Which BL boat should I get?

[CosworthDriver]

Hello

I'm getting into RC boats and i'm looking at these boats:

http://www.aquacraftmodels.com/boats...ior/index.html

http://www.aquacraftmodels.com/boats...rew/index.html

http://www.proboatmodels.com/Product...rodID=PRB3550S

http://www.proboatmodels.com/Product...dID=PRB4000BDC

http://www.proboatmodels.com/Product...rodID=PRB4075S

http://www.venom-group.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=1817

I'm leaning mostly towards the Aquacraft UL1 Superior at it seems to be a fast and stable boat right out of the box. And it seems that alot of people have these boats and seem happy about it (both on forums and on youtube).
I know that a hydroplane is the most difficult to handle and a V-hull is the easiest to handle/most stable in the water (and a hydroplane requires really flat water, as it doesn't handle waves really well). My brother has the SuperVee 27 and it seems to be a nice boat (I just want a boat that is faster than his SuperVee).

I've also read, that the hydroplanes mainly has to turn right and isn't really made to make left turns. Is that true? (Guess it would be because of the placement of the turnfin, if it is true?).

And finally, i've read that you have to run the UL1 at max speed most of the time to prevent the ESC from burning up. Guess you need maximum flow of water through the coolingsystem? Is that really such a big issue? And wouldn't it be an issue with most of the BL boats when running on Lipo's?

I'm planning to run it on a pair of Turnigy 2S 7,4v 5000mah 40C Lipo's. And i'm also planning to buy a couple of extra props, like the Grimracer L40x57/3.
Does this sound like a good plan?

Finally I just have to mention, that I come from Denmark and are travelling to USA next month, where I plan to buy the boat. So I need to bring it home in a suitcase, so it must not be longer than approxm. 26-30 inches, otherwise it won't fit in a suitcase (i'll probably have to take off the rudder, prop etc., but that's not a problem, i'll bring some tools from home).

Hope some of you guys own or have owned some of the boats mentioned above and can give some hints and tips to which boat you think would be best for me.

Thanks!

Cheers
Tommy

[ejimbo4]

I am new to boats to and I am planning to get my first one soon too:beerchug: I am planning on getting the Impulse31(deep V) So I am in the research end right now like you but the one thing I DO know is you definitely don't want to stick the boat in your suitcase!!! :ThumbsDown01: Very bad idea!!! Don't go sinking a bunch of money into something you are going to just cram into a tight cargo area with a 1000 other suitcases and expect it to get back home in one piece.....better to pay shipping and insure it too because you just never know!! Good luck and I hope your having as much fun reading and researching as I am. I have been into rc trucks for a few years but I can see that boats have nothing to do with trucks but get pulled by them on land!!!

[detox]

Aquacrafts new Motley Crew catermaran looks to be a very stable hull. Faster speeds can be achieved using larger prop.

[CosworthDriver]

I am new to boats to and I am planning to get my first one soon too:beerchug: I am planning on getting the Impulse31(deep V) So I am in the research end right now like you but the one thing I DO know is you definitely don't want to stick the boat in your suitcase!!! :ThumbsDown01: Very bad idea!!! Don't go sinking a bunch of money into something you are going to just cram into a tight cargo area with a 1000 other suitcases and expect it to get back home in one piece.....better to pay shipping and insure it too because you just never know!! Good luck and I hope your having as much fun reading and researching as I am. I have been into rc trucks for a few years but I can see that boats have nothing to do with trucks but get pulled by them on land!!!

The problem is that customs fees and taxes are VERY high in Denmark. The price for a boat will at least double if I ship it to Denmark!
But i'll put alot of clothes in the suitcase too, so the boat will be packed nice and soft in the middle of the suitcase. Shouldn't be a problem.

Yes, i'm thinking of V-hulls too, as they seem to be the most stable kind of boats in the water. But that UL-1 from Aquacraft just seems like a good boat.
I just found this yesterday and it's looks very interesting too:

http://kintecracing.com/Pursuit.html

I've been into nitro-trucks for some years too (been racing in the truggy-class), so it'll be fun to try a boat.
Yes, the research part of getting some new stuff is very fun, I enjoy that too.

[CosworthDriver]

Aquacrafts new Motley Crew catermaran looks to be a very stable hull. Faster speeds can be achieved using larger prop.
Yes, i'm looking into that one too. Looks like a good boat.

[U1Racing]

the UL-1 is a great little RTR hydro, you would not be disappointed!! and i think you would be very impressed with the water conditions the UL-1 will handle, they will drive right through choppy water and "race water" or the water left "dirty" by other boats props, the UL-1 drives better than a mono around a race coarse for sure and is easier to drive in a race because it won't suddenly lean to one side and turn unexpectedly!!

[CosworthDriver]

the UL-1 is a great little RTR hydro, you would not be disappointed!! and i think you would be very impressed with the water conditions the UL-1 will handle, they will drive right through choppy water and "race water" or the water left "dirty" by other boats props, the UL-1 drives better than a mono around a race coarse for sure and is easier to drive in a race because it won't suddenly lean to one side and turn unexpectedly!!

That's exactly the impressions I have got when looking at forums and youtube. I don't plan to race it though, there are not so many boat RC enthousiasts in Denmark. We have a lake though for RC-boats at my local RC-center.
But do you know of that issue, that the UL-1 mainly is built for right turns?

[ejimbo4]

Hardshell suitcase and plenty of stuffed animals should work good then! Good luck! Where are you coming to visit while you are in the states? First visit?

[CosworthDriver]

Hardshell suitcase and plenty of stuffed animals should work good then! Good luck! Where are you coming to visit while you are in the states? First visit?

Yes, just alot of stuffed animals and thick sweaters should do the job fine. :-)
We are going to Canada first for a week and then to California for 2½ weeks afterwards.
It's my second visit to the states, have been in Texas and Oklahoma in 2000. I love america, it's my favorite holiday destination! :thumbup1:
I just need a confirmation from our hotel in LA, that they'll receive the package for me, so are waiting to hear from them.

By the way, do you know if there are any taxes or customs declaration when shipping goods from US to Canada? If the hotel proves not to be cooperative and won't receive the package for me, i'm considering having it shipped to my cousin in Canada, who we are visiting.

[Flying Scotsman]

Yes, there are and the shipping costs can be high.

Douggie

[U1Racing]

That's exactly the impressions I have got when looking at forums and youtube. I don't plan to race it though, there are not so many boat RC enthousiasts in Denmark. We have a lake though for RC-boats at my local RC-center.
But do you know of that issue, that the UL-1 mainly is built for right turns? the right turns only is kind of a bad thing, but most boats are setup for only right hand turns so you could run into this problem on any boat, i'm not a mono guy tho so my specialty is hydros and riggers, but the UL-1 runs like a bat out of he11! right out of the box and if you upgrade to like a Octura X642 metal prop you are looking at 45MPH and it will pull these speeds in wind and rough water without flipping over, I'm speaking from personal experience from racing against the UL-1's with my UL-1 powered Proboat E-lam and i blow over all the time and the UL-1's handle the rough conditions just fine!!

[CosworthDriver]

Yes, there are and the shipping costs can be high.

Douggie

Hmmm....had a feeling about that. Then i'll have to rely on my hotel to help me out.

[CosworthDriver]

the right turns only is kind of a bad thing, but most boats are setup for only right hand turns so you could run into this problem on any boat, i'm not a mono guy tho so my specialty is hydros and riggers, but the UL-1 runs like a bat out of he11! right out of the box and if you upgrade to like a Octura X642 metal prop you are looking at 45MPH and it will pull these speeds in wind and rough water without flipping over, I'm speaking from personal experience from racing against the UL-1's with my UL-1 powered Proboat E-lam and i blow over all the time and the UL-1's handle the rough conditions just fine!!

That's exactly the impressions of UL-1 I have got. So the UL-1 it is then! :thumbup:
I don't know the Octura X642, but I'll get the Grimracer L40x57/3 prop for it, which Aquacraft recommend. Maybe they are similar in performance?
You are probably right about the right turns. It seems that all types of boats just have 1 turnfin placed on the right side, so they all probably turn right better than left (with the turnfin on "the inside" of the corner).
Now I just need a confirmation from the hotel, that they'll help me receive the package. :smile:

[CosworthDriver]

And now I have a confirmation from the hotel that they'll receive the package for me. So now I just need to place my order :thumbup1:

[BHChieftain]

If this is your first boat, I like to recommend a mono or a catamaran, as they are much easier to set up and I think are more fun for sport boating. The hydro is great for racing or for all out speed, but you are limited to run on smooth water, full or nearly full throttle, and oval laps.

Since you are size constrained, maybe consider something completely different-- check out the Velocity from minicat racing (SAILR here on the OSE boards). It is an 17" mono and self-rights when it flips over. I have a friend who has one of these and is a little pond rocket-- for the size it screams.

http://www.minicatracingusa.com/vmono.html

There's a video at this link so you can see how it handles.

Chief

[johnmaclean]

I've never seen a UL-1 in person but I own a couple of sv27's and I saw a Motley Crew running yesterday for the first time. Gotta say that the MC was a very impressive performer even in rough water. My next boat will be either a cat like the MC or the Miss Geico or the UL-1 only becaus eI love the look of the hydro

[U1Racing]

That's exactly the impressions of UL-1 I have got. So the UL-1 it is then! :thumbup:
I don't know the Octura X642, but I'll get the Grimracer L40x57/3 prop for it, which Aquacraft recommend. Maybe they are similar in performance?
You are probably right about the right turns. It seems that all types of boats just have 1 turnfin placed on the right side, so they all probably turn right better than left (with the turnfin on "the inside" of the corner).
Now I just need a confirmation from the hotel, that they'll help me receive the package. :smile:

so glad to see you went with the UL-1, i don't see you being disappointed at all!! it is a great little boat for the price and is a hydro which is in my opinion way more fun and easier to drive than a v-hull mono, don't know how it compares to a Catamaran but over all i don't see any issues with your choice!! great way to get into FE boats at a low price!!