Welcome Fellow Fast Electric Racers!!

[Trent Hare]

Let the fun begin!

[dave_lilley]

That looks like a serious racing boat. I was think of getting the Graupner "Red Rocket" for my son. (He like RC... just not planes.)

Are you familiar with it and if so, what do you think? I realize that it probably isn't a serious racing boat, but he's only 10 and just starting out in RC.

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/images/gr2194.jpg

Red Rocket (http://www.hobby-lobby.com/redrock.htm)

[Trent Hare]

Hi Dave,

I haven't heard anything good or bad about that boat. I can't comment there. i would however - based on my 3 kids' input - get a european ECO class mono with submerged drive. They are easy to get running and can turn themselves over automatically after a flip.

To see what they look like:
http://www.eco-idc.de/haupt.html

[Basketcase]

Hi Boaters! Hi Trent and Dave,

EZone has been such a great help to me in learning about flying and slowflyers that I'm glad to see the same getting started for the other R/C groups.

I would like to contribute my 2 cents, The ECO sounds like a good boat for beginners. And it would be nice not to have to fetch it after flipping.
I don't have any personal experience with the Red Rocket but I did start myself with a MRP Bud Light tunnel with an outboard. The boat was kind of a dud, even with a better motor and the outboard was a pain for maintenance.
I have 5 different boats and after running all of them quite a bit my favorite would have to be the crackerbox. It also happens to be the one that I think provides the most bang for the buck. It may not be quite as fast as some and is plenty of fun stock but can be a real challenge to drive when seriously overpowered.
The one I have is a DPI 1/10 Crackerbox. http://www.dpileisuresports.com/prod-cat.asp?catid=2

Warehouse hobbies also sells a very similar basic kit and all the other parts to put one together and has about the same price. http://www.whobbies.com/eforce_cat/index.html You would need :a boat, running gear package, steering arm package, motor, radio with speed control, batteries and a charger
Here's a review of this boat in RC Boat Modeler magazine http://www.rcboatmodeler.com/reviews/crackerbox.asp they used the surface drive system.

Another source of different slightly more advanced kits: http://www.bbyracing.com/

As with the slowflyers sometimes simpler is better, I've had more fun racing the crackerbox than with any other boat.

Have Fun.

Wayne

[Andrew Gilchrist]

But I keep meeting these guys....:-)

[forresterace]

Hi everybody
Hi Andrew. I'd like to welcome all Fast Electric racers and all would-be racers or interested and curious R/Cers. I hope we can build this forum into a vibrant and enthusiastic meeting place for FE hobbiests and competitors. We obviously already have a core of knowledgeable and dedicated members.
OK all you "electric flyin' machine" enthusiasts (I'm one, too) -
Can we talk?

[freq]

Greets to all. :)

Dave,

I've had great fun with the Kyosho BlueStreak. A few nights to assemble will allow your son to become familiar with every component of the boat. Notice I refer to it as assembly, not building. It really goes together with ease, following the excellent instructions. Every part fits exactly where it should. Even the holes are drilled! I mention this because I feel that learning the workings of a "toy" is as valuable to a kid as the fun he has playing with it, at least in this hobby.

Once assembled, the BlueStreak is a blast! After a fair amount of beer-induced abuse with friends, it's proven to be pretty darn durable. A bit on the large side (35"), it's easy to maintain, but probably too big for a pool, if that's what you have in mind.

With a few upgrades (motor, gear, prop), it's beaten the pants off of every competitor to date. All in fun of course... it's not going to win any serious competition, as you'd likely want a fiberglass model for that.

One of the problems that most boats I've seen are cursed with is taking on water. Not so with the BlueStreak. As long as I keep the drive shaft well-greased, I have had a very tough time getting water where it's not supposed to be. Bone-dry after every run. It even comes with a waterproof radio box, "just in case," though I've never managed to up-end it. This is just one of those issues that would really take the fun away from a kid, if he had to deal with all the typical hassles.

If you just want the quickest path from box to pond, I really like the Traxxas Blast, as well. Much smaller (better suited for a pool) and quite speedy. Make sure to seal the hatch with foam tape, however, as it will get swamped if not looked after.

http://www.kyosho.com/boats/kyob1450.html
http://www.traxxas.com/products/electric/blast/trx_blast.htm

Sheesh, my $.02 turned into a $.73 review. Let me know if you want to know more, but I'll stop my rambling for now. :o

-chris

[JIM CALDWELL A]

Well lets see, Trent, Doug and Andrew. Looks like another great F/E boat site!
Trent, did you get a chance to try the prop calc.'s I sent you?

Doug, sounds like the Canadain Nat's were good even with the problems in the World. Dougie is red hot isn't he?

Andrew, got a chance to see one the LM's run, Looks good!

Jim Caldwell

[Aikens]

I used to race boats with the Anchorage, Alaska electric club. My favorite (and indestructible) mono hull is the Kyosho Viper. In stock form it's kind of tame, but you can modify it and make it very fast. This would be great for a beginner.

My favorite catamaran is the Graupner "Key West", and my favorite 3-point hydro is the Graupner "Taifun" -very, very, very fast!!! The Graupner "Tornado" is a smaller version of the Taifun. All of these Graupner boats dominated when I raced.

Just my 2 cents.

[forresterace]

Welcome Quinn
I certainly understand your liking of your Graupner boats as they are probably the best engineered fast electric boat kits on the market. They are always guaranteed to work well as they come from Graupner. They may not always be the most competitive out and out race boats but they are always a great boat for someone to start out with and even modify further.