Reef Racer 2 vs. Zig Zag 2

[MrToes]

There's quite a few posts on here about these two pint-sized boats, but I'm looking for a direct comparison between the two. Has anybody owned/operated both?

Here are my initial thoughts:

Reef Racer 2 (RR2)with screw down lids on inner hull is more water proof.
RR2 comes with pistol-style controller, ZigZag2 (ZZ2) has a 2 stick controller
RR2 comes with DC-only charger, ZZ2 comes with AC-only.
RR2 comes with 1100mAh battery, ZZ2 gets a 900 (I think).
ZZ2 takes about 3 hours to charge battery, RR2 takes about 30 mins.

I'm not sure about speed, run-time, durability, controllabilty, etc... Any input here would be great.

I'm looking to get possibly 4 of these for kids/adults to play with. They will probably take some abuse and long run-times/short down-times are key.

Thanks,
Mr. Toes

[Kmot]

Mr T. don't know if this will be relevant for you. But I have ZZR 1 and RR1 boats. The RR1 is made much better than the ZZR1.

[ol'guy]

About the best prices I found was at Hobby Warehouse. Thier ZZ2 includes extra battery pack, free.

[MrToes]

Kmot - That is helpful, thanks. That's exactly the kind of information I am looking for. I know these are just starter boats, but I plan to have a little fleet (4 or 5) of them for loaning to visitors and getting others involved - so quality/durability is important.

I think that the little screw-down lids inside the RR2 are a superior method than the balloons used by the ZZ2 (I think that's what they use).

ol'guy - are you sure the ZZ2 comes with 2 battery packs? I didn't see that in that box I opened at the local shop and I didn't see that in RC Boat Modeler's review. That's a plus if it's true.

Thanks guys.
-t

[ol'guy]

Hobby Warehouse gives the extra battery, it's thier promotion, check it out: http://store.yahoo.com/hobby-warehouse/hozipzagra2w.html

[MrToes]

Thanks, ol'guy.

Battery Question: If I end up going with the RR2 for quality/durability reasons, I will probably get extra battery packs right away. What packs would be good for increasing run time?

For these boats and the way I plan on using them I'm more concerned about increasing run-time than I am speed (although increasing both run-time and speed simultaneously would be nice).

Also the RR2 comes with a DC charger. Do they make converters that would allow me to plug these DC chargers into a standard home AC outlet? I've got a 110 outlet within 10 feet of where I'll be running these guys, so I'd rather have the AC charger. I'm also thinking of investing in a good charger as it's probably something I'll want eventually anyway ( I plan on building/running Fast Elelctrics and sailboats).

Thanks,
-t
_______

[ol'guy]

The higher the mili-amps the longer the run time. The higher the voltage the higher the rpm's (within reason, as heat increases also).

I would also suggest getting a good ac/dc charger you'll be happier in the long run. Here's mine, works great for me: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXD548&P=ML

Not sure what size batt. pack the RR2 uses but you can find charger to fit your needs. By the time you buy a 110ac to 12dc supply, you could buy a correct charger.

[MrToes]

Not sure what size batt. pack the RR2 uses
It comes with a 6 cell 1100mAh NiMH (7.2 Volt) battery pack.


By the time you buy a 110ac to 12dc supply, you could buy a correct charger.
That's what I was afraid of. Thanks for saving me some time and money! I'll look into chargers and the one you recommend.