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.