RC Boats Electric vs Gas
 

I got an electric RC boat for Christmas, complete with charger for AC and DC. I'm mostly going to run this from my boat for the most part...

What are your thoughts... electric, maintenance free, no hassle other than a short run time between charges... or

trade up to Gas... more headaches with maintenance, but longer run time, more performance, more expensive...

Girlfiend spent over two hundred on this... if I go to gas... can I get something good for under $500??

Or just quit while I'm ahead and keep my mind on the real boat!!!!

Looking for advice from those of you that have been through this... Thanks for your time!!!!

Gas, maintenance free,

Electric... more headaches with maintenance, short run time.

Remember, gas, you just refil the tank. Electric, you need to give the battery 15 or more minutes between a run, and charging. Electric is the biggest hassle. My old electric had twin stock 550's, and normally ran 12 cells (saw 18 cells once or twice...), I had over 700$ invested, meaning about 500 was fixing broken stuff.

Bought a 2 stroke weed wacker boat. Ran the devil out of it, and then some, hasnt broke.

Find a Fiberglass 40 or so inch hull on ebay
Find a weed wacker in the garbage somewhere, put it in, go with Octura hardware, and you can get a Futaba radio for under 50$ (plus HD steering servo). You will be done for under 300.

If you do decide to stay electric, I would reccomend getting a ESC not the 2 step (crap) I broke 3 or 4 of them in my electric. Plus, the ESC you have infinite speeds. I have a Novak Reactor Reversible, works great, used 3 times, (then I bought a gas boat) paid 90, will sell for 60.

Tommy

Can't run your gas (alcohol/nitro) boat from the swim platform of your "real' boat. Greasy nasty nasty greasy.

When you flip your gas boat, you will have to pull the glow plug and spin it over with the starter for ten seconds with and then thumb the intake to pull the wet fuel out of it - this action will spew castor oil based alcohol all over the @ss of your "real" boat. When you start it and warm it up, you will be spewing nitro oily exhaust all over the place. They are great and are fast, but you gotta run them off the shore and have a little "catch boat".

Electrics are very very clean. A good charger and two spare battery packs and you can run till you are tired of it.

Now, as Tommy says, a BIG rc boat with a weedeater motor is much cleaner than a nitro boat. They are also LARGE. This is cool, but not as handy.

(an upgraded speed control will extend your battery life and will have a "low battery" mode where it will let you run at slow speed back to the boat/shore before the cells fall over the edge - the cells used these days will just all of a sudden fall off to zipola).

I've had one of each....

The electric was my first. It was fun, but slow and the batteries never seemed to last.

After that I had a tunnel with a 7.5cc outboard. It was pretty fast for its size (~45mph). There was some maint, but it wasn't too expensive.

Next I bought a weedeater boat. It was about 40" and had a (I think) 23cc motor in it. It wasn't as fast as the tunnel, but the gas was alot cheaper (and I didn't have to go a hobby store to buy it). Also with the larger hull I didn't have to worry about flipping it. Oh yeah, with a centrifugal weedeater motor you have a "nuetral". With the tunnel it was always moving.

Chris

I started looking at the nitro's... one by Traxxas...


the weedeaters sound good though, they get big and expensive.... any sites that sell a 40" weedwacker???

I started looking at the nitro's... one by Traxxas...

http://www.ehobbies.com/1000-0620.html

the weedeaters sound good though, they get big and expensive.... any sites that sell a 40" weedwacker???

everyone posting here is correct.
Gas can run longer
nitro does make a mess
battery upkeep can be time consuming, but so can rebuilds on a nitro motor. I would rather just buy new electric motors then rebuild a nitro
yes you flip your boat and yo uhave to purge the motor
but yo uflip an electric and you have to buy who knows what :(
I would stay with the electric, play to your hearts content, keep your lady happy that you are using her present :)

Then, when you realize how slow the little electric boat runs, upgrade to one on this site
http://www.aeromarinerc.com/

However, if you do research on R/C boats there is a record holder of 100mph pass on an electric custom :)
But that is also a fast few seconds with NO control

I am looking at the Avenger 44" from Aeromarine :)

We raced a .21 in a Force 22. That sob ran like the devil. As long as you didnt back off, it was fast, but when you did, it was always running horrible. Their *****y little race motors.

Buy a 40 inch hull on ebay, go to home depot, buy a weed wacker motor, and ebay for OCTURA hardware.

Weed eaters arent expensive when you look at cos of running. Plugs are 1/2 the price of glow, gas is 1.5 a gallon (compared to what, 15?). GO GAS.

I have a gas boat. and it has an echo weedeater in it. The thing is unbreakable. I had some movies up on the net. If you go with a gas boat don't mess with that nitro crap. Go with a stock weedeater engine, all my hardware and mounts are one off customs. But they do make gas boats ready to run.

Ernie

Electric you have to charge batts, cover up the esc and all really well as well as water proofing the boat as im sure you know, I think nitro is better for water however..

If your running straight out of your boat you can always go pick it up if it shuts off or whatever, but nitro you just gas up and go basically only maitnence you really have to do is change glow plugs and take care of the engine tuning on it and all!
But my friend has an electric boat and its pretty fun to run around the lake area he lives by, but its also very risky because of what the water damage can do to the engine parts and esc parts etc...His is messed up right now because of the water that got on his motor, I think its like a 20 turn...

Thanks for all the input..... I'm narrowing down the list.... The aeromarinerc's are cool, but getting higher priced than I want to go.... wanted to stay under 500, now looking at nitro v by traxxas and the fun cruiser by prather...

nitro v - like the lines, but engine is a bit small, good price
http://www.ehobbies.com/ehobbies-com/1000-0620.html
This one is 799 and pretty cool.. leaning toward this one.. have to see if local dealer can work a price..
http://www.pratherproducts.com/boats/fun.html


I think the bottom line is the ease of going with an easy regular gas oil mix.... bad point is the high price...

Anyone familiar with the Prather with the 30cc homelite in it?

As Ive said before, go EBAY. Friend bought a 43 or 48 inch Aero Marine for 130$! Then got an Echo weed wacker at Hom Depot, put it in.

Less than 300 into it.

Question... the weedwacker models.... do they come to a complete stop when at idle or do they keep moving.. or is each one different depending if it has a clutch in it??

Complete stop.

Nitro dont.

Electric do.

The prather says it has a centrifigal clutch... does that mean it stops when at idle.... any other accesories needed besides the boat... comes with a controller..... their is the obvious.... BEER!!! This could be a good beer delivery system from boat to boat....

Thanks HyperB!!! Appreciate all your help!!! Unless another model comes up, I'm going to work numbers on the Prather....

Thanks everyone!!!

I have been trying for hours to remember the brand name of the weedeater boat I had. It was $399. It was solid white and came with a tupperware container for the radio box... It came almost RTR. All I had to do was add the radio and attach the prop and rudder...

Chris

Let me know if you remember!!! Would like to check it out...

Try to find a boat with a g230rc motor in it, thats what I run on my goped and it pushes me along fast and also is fairly reliable and you can purchase tons of upgrades for it.

Also if you had problems I can basically help you with any problem that you would have with it.. Good luck on finding a boat.

Blake, do you know of anyone selling a G23LH? Dont want an ORC, someone who upgraded to an ORC has to have on lying around they dont want anymore?

Here's one for little $. ;)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...category=19166

that looks like a good deal... it says it's an F2, where's the other motor?

Two stroke is nice! Especially the higher end stuff. I am getting a new camera in a couple of days and will post a few pics. Then you decide.

I know I talked to you on aim, but I gave my friend my old one for a little bike we put together with a motor on it, they are called runt bikes. But ill check with these 2 friends and see if the one can throw one together, and the other one already has one together, so ill just get with him and see how much he wants for it.

I have a 36" cat with nitro motor. It is a little more trouble with the battery, glow plug igniter and stuff, but the thing is FAST!
It was actually radared at 51mph at the Cottonwood shootout a few years ago.
In fact, I was thinking of selling it because I haven't ran it for the last couple of years.

Gordo, send me pics and $$$
I am seriously interested :)

Hugh,
Got them at home. I'll send/post them tomorrow.

rc boats
 

Here is my 2 boats. Two stroke custom engines. Vary fun hobby. Any ? I know quite a bit on rc boats!!

more photos
 

This is a 25.6cc J&G 2 stroke engine thats 2.5lbs and 4.5hp

Nice boats man, we have a hobby shop near me that specifically deals with rc boats, and they got some in there that do like 100 mph its crazy.

I have Two of those boats both used (1) needs some silicone around the seal of the shaft . I will sell both complete for 100.00

tomtbone1993... I've decided on the Prather 46", however my buddy might be interested in what you have... send me your email and number to [email protected].... I'll be seeing him at lunch today and get right back to you....

tomtbone1993, he's interested... please send details on what you have, description, pics, equipment included... handheld radio included? Thanks!!!

If they dont want it I will take both.

Tommy