Hi everyone I'm new to the boating scene and have some questions. I've read most of the threads on this site and have found them very informative!!

My father inlaw was given a Kyosho SunStorm 600 for X-Mas last year. Ran it for the first time last weekend and I was very amazed at how well it ran. First time I have ever seen a RC boat run and now I'm hooked We live in MN and have a cabin on a secluded lake(very calm!), I also have a large pond across my street

I have been looking at the Cen Aqua Jet 775 or the Traxxas Villain EX. I've done searches and read the reviews that I could find on each. I'm looking for something that's pretty fast out of the box and can easily be upgraded if I want. Run time is another factor as I don't want something that every 3 minutes I have to change batteries. I realize that as I upgrade runtime's will get shorter do to larger motors, etc. Figure the Villain EX would eat batteries faster than the Aqua Jet as it has 2 motors. I've read posts discussing that once you get the Villain EX over 30-35+mph the hull becomes unstable? Would the same hold true for the Aqua Jet? With full upgrades which boat will be faster?

I'm looking for any information on hull design, motors, upgrades, runtime, etc between these two boats or a boat that maybe I should consider.

Thanks for all your help!
Matt

I'd guess the Villain has a higher potential top speed, but that comes with shorter life span of 2 x 540 motors over the Cen's 700. Direct drive and fewer drive line parts should also favour reliability for the aqua jet. First upgrade for the Villain should be water cooling. Both would be better with metal props. Have a look at http://www.offshoreelectrics.com/MainPage.htm

villian ex stock with sanyo 7.2v 3300mah packs will give you good time copper beryllium props with a little work (you have to fine sand them and stuff) shes a brut!!!!

oh yeah with the props you need the shafts and with all this in mind you need a winning lottery ticket....

The steerable outdrive(s) could also be replaced with fixed flexshaft(s) and separate rudder. By that time you might as well buy a real racing hull and fit it out yourself

To get acquainted with RC boats, the Villain is not a bad choice. I have one I bought for my father new in the box on ebay for around 250.00 with 4 NiMH packs, charger, and custom trailer. I've spent about 50.00 adding adapter shafts for Octura props and cooling coils for the motors. I don't know about the 30-35 mph, but mine will do 25 mph with the modifcations. Not fast enough to race really, but fast enough to get one excited about the hobby. The nice thing about these RTR boats is that everything is installed and set up right out of the box. You get a general sense of how to set up a boat, what it takes to maintain and run a boat, and whether it's a hobby you want to invest in further with out taking out a second mortgage on your house, like I do when I build a new hull up with motor, ESC, hardware, etc etc. With the water cooling for the motors and ESC, I get WOT run times around 8-10 mins with GP3000 packs.

Hope this helps.

//Lakeflyer//

Both of these boats would be very skittish after 30mph, but the Aqua Jet is simple, & has the edge on speed, but the Villain tho complex, can handle rough water better.

Thanks for all the advice!! Sounds like the Villain is what everyone's talking about these days. I've checked out a few other forums along with reading stuff from offshoreelectrics.com. Seems to be one of the top RTR boats out there. Have also read that the 550 motor is not the most reliable thing. People talk about the 700 series as being a much better motor. Any reason why? Is it because they are not being cooled properly this overheat, or just a bad design to begin with?

Need something that is fairly fast out of the box, but also something that I won't lose interest in as I would love to get into building from scratch, kits and eventually maybe a Sub Built a couple of RC planes using kits and all though tedious and time consuming, nothing like creating something and then seeing it work!!

--Matt

They will both be fairly fast out of the box, but you'd need to do a lot of upgrading to reach the 30 - 35 mph of bad handling. The 700 style motors are real workhorses, designed for continuous high duty operation in hand tools. To get similar or superior performance from 2 x 550's, modified motors would be needed, which are fine, but do need a lot of time and money spent on maintenance to keep them working well. At comparable speeds, the 2 x 550's would probably draw more current than 1 x 700.

After reading the Forum on offshoreelectrics.com I am leaning towards the Cen Aqua Jet 775. From what I've read there is less that could go wrong, simpler drive system, single motor, etc. It also comes with the 700 series motor which you guys have mentioned is super reliable. It's also cheaper than the Villain, could even do the modified 775 version being sold by offshoreelectrics for roughly same price as Villain, but I want to upgrade on my own, like to tinker with things, gets me more involved.

The Aquajet runs on 12 cells or 16 cells. Same with the Villain. Any recommendations on batteries/chargers? From what I've read I want a charger that can detect peak charge... Is there a good place that gives indepth reviews of batteries and chargers? I don't even know who makes a good battery? Same with a charger?

Thanks guys
--Matt

Batteries?... that depends on whether you want to run in competition or not. If the former, you're limitted to NiCd or NiMH with NiMH being preferred for their higher capacity. The Sanyo GP 3300 are the most widely used and the batteries forum on this site, though mainly aimed at planes, provides all the information you could ever need on batteries and chargers.
You'll see a lot said on that forum about lithium cells, though these are not legal for any boat competition as yet. They have the advantage of much higher capacity to weight ratios and, although originally over expensive and limited in application, increased competition means prices and outputs are now more in line with traditional batteries.

I'm debating between the both boats as well guys. Does anyone know which is the top performer out of the box?

What's an average max speed in calm waters for a the Villain EX versus the Aqua Jet? Does the Villain pull more torque with twin 550's versus the Aqua Jet?

Raz

Raz,
I ordered the Villian EX. I think both are good and I don't know that one would outperform the other right out of the box. I went for the Villian because I am under the impression it will handle a reasonable amount of rough water. The Villian has more parts so I suppose more to go wrong .... but with proper care and inspection it will be fine. I have not heard of anything significantly negative of either kit.

I run the Villain EX wiht the cooling Kit and a Pair of Orion Super Duty 3000Mah NMIH packs for power and this boat is hot.

In a little chop the boat handles really well, on calmer water the boat is quick and a lot of fun to drive. The factory trim setting on the drives is nice but with a little amount of trimming up and a couple of 7 cell packs this boat will be even more impressive. The ESC can handle up to 16.8 Volts so 7 cells will work fine.

Tips and HINTS:

The cooling kit is a must, Traxxas boasts a 50% reduction in heat on the motors with the kit installed and they are not kidding. I get 10-12 min run times on those packs and the motors stay pretty cool on a hot day.

My recomendation is to reset the ESC to have full 100% forward and no reverse, cause if you rty to drive in reverse at all, the boat will fill with water.

Make sure that you check all the screws/ bolts on the drives after each day of running and keep the bushings lubed.

We sell boat boats so I can say they both have good and bad points.

Aqua Jet
Runs very smooth at high modified speeds.
Doesn't turn well without turn fins and still doesn't turn as well as a EX.
Will run well in chop going straight but turns are interesting.
There are very few parts that break, if any on this boat.
Modified version is faster that EX stock for the same price.

Traxxas EX
Bounces at full higher modified speeds.
Turns great, but dont turn too hard because the gears will strip!
Will run in chop very good and turn well.
Semi water proof radio box is a big plus.

In the end it comes down to ones personal needs and attraction to which hull they like.

Steven
www.OffshoreElectrics.com