Looking for a rc boat. What would you recommend

[Fastduner]

Hi all!

I'm just getting back into the hobby and looking for a rc boat. What would you recommend? Looking to be under 500$ .

 

[RC MAN]

Traxxas make some nice boats even though i am not a fan of Traxxas cars their boats are pretty good

 

[Fastduner]

Traxxas make some nice boats even though i am not a fan of Traxxas cars their boats are pretty good

Yeah I had a spartan and a blast boat from Traxxas and was nothing but junk and issues .

 

[Greywolf74]

Theres a couple of boat guys in here that I'm sure can make some recommendations. Unfortunately I'm not one of them

IDK what size boat you are looking for but someone in here recently bought THIS and I thought that it looked pretty amazing and I wished I had water around me lol

 

[Fastduner]

Lol I hear you there I'm not a boat person either until lately . I saw a few locals pulling themselves on their kayaks with a rc boat .

We have plenty of lakes and river in AZ but we have to many toolbags with wakeboard boats and jetskis that like to chop the waters so it's no fun running rc boats here but for river running is easier.

I like the blackjack but hear alot of bad about proboats and they have no customer service but maybe it's just me I seem to be the sucker for lemons

 

[Doom!]

My experience with boats is non existent, they look super fun, but I don't have easy access to water. Let us know what you decide on, we still love pictures!

 

[TRAT]

I want a boat!! No water here though!!
Stuck in the dirt

 

[Fastduner]

I want a boat!! No water here though!!
Stuck in the dirt

I just go to the salt river , gila river or apache lake

 

[TRAT]

I have to much poop!!
Forgot few others. poop I can go to real build too ehh
To much stuff grandson is going to love all this when my time is up

 

[RC MAN]

Theres a couple of boat guys in here that I'm sure can make some recommendations. Unfortunately I'm not one of them

IDK what size boat you are looking for but someone in here recently bought THIS and I thought that it looked pretty amazing and I wished I had water around me lol

Yes that boat is amazing but if you are looking for something REALLY FUN and exotic i would get this https://www.rchighperformancehobbies.com.au/product/tfl-hobby-1127-sprint-formula-boat-rtr/
Best boat i have ever owned!

Hi all!

I'm just getting back into the hobby and looking for a rc boat. What would you recommend? Looking to be under 500$ .

https://www.rchighperformancehobbies.com.au/product/tfl-hobby-1127-sprint-formula-boat-rtr/

 

[LibertyMKiii]

The good boats are fiberglass and have decent equipment installed. I am currently building my own from a fiberglass hull. A 42" mono hull.
https://www.offshoreelectrics.com/ is a good site for looking at all the components and some RTR models as well.

Might want to look at the used market, if there is a market near you. Decent ones pop up on eBay from time to time also.

I don't think I would ever buy an plastic hull boat. No solid way to repair them.

 

[cbaker65]

People back in the day use to build their own kits an install any gear in them
on what ever that feeds their fancy ,now these days is nothing but RTR plastic
hull boats!

But there is a real true difference in boats with different types of water conditions!
You can take that into considerations ,how rough is the water condition?

Hydro boats are for calm water ,Catamaran & V-hulls are for rougher choppier
water conditions an are more stable at high speeds!..

 

[LibertyMKiii]

To add to @cbaker65 's comment it is also worth noting that v-hulls or deep vee's are the only ones that are truly good and making turns both left and right. All the other models due to the design prefer to go straight. You can make them turn, but not nearly as well and sharp and a v-hull.

My son's smaller v-hull can bust 180 degree turns all day just for fun.

 

[cbaker65]

To add to @cbaker65 's comment it is also worth noting that v-hulls or deep vee's are the only ones that are truly good and making turns both left and right. All the other models due to the design prefer to go straight. You can make them turn, but not nearly as well and sharp and a v-hull.

My son's smaller v-hull can bust 180 degree turns all day just for fun.

A good v-hull set up at high speeds ,only the a very small portion of the back of the bottom of
the boats transom should touch the water as about 3/4 of the front half isnt or barely skimming
the top of the water!...

 

[Tunedfrog]

I've been wanting to get into boats myself and I live in a area that is surrounded by water.
I want a 36cc gas though.

 

[LibertyMKiii]

A good v-hull set up at high speeds ,only the a very small portion of the back of the bottom of
the boats transom should touch the water as about 3/4 of the front half isnt or barely skimming
the top of the water!...

My son's retro 42.5" v-hull

 

[Doom!]

Suddenly I have the Miami Vice theme going through my head!

 

[hans1128dog]

So I also was looking to getting into this and asked the question of Cats vs Deep-V. I already have some Traxxas cars and also of Traxxas LiPo's so the question I have would be between the Blast or the Spartan. Reading the site the Blast is totally NiMH, and the Spartan is LiPo. I like the Blast for it size. I like the Spartan for the batteries. Would the Spartan drivetrain fit in the Blast body?

 

[Ron Olson]

Honestly, $500.00 isn't going to get you much once you start adding in battery packs and a charger. I don't know much about electric boats (I run gas and formerly nitro boats). Steve at Offshore Electrics mentioned above is great to deal with and can answer your questions.
Buying your first boat then some others after that isn't easy. You already have a price in mind but don't be surprised if you find something that you really like for a few bucks more. Get a hull style in mind then go from there.

 

[newnitro2020]

Well I'm not doing nothing about boats. The only difference is it's just like driving a RC car only it's on water.


Get a brand that's reliable that has warranty good support. A-Reliable services in parts replacement. Last thing you want us to buy something is to not be able to fix it or wait for whatever time to get it or not fix it at all.


I don't know what brand but I know traxxas and Tower Hobbies have something I suggest you going traxxas or Tower Hobbies both and then just fine what you feel is best.

Just get a good friend that you know you going to rely on as far as parts and I guess the only friend I can think of is Traxxas.

Honestly, $500.00 isn't going to get you much once you start adding in battery packs and a charger. I don't know much about electric boats (I run gas and formerly nitro boats). Steve at Offshore Electrics mentioned above is great to deal with and can answer your questions.
Buying your first boat then some others after that isn't easy. You already have a price in mind but don't be surprised if you find something that you really like for a few bucks more. Get a hull style in mind then go from there.

$500 is not going to get your lunch we could pay $500 and you can have something that's just really lousy. And the opposite is you pay a lot less and get something totally good and decent and reliable. Remember price is not the quality it's the quality of the people that make the item. I'm not a bolt person because there's no place for me to drive a boat. But I know that if I was looking for one I would start looking at Tower Hobbies or something like that.