1

23″ Balaenoptera Musculus Radio Remote Control Racing Boat (colors may vary)

The boat runs great, but the battery just doesn’t last long at all. Would definitely recommend to anyone for a few minutes of fun!

2

28″ Blazingly Fast Victory EP Racing Remote Controlled Boat

Fun!! This boat is fast and runs a long time on the charge. The antenna for the remote was not in the package and the company immediately responded to my email and shipped the antenna. Great customer service which will make me shop with them again. In fact, we will probably purchase this exact boat to race them together on our pond.

3

Smasher Destoryer 1/115 RC 31″ Warship R/C Battleship Boat

Smasher Destoryer 1/115 RC 31″ Warship R/C Battleship Boat
- 1:115 full function remote control warship
- Detail exterior
- Glossy exterior paint
- Dual propellers
- High quality, high performance
- Tower Lights
- Max Speed: 10 mph
- Operating range: 60 feet
- Dimension: 31″(L) x 4″(W) x 8″(H)

4

Lindberg 1/82 scale US Coast Guard Patrol Boat

Vintage molded kit has 2-piece full hull, detailed superstructure, 2 “mousetrap” anti-submarine rocket launchers, twin 20mm guns, depth charges, separate deck fittings and stantions, lifeboat, 3 crew figures and display stand.

A fine reissue of a larger kit (14″ long) that goes together well. Suitable for Radio Control conversion with today’s micro components. Nice to see this old kit again so they should be snatched up at every opportunity. I should add it is difficult to find boat kits of this size anywhere because it is a rare subject (and scale; 1/82 is almost HO scale) for most model kit manufacturers. It is a kit, folks, not a prebuilt shelf queen. What part of “easy to assemble” do you not understand?

5

37″ Speed X-cyclone 1/16 Rc Racing Boat R/c Radio Remote Controlled NQD Craft

I bought this boat to replace another one that had broken. It worked fine, however it did not come close to reaching 30 miles an hour, and the battery lasted about 10 to 15 minutes under normal operating conditions. If you are going to buy this boat, I reccomend having the battery re-built at a battery store. I had them rebuild it using NiMh cells and afterwards, the boat ran for about 30 minutes instead of 10. (however, I beleive this voids the warranty)

After about a month, one of the motors started working intermediatly, and now one motor works and the other one is busted, so the boat just goes in circles. After all the work I have put in to this thing, I’m starting to realize I should have bought something nicer. I’m either going to replace the motor, or give it a viking funeral in my swimming pool.

-Patrick
]]> http://www.rcboatreview.com/reviews/top-5-rc-boats/feed/ 0 http://www.rcboatreview.com/articles/the-benefits-of-an-electric-rc-boat/ http://www.rcboatreview.com/articles/the-benefits-of-an-electric-rc-boat/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 04:27:14 +0000 Don Latoro http://www.rcboatreview.com/?p=22 Hobbyists can choose from four main types of remote-control boats: Gas, nitro, electric and sail. For newcomers, though, electric RC boats make the best choice.

The reason is simple: Electric RC boats are simply the easiest to operate. Because electric RC boats are so easy to work with, newcomers will get out on the water faster than they will with gas- or nitro-powered RC boats.

Electric RC boats work much the same way that electric RC cars operate. Simply put, you’ll control your electric RC boat with some version of a handheld remote-control device. This device will usually have a button that gets the RC boat moving and a steering wheel that allows you to control the direction in which the boat is headed.

Electric RC boats are also fairly affordable. They’re certainly less costly than are gas- or nitro-powered versions. For this reason, electric RC boats are a perfect alternative for newcomers to the RC boating hobby: After all, you don’t want to sink a lot of money into the hobby if you’re not yet sure you’ll enjoy it.

Don’t think, though, that just because electric RC boats are more affordable and easier to operate that they’re not fun. In fact, the opposite is true. Consider this: Even basic, affordable electric RC boats can travel from 15 to 20 miles-per-hour. That’s pretty fast, especially if you’re new to the hobby.

You’ll be surprised at how quickly an electric RC boat can zip across, say, your home’s swimming pool even when it’s only traveling 15 miles-per-hour. During your first few runs, you might even think your electric RC boat is moving too quickly.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to buying an electric RC boat. First, you’ll have to worry about batteries. It’s no fun to have your batteries run out of juice during the middle of an RC boating run. Secondly, while electric RC boats are more than quick enough for beginners, they can’t muster the same high levels of speed as can gas- and nitro-powered RC boats.

When shopping for an RC boat, consider buying an electric version if you’re new to the hobby. It’s a great way to learn the ins and outs of RC boating.

A word of warning, though: Nitro RC boats are not for beginners. These boats rely on a special fuel made up of a combination of nitro, lubricating oil and methanol that can be messy to work with. And nitro-powered RC boats are faster than electric, sail or gas-powered RC boats. They require more skills, then, than a typical newcomer to the world of RC boating possesses.

But if you’ve already honed your RC boating skills with electric or gas-powered RC boats, it might be time to step up to the world of nitro-powered boats.

It’s important to have an abundance of wide-open space when you’re operating a nitro-powered RC boat. That’s because these boats are fast, able to easily reach speeds of 30 miles-per-hour.

If you try to operate a nitro RC boat in too small of a body of water, you won’t have enough room to maneuver your craft. That will result in one frustrating day of RC boating.

Nitro boat engines are complicated pieces of machinery. They come with a carburetor, fuel filter, cooling head and air filter. If any of these components is not working properly, your nitro-powered RC boat will not run.

Nitro RC boats can also be noisy. In fact, some communities across the United States have banned hobbyists from running nitro-powered RC boats in their waterways; the noisy engines are just too loud.

Finally, nitro boats, while faster than gas-powered RC boats, also don’t run as long without refueling. Keep this in mind when taking your nitro RC boat out for a run.

Still, even with these drawbacks, there’s no doubting the thrill of RC boating with a nitro engine. These boats are designed for RC hobbyists who love pure speed. There’s just something about controlling a RC boat that’s traveling at 30 miles-an-hour. That’s a lot of power under your control.

Maybe it’s time for you to tackle nitro-powered RC boating. If speed is your thing, you may never go back to electric or gas-powered boating.

RC sail boats allow you to spend a quiet afternoon piloting a slow-moving, rather peaceful boat across your swimming pool, a local pond or any other suitable body of water. While other RC boat manufacturers boast about their vehicles’ speed, the makers of RC sail boats instead brag about their vehicles’ beauty and therapeutic qualities.

Let’s face it: Watching a RC sail boat putter lazily across a park lagoon is a pretty nice way to spend a day.

For newcomers to the RC boating industry, RC sail boats are a great alternative. Many of them even come complete with both the sail boat and the two-way radio control system that is needed to operate it. This makes buying an RC sail boat an easy process.

It also makes actually sailing these boats an easy experience, too. If you buy an all-in-one kit, you basically can be sailing minutes after opening the package.

And because RC sailing boats move more slowly than their speed boat counterparts, these RC boats are the perfect choice for newcomers to the RC boating hobby. You won’t have to worry about struggling to control an RC boat that’s zipping along at 30 miles-per-hour. Instead, you can hone your RC boating skills with a sail boat that cruises along at a more leisurely pace.

If you enjoy your RC sail boat experience, you may then want to move up to faster, more complex RC boats. Just be warned: Once you’re hooked with RC boating, it’s a hard habit to break!

It’s easy to find RC sail boats. Just visit your local hobby shop. You’re sure to find a wide selection at any reasonably stocked shop. You can also search the Internet to find these boats: Simply run a Google search for “RC sail boats.” You’ll be surprised at how many pages of online retailers you turn up.

RC boating is a terrific hobby. RC sail boats is a great way to introduce yourself to it.

Remote-controlled boats will provide countless hours of fun for even the most jaded of kids. And why not? An RC boat and a body of water will quickly turn on the imagination of any youngster.

Unlike video games, TV or movies, a RC boat puts all the action in the control of a user. Children playing with RC boats decide exactly what happens and when. If a kid wants to take a leisurely boat ride across a pond? He can do it. If she’d prefer to take a wilder ride, complete with high-speed turns and loops? She can do that, too.

The key, of course, is to find the right RC boat for your children. Retailers carry a number of different boats, of all sizes and varieties. Some are perfect for beginners. Others require a more skilled hand to operate properly.

This is important: If your children are just getting their start with RC boats, it makes sense to buy them a less expensive, easier-to-operate model. Pricier models require more skill. If you start your children out on one of these varieties too quickly, they may lose interest in the hobby before even getting their start.

Visit your local hobby shop. Once there, talk to the shop’s owner or staffers. They should be able to point out several RC boat models that are perfect for beginners. Remember, you don’t want to overpay for your child’s first RC boat. It makes more sense to purchase a cheaper starter RC boat that first time.

Once you’ve purchased your RC boat, make sure to sit down with your children and explain to them how every control works. You want your children to have a firm understanding of the basics of your RC boat before they take it on the water.

RC boating is a great hobby for children, if handled properly. Introduce your children to this sport gradually. You’ll be amazed at how much fun your kids have with RC boats.

This size is crucial in making sure that you purchase the right RC boat. Some RC boats work better in larger bodies of water. Others are better suited to swimming pools and other more confined bodies of water.

For instance, if you plan on doing most of your RC boating in your backyard swimming pool, you should probably purchase an electric RC boat. These boats move more slowly than do gas- or nitro-powered RC boats, usually reaching speeds of 15 to 20 miles-an-hour.

This may sound slow. But if you’re operating an RC boat in a confined space such as a swimming pool, these speeds will seem more than fast enough.

Gas-powered and nitro-powered RC boats can reach higher speeds. Nitro RC boats, the fastest of the bunch, can sometimes hit speeds higher than 30 miles. That’s far too fast for a swimming pool.

However, if you live near a park pond or lagoon, or a public lake, you might want to invest in a gas- or nitro-powered RC boat.

Both of these varieties of boats rely on specialized fuel mixtures – a different type of mixture for gas than for nitro – for high speeds. Nitro-powered boats generally run at slightly higher speeds than do gas-powered RC boats. But gas RC boats run for longer periods of time before needing to be refueled.

Nitro-powered RC boats are also noisier than are there gas-powered cousins. In fact, some communities have banned the use of nitro RC boats because they are so noisy.

Before purchasing any RC boat, take a close look at where you’ll most often be operating your new watercraft. It makes little sense to buy an RC boat that’s too fast for confined bodies of water if you’re only available waterway is a backyard swimming pool.

If you do the research, though, you’ll boost your odds of buying the right RC boat for your needs. This is good news, because if you do it right, RC boating is one of the most enjoyable hobbies you can take on.