Decent first boat?

[TeknoJ]

I’m thinking about picking up a boat for our lake trips, and to run in the canals and rivers here. I’m not really looking to spend that $300-400 for a proboat. Not just yet.
I was looking on YouTube at these udirc’s either from amazon or rcplanet.
https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-Ra...3&sprefix=udi021+rc+boat,aps,126&sr=8-26&th=1

Here’s another….
https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-Br...7&sprefix=udi021+rc+boat,aps,126&sr=8-17&th=1

Or….
https://www.rcplanet.com/udi-rc-xip...elfrighting-rtr-electric-boat-udi021/p1451209

 

[WickedFog]

I’m thinking about picking up a boat for our lake trips, and to run in the canals and rivers here. I’m not really looking to spend that $300-400 for a proboat. Not just yet.
I was looking on YouTube at these udirc’s either from amazon or rcplanet.
https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-Racing-Brushless-Remote-Control/dp/B09MHTYCBB/ref=sr_1_26?crid=EH5JWJ0YMDAU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qi4g86dc_YeJydzeQoh6uhEWcm6jwNDP3sKTdoss4JM3DxgQwqg9virkR5suN4rBZMMV6voL578VHCHJQ9ZFS1Fls-oiX5Oy694LKkKy3USw6CkRygiIyNKfkTWvnIZL2657OBJhwhArw37E9V_7-veAlIlHGDEkegYdQ6_VnfcaSfD7CB23cxDmSzfrM86QDzXguAJ_GBVjbo1mb8iw--uuUR2MGRqX3qjM1m7ecQZroffiv6Z6KIBZjwYFG-PIk5rBmSnF3gHlHA9gH6BMG1xKKXWPuCbkOHA9-1UXOKU.MuOR9T1P5am0HAtJJ67IoL-M_bUxbMehqrDCOEBlPW0&dib_tag=se&keywords=Udi021+rc+boat&qid=1721530663&sprefix=udi021+rc+boat,aps,126&sr=8-26&th=1

Here’s another….
https://www.amazon.com/Cheerwing-Brushless-Adult-Remote-Control/dp/B087J9R2CH/ref=sr_1_17?crid=EH5JWJ0YMDAU&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.qi4g86dc_YeJydzeQoh6uhEWcm6jwNDP3sKTdoss4JM3DxgQwqg9virkR5suN4rBZMMV6voL578VHCHJQ9ZFS1Fls-oiX5Oy694LKkKy3UQEJYzRJ2o0Uym4bltvoRUCNJmLnLzbLAp9R--ce-TrlveAlIlHGDEkegYdQ6_VnfcaSfD7CB23cxDmSzfrM86QRi7kBxsz7OheFwpA6ueYqmBw9lsP5zPSBYNCW_yUwPbuPNCBECYNPW1EzfUzwQWKk5rBmSnF3gHlHA9gH6BMG1xKKXWPuCbkOHA9-1UXOKU.0cMLXl7hBBmDqyjAMyxdNjbufihe6batdkvOCelNSzM&dib_tag=se&keywords=Udi021+rc+boat&qid=1721536887&sprefix=udi021+rc+boat,aps,126&sr=8-17&th=1

Or….
https://www.rcplanet.com/udi-rc-xip...elfrighting-rtr-electric-boat-udi021/p1451209

I did the same as you. I was just wanting to try a boat to see if Breydon would like it. Here is our experience.

We bought an FT012 off banggood. We got to run it for about 4 minutes before the all in one ESC/Rx failed, and the boat had no steering. After about 3 months of back and forth emails with banggood trying to get a refund or replacement, they finally agreed to send me an ESC/Rx to fix it. After waiting for 2 weeks, it arrived. I opened the dusty, dingy, beat up trash bag they sent me to find a used ESC/Rx that looked like it had spent the last 3 years lying in an engine compartment of an old work truck at a gravel pit with a really bad oil leak. How an ESC in an RC boat can get greasy and covered in dirt is beyond me, but anyway...

After some more arguing, they finally refunded me $50 of the $90 I paid for it. Next time, I'll buy a Pro Boat or something with decent electronics in it.

Had I bought through Amazon, I am sure this would have been much easier. But even if I had, and later on something went bad, getting a replacement ESC for this boat was next to impossible, unless I wanted to just replace all the electronics in the boat with aftermarket stuff.

 

[TeknoJ]

Had I bought through Amazon, I am sure this would have been much easier. But even if I had, and later on something went bad, getting a replacement ESC for this boat was next to impossible, unless I wanted to just replace all the electronics in the boat with aftermarket stuff.

I can see this being an issue. I’m not familiar with boats so I really don’t know much about em. I’ve been going to YouTube academy all day.
Seems like dynamite/spektrum electronics are in proboat.

 

[WickedFog]

I can see this being an issue. I’m not familiar with boats so I really don’t know much about em. I’ve been going to YouTube academy all day.
Seems like dynamite/spektrum electronics are in proboat.

You can buy ESC's that have a cooling line ran through them for boat applications. It was just with the boat we bought, there isn't a lot of room inside it where the ESC mounts. If the boat had been a few months old when it failed, I would have found a solution for it. But since it was brand new, I wasn't willing to go through that.

If you buy from Amazon, at least you can easily return it.

 

[Lucifur10]

Proboat Impulse 31 with Spektrum DX2E radio. Trailer included. I'm getting out of boats. This thing is crazy fast. Fresh water use only, hull is perfect as is drive and prop. $275 plus shipping costs. I did flip it a couple weeks back and lost the inner hull cover, unfortunately I was unable to find a replacement.

 

[BudUMfan]

Late to the party. Please tell me you didn’t get that Chinese pos. Anything you get is just a kids toy. 18” recoil.

 

[TeknoJ]

Late to the party. Please tell me you didn’t get that Chinese pos. Anything you get is just a kids toy. 18” recoil.

Is this question and answer directed towards me?

 

[BudUMfan]

Well I was uncertain what you got. Did you get a decent boat? I was just curious because there is a lot of stuff that looks really good but isn’t. I learned that myself! Did you get a watercraft? Sorry I sounded like a know it all. lol. I was typing fast. I’m really into boats.

 

[TeknoJ]

Well I was uncertain what you got. Did you get a decent boat? I was just curious because there is a lot of stuff that looks really good but isn’t. I learned that myself! Did you get a watercraft? Sorry I sounded like a know it all. lol. I was typing fast. I’m really into boats.

I have yet to pick anything up. I was really considering the 17” UDIRC. Long term reviews seem good.
The pro oats look real good, it’s just hard for me to justify $300 for something I couldn’t use all the time. I go to a lake once a year, I’d have to drive to some water when I want to go float it.
If it wasn’t such a money pit of uncertainty, I would build one. I just don’t know exactly what parts are needed for the rudder, prop, etc.

 

[Lucifur10]

Still available. Fast as heck.

 

[BudUMfan]

That’s a decent boat for puttering around once a year. I’m on the water every day I can. Those UDI boats seem pretty decent.

Still available. Fast as heck. View attachment 223353

He’s looking for a starter boat. Not a water missle! lol. Plus he’s swimming after it after it blows over at 70 mph! I’ll keep my eye out for something used in the 200 range. That impulse is dope btw!

 

[TeknoJ]

Still available. Fast as heck. View attachment 223353

It looks like a missile, I’ll be hitting every little kid out on the water with that thing. Is that in the classifieds?

 

[BudUMfan]

Let us know if you buy one!

 

[CertifiedMike]

It looks like a missile, I’ll be hitting every little kid out on the water with that thing. Is that in the classifieds?

Let us know if you buy one!

Let us know when you start hitting little kids out on the lake too!

 

[Lucifur10]

It looks like a missile, I’ll be hitting every little kid out on the water with that thing. Is that in the classifieds?

I think it was in the classifieds. . It's stupid fast and you really need a quiet place to run it. I swam after it once...once was enough for me. I run it at 6S and it rips. Kinda a shelf queen right now. I did buy a paddleboard for retrieval purposes. Lol

 

[BudUMfan]

My recovery is a life jacket and flippers.

 

[CertifiedMike]

I think it was in the classifieds. . It's stupid fast and you really need a quiet place to run it. I swam after it once...once was enough for me. I run it at 6S and it rips. Kinda a shelf queen right now. I did buy a paddleboard for retrieval purposes. Lol

This is where you went wrong. A matching 1:1 speedboat would have made a much better rescue craft!!!

 

[mapper]

Well, semi similar story..not meaning to threadjack, but following that unwritten forum rule of " once you hit post, you're just along for the ride" .

I started out with a deerc 2104, yeah a cheap chinaboat..but I found it fast enough to be fun about 15-20 mph or so, and self righting..batteries were 15 bucks or so.. decent range on transmitter about 700-750 feet. It was going good, I went around a cypress tree, and got a little exuberant after that.. went around it again and ended up on the other side of the river, in the weeds, 2 feet into the brush, against a cypress tree..so the 20 foot pontoon rescue boat came out on the maiden rc voyage..

I got another one of the chinaboats for son in law..after chucking it in the river like Joe Montana to Jerry Rice and losing the front bumper, running in the river, and dragging eelgrass, he drives it in the eelgrass about 20 feet from the dock.. so pontoon rescue boat for maiden voyage for him..

now I'm thinking I need more batteries and chargers..15 minutes of run time isn't enough..
So 2 boats, 6 batteries, 4 chargers later..I'm still looking at boat videos..

That proboat jetstream jetboat looks uberfun..
Keeps me awake at night..so boat, 2 batteries and a charger later..lol. it does not mind the weeds at all.. and I'm still looking at boat videos..lol..

Now I'm looking at a faster v hull able to wipe out spectacularly..lol..prop mods, etc..but being able to use a single battery 4s that I have for the jetstream..

So that pushes me to look at traxxas disruptor..well it doesn't help that the hobby store has 2 of them..as well as smc batteries in 3 and 4 s I can run in both boats and can put ic5 connectors on and make a ic5 to trx connector for the traxxas ..

It's fast enough to wipe out spectacularly ..lol..and self righting works well.. so now I'm looking at tuning modification videos, and boating forums..lol..and spare parts and such..

Yeah..this just started with a 85$ boat... with little to no aftermarket parts..lol..

Now the son n law was running that Chinaboat, 2nd outing..he was batting 1000..got it stuck in the weeds in about 6 to 8" or water..so pontoon rescue boat time..

Well if you don't have any comparison, you could be happy enough with it.. but he ran it and I ran the disruptor.. and it was comical... it was like the diffrence between impulse power and warp 10 speed..both on 3s..boat vs fast pool toy..lol..

Speed is a question of money..how fast do you want to go..

 

[mapper]

deerc 2104