESC 12200 (20 sessions in fresh water) without any issue.
I would like to find out if it was a salt water based issue. I donât want to run in the same problem at my next vacation!
Bzw, if anyone is in Mallorca and had has some gear here please met me know
Did it just stop? No detached motor cables when you left the water? If they potentially disconnected at full throttle was my question.
Iâd guess that heat cracked the epoxy and then water got in.
The 12200 seems more robust and has better cooling if I remember from seeing in another thread.
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It exploded/burned when I was pumping in the waves and riding the tow next to me. So, it had not much load, but fast running and â oscillatingâ motors.
Any feedback is welcome!
Sorry to hear about the failure. Do this ESC feature temp protection? Did you have the ESC alu plate with some sort of external heat sink?
It is strange that both ESC exploded. I would have to agree with @Jezza
I dont see any ESC cooling ribs on the pics prior to potting the unit, so based on that I support Jezzaâs theory on overheating, but you know your stuff so I assume you already tested and measured temp rise?
I also tried this cable, it is extremely heavy and massively strong, I take the load off cable glands with some rope to the cable from the bag. The coil is great as it prevents shock loading, but I will try a thinner version, maybe 1.5mm as this one has too much weight for the need (I find on backpack I only need 60% throttle on 12S 6384).
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Hey, seeing that made me think you might have a water leak somewhere thatâs causing a short on the phase wires., Since these ESCs are inexpensive and lack proper protection, that could lead to voltage spikes that blow the MOSFETs. Iâd recommend switching to a more robust, better-protected ESCâideally something VESC-based. Itâll take up more space, but that shouldnât be an issue for a tow setup. The the Makerbase VESC 75100 and Flipsky 75100 Pro V2 are probably the most affordable option in that category. Then, youâd be looking at $200 more boardsâŚ
Sorry for off topic but hows the spitfire to tow with? Im riding a axis sp860 for towing since it carves nice but is really hard to pump. Considering trying a spitfire, how does it pump and carve?
I have not much comparison but love my spitfire 840 the most! Today had a session with the spitfire 840 + sillyshort fuselage. It turns amazing and I can release the rope, pump 30 sec and catch the rope again⌠flat water fun!
Today was also my first time with my 100cm pump board and it was really easy to start with the strong 65121 motor tow.
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I tested my gen2 usage today and it works really good with the âplug&playâ traveler battery box which fits 12s2p.
But I still prefer the backbag solution.
I am testing different setups because I will travel to Australia Sunshine Coast in the first week of 2026 and want to have no issues anymore.
I tried to ask in the Sunshine Coast Facebook group about spots but my post are still blocked/not publishedâŚ
If there is a Sunshine Coast expert in the forum please let me know!
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If you want wind come over to Perth in summer we get wind everyday Safety bay southerlies all summer
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Anywhere on the Sunshine Coast works - when itâs really big from the south the only protected places are Mooloolaba or Noosa Heads.
Heaps of surfers at Noosa so need to stay really wide. Mooloolaba is a circus with the Foildrives, jetskis, fliteboards and Boogies.
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