My First Boat?

[ten64]

I am in the process of purchasing my first boat.

I have been advised to avoid nitro as a first boat, so here I am.

My question is which boat to buy?

[MfizzleS62]

This was my first boat... The villian

i suggested this because it a great size and a nice deep V... The benefit is you have 2 motors...this is great especially for a Newbie this way if you lose a prop you can still bring it back to shore... plus you can upgrade them I went from stock to slaping in a pair of brushless motors and man this thing is fast and really fun in chop big waves and flat ponds...

[Diesel6401]

Don't waste your time or money on the Widowmaker/Shockwave/Villian and def got get a Spartan unless you want to see fireworks.

Blackjack had it's time in the sun, even though it's been revamped (good thing) there are better options from proboat.

The impulse is going to wicked no doubt, designed by Darin with proven electronics inside of it, it going to be a real winner.

The mystic and geico are the same hull, mystic has upgraded hardware with a different high kv motor and larger esc (same esc/motor in the Stiletto and will be in the Impulse 31) either one is good.

The motley crew handles amazingly and is awesome no doubt.

So with all that being said it comes down to this: The Mystic, Miss Geico, Motley Crew and Impulse 31 will all be good starting points for you. What it comes down to is what you like the most, all 4 will put a smile on your face!

[NativePaul]

I would recommend you build your first boat, you will learn much more than you will from a RTR.

[26Incheslong]

My shockwave 26 BL caught on fire the 3rd pack

[FighterCat57]

I would recommend you build your first boat, you will learn much more than you will from a RTR.

+1


:spy:

[BHChieftain]

My son's first boat a few years ago was a Proboat Fastech-- I really liked this boat-- solid hull and power system. Only downside was inability to seal the canopy (even with tape) due to the funky canopy design-- although since the hull was so dang stable I've only seen it capsize once... Their new 31" mono looks awesome!

Chief

[ten64]

Thank you for the feedback. It will come in very handy.

A couple of things to add:

Which is more stable in rough water? V hull, or Cat?

P.S. - I would love to build my own boat, but I would prefer to have some something that actually floats when put in the water. LOL!

[Diesel6401]

Thank you for the feedback. It will come in very handy.

A couple of things to add:

Which is more stable in rough water? V hull, or Cat?

P.S. - I would love to build my own boat, but I would prefer to have some something that actually floats when put in the water. LOL!

V-Hulls are more stable in rough waters.

[robinator63]

Just get a UL-1 and step up the learning curve.. You can't go wrong.

[jingalls007]

Aquacraft has been good to me, I'd go with the Motley Crew. I would go the RTR Route before building as it will help you understand the dynamics involved. You'll probably want to to start upgrading with props, bigger motors, larger speed controls, so on and so forth util you've caught the bug that most everyone on these forums has. Think of the OSE forums as a boaters anonymous =) I agree with Diesel however, can't go wrong with either 4 of the ones he suggested.

[99z286spd]

+1 on Motley Crew. Very impressive handling boat!

[roadrashracing]

ANything from proboat is a good choice.

[egneg]

I say the UL-1 - it's a very exciting first boat.

[coolmind]

Thank you for the feedback. It will come in very handy.
Which is more stable in rough water? V hull, or Cat?

P.S. - I would love to build my own boat, but I would prefer to have some something that actually floats when put in the water. LOL!
This is a very wise question and you have the answer by Diesel6401.
If you are going to play in the sea i believe like Diesel that the V hulls are better then cats.
Avoid the blackjack 26 it is not a forgiving boat.I prefer the miss geico or mystic.

[sailr]

The Proboat Mystic. No contest!

[leeuk]

hey guys,im new to the site,im finding myself wanting to learn more about fast electric boats hence why i joined...im currently bidding on a shockwave 26 on ebay but after seeing the polls, im reluctant to carry on bidding as it doesnt seem very popular,is it really not a good starting off boat? would love the miss geico or mystic 29 but being from uk there doesnt seem to be many distributors over here that sell the range of boats you have in the U.S,so im stuck for what i can get

[sspees]

I started with the Proboat Impulse, still running it regularly. That led me to other boats, motors, esc's etc. When I have problems with the other boats (often it seems) the impulse is always up to some runs.

[Joe007]

My first boat was the proboat blackjack26 brushless.. I have modded the heck out of it with mostly my time and little money. But I would go with the mystic now for my first choice boat..

[ksaucerman]

Have not seen a motley crew in person though I here they are great but I own a miss geico that is my thrasher and the boat has been a trooper. Have had numerous collisions with other boats have burned up multiple electronics but the boat always comes back with some money of course.

[slowride]

ProBoat :cool2:

[Rob DeAngelis]

the ul-1 is an awesome starter boat... I have 2 of them... The mystic is probably the next.... they are all great boats that diesel spoke about but you gotta pick the one that you want... watch some youtube clips or something

[Rumdog]

Who voted Spartan? LOL

[robertpean62]

For the money, the Apparition with some mods is a good all around FE boat.

[Doby]

How is a 5 minute run time a problem with the Motley Crew?

[runzwithsizorz]

How is a 5 minute run time a problem with the Motley Crew?
Maybe not for you young fellers, but after about 4 minutes of running the way I drive, my heart is racing, I'm out of breath, and my eyes are bugged out like a stomped on toad frog.
I kinda look like this, :scared: only less hair.

[Drax21]

My first FAST ELECTRIC boat was the Pursuit. You can buy some good ARTR packages from OSE and Kintec. It's really easy to handle, turns on a dime.

[Rob DeAngelis]

I have had no problems with my new Spartan and have had no problems with my Motley Crew... honestly they both handle great... as for set up the MC is very easy... the spartan is a little tricky for a newb due to the ESC set up process....

[Chrisg81983]

if you havent bought a boat yet i will definitly say keep it simple, and i dont think building your first boat is a great idea imo. it is better to get hobby grade rtr if it is in your budget. this will let you see how things are supposto be installed and teach you the simple things first. once you get comfortable with tuning and fixing/maintaining your boat it is a gret idea to build one just take your time you are gonna be excited and want to get it done by rushing it. you need to decide weather you want a cat or a mono. as for rtr's the motley crew is a great boat to start with i have one of my own. the impulse is a great mono as well a few buddies of mine have them.
thanks and good luck
chris genovese

[chaddlee1978]

I am just starting to get into rc boating. which boat is cheaper to run? impulse 31, miss geico, mystic, montley crew. Also which one is easier to get set up and to understand the directions? Trying to figure out which boat I want. It was montley crew but now leaning on impulse 31. Any help will help. Thanks :)

[Rumdog]

All 3 will cost about the same to run. All use 4s. 2x2s packs. They are good handling boats. For me, I'd go with the PB Mystic or the Impulse.

[chaddlee1978]

what is the biggest size lipo battery that I can put in the mystic and impulse 31? What is the top speed of both right out of the box. And what makes you choose mystic and impulse 31 over motley crew and geico?

[Rumdog]

Not sure on exact top speed. The mystic may have a tad more straight line speed being a cat. The impulse will do a little better in chop. The mystic comes with an offset rudder that will make it handle better than the geico with inline. Plus, no corny lizard in a bikini. The crew is a good boat as well, but most have issues with fit and finish.

[Bullwink]

I have run my Impulse with 2 - 4S 5000 Mah Gens Ace Hardcase Lipos (Big Suckers). The Impulse has a very cool battery holder (A plate on top that tightens down with a wingnut) I had to take the plate out to run the big Gens Ace batts. At the Winter Warmups I raced the Impulse with 2 4S 4400 MAH Hyperions with the battery holder plate on them I have only had it a couple of weeks but I love it.

[chaddlee1978]

I thank ya'll for your help. I been watching and watching videos like crazy and all these four boats are pretty fast. I do like the way the catamarans look. I love watching the boats throw the wake behind them. I have also been trying to understand what all these terms mean when ya'll mention them such as prop, and prop shaft and etc..I need to learn more on batteries too and what the numbers on them stand for such as "C" and stuff. Hey, how come these boats do not have a fastener on the lid to keep it from coming off instead of using tape to tape it on. It seems like the tape would come off as soon as it gets water on it. I just curious.

[sailr]

The "C" rating of a battery is pretty simple. For example, a 5000mAh battery is actually 5 AMP capacity. If the battery has a "C" rating of 20 (20 x 5), that means the battery can supply 100 AMPS continuous. If it is 30C, it can produce 150 AMPS and so on. The higher C ratings also produce more initial "punch" out of the hole.

So... If you have a motor/prop combo that's gonna need to draw 100 AMPS continuous, the LEAST battery you can get by with is a 20C pack. However, it is MUCH wiser to go for a 30C and I'd recommend 40C because that gives you a "buffer" that will prevent your battery from puffing up or prematurely failure.

Hope that helps.

[sailr]

Some boats do have some sort of fastener to hold the hatch on. HOWEVER...and this is a MUST with electrics.... you must also tape the hatch to prevent water from getting inside the boat which can inevitably blow your speed controller, cause the receiver to quit, andd most likely the servo will fail also. The water doesn't hurt the motors and generally won't hurt the batteries either.

The BEST tape is the hockey tape sold on the OSE website:

http://offshoreelectrics.com/proddetail.php?prod=hatch-tape

It sticks like mad but won't leave a sticky residue on your boat.

[chaddlee1978]

I learning. I thank ya'll for the help. It does make sense too about the tape. I have some more questions about chargers. I kind of confused on something. If my charger will only charge up to 10 amp and there is a battery that is 5000 mah, but can charge up to 3c what does this mean and is the charger up for it? I know the higher the number the "C" is as far as charge rate the quicker you can charge the battery but getting confused about what my charger can charge based on these ratings. Sorry for so many questions. I am leaning on the mystic 29.

[srislash]

Do you mean the battery can be charged at 3c?The charger is only 10 amps which is 2c if it will do that.There are high amp chargers but they are $$.Is your charger capable of charging more than one battery at a time?

[chaddlee1978]

My charger will be able to charge two batteries at a time

[chaddlee1978]

My charger will be able to charge two batteries at a time. Yeah.. will it beable to charge up to 3c charge rate?

[srislash]

I doubt it.It would do a 1c rate.Like I said,charging at the higher rates is $$$.And is useful if you are at the lake/race.Myself,I charge at 1c and have batteries.Charge at home and just take batteries.

[chaddlee1978]

I thank ya. Yeah, i will start out with two batteries and I will probably need an adaptor so I can charge my batteries at the lake using my vehicle battery or should I buy a smaller battery to do this?

[srislash]

Most chargers run off 12 volts .You should have red and black inputs on the charger and you would use pin/banana connectors to alligator clips to go to the battery in the vehicle.Your charger probably came with these. What kind of charger is it?

[chaddlee1978]

I have not gotten one yet. I was researching on some chargers. I just saw a video on the hitec x2 multi charger.

[srislash]

You can either spend money on a couple extra batteries(as I do) or on the charger.If your not looking for race quality batteries they are not that expensive.I run Skylipo's and I think I paid $50ish for 6s 5000mah.Most of the places I run require a little walk to the water though so it is PITA to go to the car and back.

[sailr]

I learning. I thank ya'll for the help. It does make sense too about the tape. I have some more questions about chargers. I kind of confused on something. If my charger will only charge up to 10 amp and there is a battery that is 5000 mah, but can charge up to 3c what does this mean and is the charger up for it? I know the higher the number the "C" is as far as charge rate the quicker you can charge the battery but getting confused about what my charger can charge based on these ratings. Sorry for so many questions. I am leaning on the mystic 29.

It's all about how many WATTS your charger is. For example, charging a 4S 5000 at 1C would be 14.8V x 5 amps = 74 Watts. If you have an 80 watt charger, you are only going to be able to charge that battery at 1C, 5 amps! The more the watts of the charger, the higher rate you can charge at. While your battery may let you charge it at 3C, (that would be 15amps), you would have to have a charger capable of 222 Watts. People buy those QUAD chargers and expect to be able to charge 4 batteries at once at a high rate. Ain't gonna happen! BUY A GOOD CHARGER!

I have a Hyperion 720 Super Duo running on 24V that will let me charge two big packs at once up to 20 amps. But then the Charger costs $280 and the two 47A power supplies in series cost another $100. It depends on what you want to do.

[srislash]

Well said Sailr,and with numbers to boot.

[sailr]

thanks Shawn. Happy to help any way I can. All of the formulations involved in electrics can be daunting and confusing for the uninitiated!

[aminoacid]

my vote goes to TRAXXAS SPARTAN ALL THE WAY. probably run it on 5s instead of the limit of 6s. and to save a few bucks, keep an eye out for a slightly used one, there is one snap on version on the for sale forums for under 400. I have a spartan and Looooooove it. maybe do some of the mods and go from there. Then build a boat for sure, you'll enjoy it and folks here on OSE are very helpful and knowledgeable.

Good luck.

[Aquacraft]

How did the Aquacraft Minimono Brushless boat not make this list? I just bought this boat as my first hobby grade RC boat and it is excellent right out of the box. No adjustment needed. Simply put in the battery, taped the hatch and it really screams. Not to mention it is one of the lowest cost brushless boats. RTR boat is on sale at Tower Hobbies for $129 and you get $20 off if you are a member. Free shipping right now too. So $109 delivered. The hobbypartz.com Sky lipo 1300 mAh 40C 3S packs fit perfect and are only $10.25. You also get about 7-9 minute run run times out of one $10 battery, which means lots of run time vs. charge time. When you add up boat plus batteries enough to run 3-4 times while out at the lake without charging, you can't beat the mini mono. Any other boat listed with cost at least 3 times as much. And this boat handles and turns amazing.

Aquacraft Wildcat EP looks like another good option for first boat, but I have no experience with it so I can't comment.

[xlandguy]

Motley for my first, and I love it. So far I've built a stand and installed upgrade shaft, bushing and prop. And sharpened my rudder front and bottom. Next I want to balance and sharpen my prop, a Grim Racer 42-55. Motley Crew gets my vote, but I've not owned any other. For my nest it will be either Proboat Impulse 31 or a hull with hardware from OSE.

[gtrcguru]

proboat or noboat. first was apache 24 then on to sw 26 bl v1 now a mystic. funny thing though, my beater 26 chase boat is faster than my fe cat....but not for long!!

[twissted]

This boat (Zonda) just came out and it is highend and is well made. It cost 614 and some change to be sent to the states.

41" kelvar/carbon catamaran twin drive artr set
US $550
Go to www.horracing.com also same as www.tflhobby.com
You will find that a lot of boats including fightercat are built buy these guys. good luck with what ever you get. I should point out that this is my 2nd boat. my first was a 54" deep vee that I converted to brushless.
81905 81906 81907 81908 81909
The last 2 pics are of the carbon Zonda.
I just bought this boat and when I get it I will give a full run down on it.

[Tom899]

Just bought an Aquacraft Revolt 30, first boat.

[mahynder]

Hey,

Good to hear that you are going to buy anew boat.
I will also recommend you to build a boat rather than buying it which is ready made. You would enjoy the building part and all stuff will be according to your wish so so would love it. My first bass boat was lovely for me which is 5 years old and now I am just done with few restoration processes.

I would; recommend some links for your boat building process where my wife used found them upon some 5 hour research on boat accessories, carpets , boat seats and plywood etc.. These are link fro boat carpets and boat seats especially which we tested and found like good ones http://www.boatcarpetcentral.com/standard-boat-carpet and for boat seats http://www.restorepontoon.com/pontoon/pc/Premium-Pontoon-Seats-c60.htm and for many more other parts at overtons.com (http://www.overtons.com)

Happy boating and boat building!

Cheerts!
Ryan

[sailr]

Huh? I don't think he's going to build a full scale boat he can ride in.


Hey,

Good to hear that you are going to buy anew boat.
I will also recommend you to build a boat rather than buying it which is ready made. You would enjoy the building part and all stuff will be according to your wish so so would love it. My first bass boat was lovely for me which is 5 years old and now I am just done with few restoration processes.

I would; recommend some links for your boat building process where my wife used found them upon some 5 hour research on boat accessories, carpets , boat seats and plywood etc.. These are link fro boat carpets and boat seats especially which we tested and found like good ones http://www.boatcarpetcentral.com/standard-boat-carpet and for boat seats http://www.restorepontoon.com/pontoon/pc/Premium-Pontoon-Seats-c60.htm and for many more other parts at overtons.com (http://www.overtons.com)

Happy boating and boat building!

Cheerts!
Ryan

[tlandauer]

Huh? I don't think he's going to build a full scale boat he can ride in.
:roflol: When I first saw that thread, I thought I was on the WRONG forum!

[Davinsta]

Just ordered my first boat in June a pro boat Blackjack 29(still on back order) after seeing miss geico 29 i thought it would be a great place to start.

[Munkfish111]

+1
Fastech was a wicked ikkle boat