Where to Start

[Idriveaboxster]

I'm going on a boating vacation this summer and i want to have a rc boat to take with me for fun. i will take my rc plane, but a boat would be fun too. So where is the best place to start on rc boating?

JPP

[Kmot]

Gas, nitro, or electric?

[Idriveaboxster]

Electric because i dont want to mess with nitro and tuning engines. My planes are also electric.

JPP

[avidjeepr]

I'm going on a boating vacation this summer and i want to have a rc boat to take with me for fun. i will take my rc plane, but a boat would be fun too. So where is the best place to start on rc boating?

JPP


Big or small?, Fast or scale?

[Idriveaboxster]

So many questions. ;) I dont want anything too big but i want it to go fast. I dont want to spend that much money and i already have transmitters and servos. i also can do fiberglass and carbon fiber. boat shouldnt be longer than 3 feet and i want to keep things simple so less can go wrong.

JPP

[Rex R]

vee hull or 'cat'? the super vee 27 is a (imo) pretty good starter boat, cat (disclamer; I haven't really looked into rtr cats) some folks appear to like the 'proboat blackjack 26'(there does appear to be some talk about it making wiiidddee turns at speed)

[avidjeepr]

The Super vee and Bj are good choices, this boat will be out in about a month.
http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=dh-prb3750

[sleb]

Idrive,
You may want to check vac u boat,http://www.vac-u-boat.com/ and look at the cracker or pickle. I have two boats from him and many others onthis site also have purchased boats from Phil. They are fairly easy to buid and very reliable, and fairly inexpensive.
Steve :)

[Idriveaboxster]

That super vee is pretty nice, but kinda expensive for how much i want to spend.
Does anyone build their own boats? Sounds like it would be fun to build one. ive built one with spare airplane motor and prop mounted above the foam hulls. was just to try and make use of the motor i had. it had a rudder but went so slow that the rudder had to be really big to make any difference. If i built one, all i would need is motor esc and rudder. Any comments on my ideas or anything else i should buy when starting in this area of rc stuff.

JPP

[Idriveaboxster]

Thanks Steve. that pickle is nice :rolleyes: haha.how fast does yours go? what electronics do you have setup. where can u buy electronics and shaft and prop setups from for boats?

JPP

[sleb]

Idrive,
I have a couple of his tugs. ( they were the first two boats I built, got me sucked into the hobby. Now I am building from plans) I want to get a go fast boat to add to my scale boats but I will prob go with the cracker. When u start going into brushless motors and controllers it gets a little costly for me, as the faster you go the more damage at crash or sink time.
Steve :)

[sleb]

Idrive,
You may want to check the fast electric section for info also. http://www.rcgroups.com/racing-boats-electric-57/
Steve :)

[Idriveaboxster]

Wow. lots of craftsmanship on those wood boats. really nice and fast too. along wiht that they are also very very very very expensive :eek: . speed and $ seem to go together. i want something very light if i built one. im into planes so lightweight is key. whenever i buy planes, i think of ways to make them better and end up making my own.

So, where can i buy a boat brushless, esc and drive shaft?

jpp

[pusar]

Hey, If you drive a boxster you know speed and $ go together. :D

I drive a 911 ;)

Try for a Traxxas Villain EX or e-bay it. They are fast, can be upgraded and are bombproof. It will keep you interested.

Watch the video and see what you think...

http://www.traxxas.com/products/marine/villain_ex/trx_villain_ex_video.htm

Marty

[Rex R]

to answer your comments in somewhat reverse order; www.offshoreelectrics.com (durn near your 'one stop' boat shop) speed is expensive anyway you look at it. much of the cost is in the hardware, not the hull, one can build a decent hull for around $50. the running hardware can run over $150(w/o much effort sad to say)throw in electronics(motor, batteries, radio)and your $50 boat is pushing $320-$350. that said a vac-u-cracker starts looking preety nice, but, it doesn't run well on anything more than a tiny ripple(or so I've heard). if you have a surface legal Tx then you can save that expense. hth
rex

[Idriveaboxster]

Finally someone who understands my name :D :D :D what kind of 911?

what would be a typical setup for a 20 inch long boat concerning electronics.

JPP

[hpiguy]

Do you consider this video to be a fast enough boat or do you want faster?

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/hpiguy/th_TurboVeeVideo4-2005.jpg (http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y213/hpiguy/?action=view&current=TurboVeeVideo4-2005.flv)

[Idriveaboxster]

What about using an ep1 outboard because it already has cooling built in to it. is this a good idea or should i put the motor in the hull. the mounting hardware is soooo expensive. thats why i looked at the outboard.

Thanks

JPP

[Rex R]

2/3ch (fm) radio(only need 2 ch.s) brushed 19t motor, 50amp esc, 6cell(nimh)/7.4v(2s) lipo, mini servo and an x432 prop. :). been a while lets see iirc... motor say $40, esc bout the same, batts hmmm guess $45(for nimh cells), excluding batts say $150(again this may vary depending on what sort of radio gear you have on hand).

[Reckless]

personally I like the RTR PT boats for this ... but depending on how fast you want to go for how cheap... maybe you can find a nice looking 'cheap' RTR and convert to brushless ... with your better radio ..they can go really fast .. but they also look great just cruising


the other suggestion I would like to give seeing as your an air guy that wants a fast boat, is a hydro airfoil.... aka a Pickle fork Hydro with airplane engine(s) that can go silly fast on water, land if you like .. and if you feel an itch just pull up and it flies too

simple "cheap" version would be the airhogs Storm Launcher .. alot of guys just play around with em till the motors start to burn out.. then convert to proper radio's, with brushless engines and elevons (they keep the twin engines using thrust variance for turning) ...

just a couple wierd suggestions for you ;)

[Idriveaboxster]

Looks like a pretty good speed, but i would like a bit faster with a longer, skinnier hull.

Thanks for all the replies everyone.

JPP

[hpiguy]

How about that Graupner catamaran? I forget what it's called right now..........

[Idriveaboxster]

I was thinking about those flying boat things, but they are so unreal and arent really a boat or a plane. im going ot powell this summer, so that is why i want to get into boats. im gonna bring my typhoon as a plane, so no need for that. i also thought about building a proper sea plane, but my plane already flys great so no need to build something wiht the added weight of pontoons and waterproofing.

JPP

[pusar]

1965 An oldie! ;)

Marty

[Idriveaboxster]

Wow one of the first. nice. colors?

JPP

[Idriveaboxster]

Any one have a ep1 by aquacraft? looks pretty good cause it has cooling built in. Any other recommendations? are outboards a good idea or is mounting the motor in the hull better?

JPP

[Reid]

i don't know much about racing boats... but i would think you could fit a bigger motor in the hull rather than an outboard

[Idriveaboxster]

What does the "27 turn" on the motor specs mean?

[Rex R]

While I could try to explain it(and likely make a total hash of it)...instead I offer a website (NOT mine) address that explains many things pertaining to boats. http://www.rcboataholic.com/ hth
rex