What r/c boat for an 11 year old?

[wolfv]

What is a descent electric r/c toy boat for an 11-year old?
She has experience with an Airhogs Havoc r/c helicopter and a slow r/c car.
There is a small pond nearby.
I figure on spending $30 to $60 including boat, radio, battery, and charger.
The online specs on most toy boats don’t say mha, speed, or runtime.

This Nikko Stinger Boat II claims 8 mph and is 24 inch long http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017MJWJA?smid=AKGDUTTK8QMF&tag=nextag-sg-20&linkCode=asn $60 with shipping.

I appreciate your advice.

[Rex R]

methinks I would ask her what sort of boat she might be interested in, first. the answer might surprise you... for a speed boat a zig zag/reef racer (not sure of the current price,last I looked they were around $80) though a bit higher than your price range, would likely outlast the nikko.

[Massey]

I am going to guess that your son will want a speed boat. I know I did at his age and I got one when I was about 13. It was fun but I was tinkering and working on it constantly. At the same time my buddy had a small tug that was always in the water and never broken. I now prefer tugs and scale boats but I am also not 13 any more. I own one of these tugs here. It is a decient preformer out of the box but its range is very limited. It uses a water ballast which needs to fill up before you push the boat out into the water. Not allowing the ballast tank to fill could cause the tug to capsize and sink (ask my friend DirtySouth). This is a Toy boat but it can be "upgraded". I upgraded mine to hobby quality electronics, Spektrum radio and a gel cell battery. I covered the holes for the ballast and now use some lead and the battery for the proper weight. The modifications are easy and now I use this tug to pull my 1/8 scale hydro back to shore if I swamp it our run out of fuel. Give it a try. Oh yea here is the E-Bay link. There are alot of ppl selling this same tug so search around as well you may find a better price on the shipping than this is.

http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-Sea-Port-Working-Tug-Boat-RTR-R-C-Ship-with-Light_W0QQitemZ310050141324QQihZ021QQcategoryZ2564 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Happy hunting
Massey

[Kmot]

Finding something 'decent' including all the gear for under $60 is going to be a real challenge. I guess it depends on your definition of 'decent'.

There are the China made toy boats, such as Nikko, Syma, NQD, and New Bright but they are not even remotely 'decent'. The electronics are junk and usually fail in short order. The included battery will last 5 minutes before needing a recharge. The included charger is an 'overnight' charger. So, 5 minutes of fun and then your day is over.

Here is a post from 5 years ago regarding Nikko:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=117998

It hasn't gotten any better.........

[Umi_Ryuzuki]

I would second the Reef Racer or the Zig Zag racer.
They are quick enough to entertain both the young and old.

Do consider buying an extra battery pack or two...
The extra money is worth the fun and memories as opposed to
the disappointment and aplologies that would acompany a nikko or other "toy".

[pkboo]

Massey, it's a girl :) I know, we (men) tend to relate speed, aggression and such to ourselves but you'll be surprised. Can't recall which or what event in racing you guys had a short while ago however I do recall that the winner was a girl. I think Umi could (and did) give a more objective opinion. Way to go encouraging her Wolfv :D

[Prins Willem]

Wolfv,

I concur with what has been said above about "toy" boats. Our club has two Nikko's we use to let kids try model boating at events. We have several battery packs on hand and are constantly charging. Having members skilled in the mechanics we can keep them operating beyond their normal intended use. These toy boats were never meant to be repaired so doing so is a challenge. Some of our guys thrive on challenge so in the end it works out.

The Madison Area R/C Boaters have a fleet of 6 Zig Zags they use for the same purpose. The advantage there is the availability of repair and replacement parts. These boats can be serviced to extend their working life. If you have a hobby shop near you check if they stock either the Zig Zag or Reef Racer. If so also determine if they keep any parts in stock.

Best advice: spend a little more now and the fun will go a lot farther.

[pompebled]

Hi Wolv,

On that budget I would consider building something from scratch and use the bulk of the budget for decent RC gear.

There are a lot of free plans out there.

Ask your daughter what she likes, we'll help you find a plan.

Regards, Jan.

[wolfv]

I decided to get the Reef Racer 2 (the round water-tight hatches sold me). Thank you all for pointing me to such a fun and rugged boat. It’s just perfect for the pond.

I will get a spare battery and maybe a wall charger. Perhaps a second Reef Racer because my three nephew’s (ages 11 to 15) are visiting this summer.

Might the Reef Racer 2 be too fast for a beginner? Is there some way to restrict the throttle for beginners? It looks awfully fast in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1p9NL1n5m8

[james carey]

Wolv , that Reef Racer in the Vid is not standard , it has reverse which the Std Reef Racer doesn't have . If they've upgraded the electronics they might have done something with the batt /motor also.

My first RC Boat was a RR and now have two , one for the wife, great fun little boat.

An 11 year old will get the hang of it very quickly.

Cheers,
James

[Ghost 2501]

Hobby Engine Saint Tropez
Hobby Engine Southampton
Hobby Engine University Club

Tom, My First RC RTR was a Nikko Christina "speed Cruiser", used a 9v smoke-alarm battery for the TX and took 4x AA ni-cd's and 4x C size, (not sub C) ni-cd cells, had it for a year, and it was a run in the sea that killed it. running times were a good half hour, and the good thing about it taking mono-cells, you didn't need a charger.

[wolfv]

An 11 year old will get the hang of it very quickly.

Thanks James.

Can someone please recommend an inexpensive 6-cell wall charger with auto-shut off. The pond is 50 feet from the house and I rather not drain the car battery.

Thank you.

[Aerominded]

My 2 cents, don't go cheap on the charger... These toys tend to be addictive and you will soon want more flexibility- a charger that can charge drifferent types of batteries (Pb, NiMh, NiCd, Lipo) and can cycle them (accordingly) for peak performance- the charger I use is not the most expensive- a Pro-Peak Prodigy II but it does everything I want it to do- :) The Pro-Peak and most other 'better' chargers will need a power supply to convert 110 (house power).

With any charger, even if fully automatic, you will want to monitor the charge to make sure nothing goes wrong...

A pond 50' from your house, you could get hooked pretty easily! ;)

[james carey]

I'm with Aerominded regarding the Charger .I've got a Swallow charger that does it all. Will run off mains and battery power. You've only got to ruin a couple of Batt Packs to see the economics of up grading to a better charger.

Cheers,
James

[Michael Heer]

It is almost impossible to beat the bang for the buck when you buy the Reef Racer 2 from Tower and get some sort of discount on top of the price in the $63.00 range. I just bought a new one for people to play with at a party at our house on Memorial day weekend. Extra batteries are a must for a party situation as almost all the males and a few of the ladies want a chance to operate it. My sharks are popular but the Reef Racer 2 gets the most operation of all my current boats. Being able to operate it in my swimming pool with its quick turns is a huge plus. I reviewed both one and two and two's water tight hatches were a great improvement over the original. Securing the top of the boat with Velcro rather the hinges and a ball and grommet is a big improvement as well. Get a second one in a different color as colors are frequency coordinated. Have fun. Mike Heer

[wolfv]

Thanks james and Aerominded,

Those chargers cost more than I am willing to spend. Would the this 110v AC to 12v DC Converter (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3942756) work with 12 Volt Peak Charger for the AquaCraft Reef Racer 2?

[Aerominded]

I'm not familiar with the charger for the RR... in theory, that converter could work but you would need to check what sort of output connetions that unit has... Often, hobby type chargers that run on 12volts either have alligator clamps to connect to a battery or "bannana plugs" to connect to a power supply... the walmart unit looks like it may have a cigarette lighter type of interface for the output...

[james carey]

Wolfv , the RR's have a cigarette lighter type charger input . I bought something similar to the walmart adaptor when I first got the 2 Reef Racers ,only used it a couple of times before I bought something that lets you know what's going on with the charge / discharge process . Nothing worse than having to relenquish the control of the quicker boat when the batteries havn't peaked properly on the charger .
The RC Bug bites , as well as the 2 Reef Racers I now have an 1/18 Buggy and have two yachts under construction . I bought the other RC models to justify the purchase of the Charger. :D

Enjoy the RR's .



Cheers,
James

[wolfv]

I bought something similar ... only used it a couple of times
Thanks James. I was concerned about the converter having enough power for the charger. But if it worked for you, that's good enough for me. Would you be willing to sell the converter to me?

You see, this boat is for my 11-year-old niece that lives in another city, and she may not get into it much. I just want to keep it simple for her. I will have fun with the boat for a day and that will be enough for me.

[james carey]

wolfv ,I live in Jakarta Indonesia and the adaptor is in Australia, also it's 240 Volt. :D

Cheers,
James

[Prins Willem]

Wolfv,

Having a AC to DC converter around is useful for more than just the RR charger. If you have other electronics that use a car adapter ( car GPS, laptop, cell phone etc.) it sometimes comes in handy. Last year on vacation I forgot the AC charger for my laptop. went to Best Buy and bought a converter so I could charge it using the DC charger. If the AC charger for a device goes out at a bad time running the DC from a converter is a viable option. Just food for thought.

[wolfv]

I bought two Reef Racer 2s from Advantage Hobby for $63 each (now price is $70). Also got two extra battery packs as you all suggested. The kids loved it. The boats where fast and maneuverable. The pond had allot of floating weeds that got caught in the propeller, so one of us stayed in a canoe to retrieve the boats as needed. The hatches kept the inside of the hull dry, except when one of the kids forgot to replace a hatch. Batteries rode on the propeller shaft until I showed the kids how to Velcro the battery into the hull. Despite all the abuse, the boats are still running great. Thank you for recommending Reef Racer 2, it was allot of fun.