RC Boats

...ARE EFFING AWESOME!!!1!!1!

FIL got me one of these: ...for xmas...he also has one, and my nephew has one. All 3 are on different channels, so we can race em...holy crap is that fun. I had forgotten how much I loved RC sports. I can feel gravity pulling me down the rabbit hole...

Ive already been trolling CL for batteries and quickchargers...this is gonna get 'spensive!!!

The boat is equipped with a fully encased electronic set, so water intrusion into the hull (which apparently is inevitable) is a non-issue, and it has a water cooling coil:

that pulls water in from the lake to cool the motor. I ran it flat out, with a 3300ph battery, for about 15 min. When I brought her back to shore, the motor was warm, but I could comfortably place my hand on it and leave it there...tres swanky!

big thumbs up - it was right at $100 IIRC, and is ready to run right out of the box.

Just thought Id share!

I've never tried boats. Looks like fun especially since you have some buds to enjoy it with. I watched a guy running a model of an unlimited hydro with a nitro engine and WOW! It accelerated like a shot and turned on a dime. I'd rather have electric if I did it.

Nitro would be sweet because it will run as long as you have fuel in it - 15 min run, 1 hr charge, 15 min run, 1 hr charge is not a very enjoyable afternoon lol...but yes, electric is just fast enough to be fun, but allows for control that I think freeway speeds would make impossible.

You are really giving me a reason to get one. I have a creek behind the house and it would be super sweet to go play.

Can anyone recommend a good RC forum for beginners...I dont wanna get flamed "OMFG SEARCH NEWB" and "OMFG He doesnt have a supah-kryptonium fusion inhibitter for his flux capacitor neodymium charging system hahaha newb tool".

Nitro wins in my book every time you cant replace the sound

I friend of my brother had a gas-powered split hull powerboat. I remember it stalling quite a bit (needed tuning) which was a major pita as you had to swim to get it (or use a canoe/raft) but man did it HAUL!

4cylndrfury wrote: Can anyone recommend a good RC forum for beginners...I dont wanna get flamed "OMFG SEARCH NEWB" and "OMFG He doesnt have a supah-kryptonium fusion inhibitter for his flux capacitor neodymium charging system hahaha newb tool".

RC groups is the best. My father is big into the 1 meter sailboats. We have had a few over the years.

Thanks - joined RC Groups!

My concern with RC boats would be the need for a real boat for retrieval when the RC boat croaks 100 feet from shore.

Think about retrieving this one..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAHwN7-Lo2Q

I still want one, though. Make mine a WW2 Gato class.

My boat can really fly. (Hobbyzone Super Cup on floats)

For those iffy about retrieving a dead boat in the middle of a lake, would it be possible to attach some heavy fishing line without screwing up the handling? If something goes awry, just reel it in.

Mitchell wrote: For those iffy about retrieving a dead boat in the middle of a lake, would it be possible to attach some heavy fishing line without screwing up the handling? If something goes awry, just reel it in.

Thats how we get the sailboats back when the wind dies down. We don't tie it to the boat but throw a line out with the rod and some weird rubber three pointed hook on the end.

wearymicrobe wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote: Can anyone recommend a good RC forum for beginners...I dont wanna get flamed "OMFG SEARCH NEWB" and "OMFG He doesnt have a supah-kryptonium fusion inhibitter for his flux capacitor neodymium charging system hahaha newb tool".

RC groups is the best. My father is big into the 1 meter sailboats. We have had a few over the years.

I used to have an ODOM (One Meter One Design) that I raced as a kid. Pretty fun, and you had to be very tactical to get anywhere near winning.

mr2peak wrote:

wearymicrobe wrote:

4cylndrfury wrote: Can anyone recommend a good RC forum for beginners...I dont wanna get flamed "OMFG SEARCH NEWB" and "OMFG He doesnt have a supah-kryptonium fusion inhibitter for his flux capacitor neodymium charging system hahaha newb tool".

RC groups is the best. My father is big into the 1 meter sailboats. We have had a few over the years.

I used to have an ODOM (One Meter One Design) that I raced as a kid. Pretty fun, and you had to be very tactical to get anywhere near winning.

I really like the new one meter international class, carbon construction, deep weights, and lot and lots of sail. Also great tactical battles as well.

The best fun-for-the-money I ever had was a busted RC hovercraft I bought for $20 from a friend. Fixed it up and had a blast with it in the pool for a few months until one of the thrust motors died. The thrust motors weren't replaceable as far as I could tell, but the skirt (which I'd fixed up with electrical tape) had disintegrated around the same time anyways.

worlds largest RC Mig

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eXbX18hrS0

I just moved to the water and have a nice canal , planning some crab buoys and gonna make a course . I just bought a boat for $40 bux from my flea market gadget guru . Gonna put some reflective tape for night racing . Great topic !

Karl La Follette wrote: I just moved to the water and have a nice canal , planning some crab buoys and gonna make a course . I just bought a boat for $40 bux from my flea market gadget guru . Gonna put some reflective tape for night racing . Great topic !

Leave the buoys up all weekend and charge the local kids $2 to hold races.

And since you like to tinker/build stuff, I think you really want one of these:

http://www.otwdesigns.com/

Paid my way thorugh engineering school by working on the real life version of those things. Part of my job was to go out on the water with the clients when need be to help diagnose andy running or handling concerns.

Keep in mind that the era in question was the coke fueled mid 80's. Some of the owners were having their first boat owning experiences.

These things do not have seatbelts.

At 80+ mph rain and hail have no discernble difference in how they feel hitting your face.

At 80+ mph older men with jowly faces look like bulldogs in a wind tunnel.

At the gas station on the way to the lake. Parked strategically in the middle of the pump alley: Fuel pumps used to shut off when they hit $100, and we would be using 4 of them at the same time. $500 worth of gas is about a days worth of play.

Ducks take WAY too long to get airborne. That and seagulls are a problem. So are bugs, but you stop caring.

It is possible for your lower intestinal tract to develope enough suction to keep you in your seat when the boat decides to do something interesting like fly, hook or start chine walking at high speed.

Landings look graceful on TV. They are not.

Racing one of these things is like going for a 2 hour long plane crash. Problem is the adrenaline runs out after like 15 minutes and the rest of the time feels like a torture session.

I pretty much got the need for high speed on water out of my system. Give me a 15' fishing boat with a 50 hp outboard and I am good.

I've always wanted an R/C boat. It is on the list but I need to find a suitable body of water. Going electric makes it much easier to find a friendly lake.