Your First Boat

[Simon.O.]

My first "FE" was a Great Planes Wildcat, that got me hooked.
That hull had so many motors and transmissions and props during my early learning phase, it is mind blowing now.
I learnt a lot from that hull and the most important lesson was that I should have gone BL and lipo a lot sooner. 20/20 hindsight is great.

Than was about 4 years ago IIRC

Pics

[ED66677]

I built my first boat out of scratch with fiberglass in '92, was a mono, LHS gave me (yeah I didn't pay it) a Webra 1.8cc glow engine, hull was way too small for this motor and would sink due to the weigt, I added two sponson so she started to look like a rigger, did one and only one run, was a rocket.. but sank!
After many many years flying giant RC plane, tow planes and many other strange thing I decided to jump in the FE boat world!
My second boat, in '07, was a cheap NQD Cyclone, first upgraded with two Speed 600Race, then Feigao8XL, not a good hull so everything ended in a 29" DF copy (still in use).
I also have a Cesa1882 (same as Super Hawai) that a friend gave me, everything is stock except the ESC.
So happy to be in FE world!

[hazegry]

dont laugh but mine was a bladerunner I still have it and run it. I just ordered a Mono and a bunch of parts waiting for them to arrive. I cant wait.

[Alfa Spirit]

My first boat was a CESA 1882 from ABC Hobby, after Ibuild an ARROW from Graupner and the third was a KEY BISCAYNE, a photo of this one.
20 cells, Plettenberg Ultra brushed motor

[Darin Jordan]

Found a picture of my first race boat... Robbe Colt, running as an O-Sport Hydro (getting 8-cells in there was fun... )

[befu]

scale

Back in the early 80's, I started playing with a model my dad had built as a child. It was about a 30" model of a chris craft cruiser. 6volt battery and an old motor, set the rudder and turn it on. Mid 80's I got into real RC, bought a FROG and Futaba radio. Only time before I put the old frong motor in the boat with a NiCad and the RC system. Planed out well, ran it in some of the rivers around Utica Michigan, fun times.

After that, started working as scab labor in the pattern and model industry, so another guy and I ended up buying a 55" dumas scarab, pulled a mold and made our own gassers. That was my intro, LLLOOOOOONNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG learning curve back then. No real references, hardware packages, or internet. This is before warehouse hobbies was making boats so everything was learned by doing it. Buy a weedeater and take it apart!

Wow how that has changed with internets, real time article, forums and youtube!

I still love the scale offshore boats. Have been looking for some, but they are all the new swoopy designs with canopies, no open cockpits. So I am starting this weekend on a 40" Dumas scarab for semi FE but scale I guess. Mid 30's is my goal, but scale looking. Been a long trip......

Brian

[properchopper]

First Raceboat

In 2006 I went to Legg Lake for the SAWs with my H&M Drifter S rigged for LSO. My very first time at the lake and first venture in attempting anything like this. I didn't know a single soul, only names I saw in the forums. The FE Royalty was there that day : Jay Turner, Ray Fuller, Dick Crowe, Tim Higdon, Randy & Wilmer, Dan Chase, Joerg & His crew from Germany, and many, many others. I felt like a stone rookie in a sea of Giants, (and I was right ). I guess Jay took pity on me so he appointed himself as my pit man. When it was my turn, he launched the Drifter and joined me on the driver's stand. Jay said go to one end & let the water settle.Then I ran the boat through the lights ; immediately Mark Grim who was at the timer's table yelled : " Back it up ! " I looked down at my transmitter and then at Jay and said " I don't have reverse ." Jay smiled, told me to run the course the opposite way and I did. Then Mark growled : " bring that boat here and pull the tape !" I thought I really must of screwed something up, but I followed his order. After looking inside the boat, Mark shoved a paper and pen toward me and told me to fill it out. It was the form for the record I just set !! Good Times !!

[antslake]

First boat was a Dumas Deep Vee 10 (wood)running a Cox .049 with my own cooling. Then I got a .061(don't remember the manufacture), then put in a KB .09 marine motor. It ran pretty good, but a pain in the butt to start it.
That was around 1976?

[dana]

My first was a Kyosho Viper

[marko500]

Hold on here's an oldie. My first electric boat was a Futaba Candy with an old Futaba Magnum Jr radio. Still have the boat although it's been changed and reconfigured so many times I lost count. I also still have the radio and Rx that came with it. Still have the old Pro-Tech charger I used with it too.

Mark

[Scott T]

Mine was a cabin cruiser from Radio Shack. My first "FE" boat was an MRP Vee Sport (bottom boat in the first pic attached). Nice little boat, lasted me for a loooong time.

After that was an MRP Hydro Sport, Kyosho Hydrojet, Kyosho Wavemaster, DPI Crackerbox. Things started to get serious when I bought a BBY Oval Master 26 and the FE addiction caught hold!

[Krowbar69]

Mine was an old used Prather tunnel.... boy that boat loved to flip.... and was a pain to keep running... help me out of Nitro..... Lol

[Tunda]

My first boat was a CESA 1882 i boght it in 1991 at a LHS i learned alot from it burned up the stock speed control, stripped the stock gears and even caught fire but it didint stop me i had that boat sitting in my closet for about 15 years till i finally got rid of it then got back into FE and bought a kyosho surfer and never stopped. Propchopper i remember reading your post on the old offshoreelectric fourm when you set that record with your Drifter i was so impressed and Happy for you look how far we all came from then and all the friends we made because of this fourm.......Steven thank you for all your Hard Work ..............

[D&D]

My first boat in 1985 was an Areomarine Competion Cat with a OPS .67 nitro motor. Later in 1990 the same hull with an OPS .80 came in second in the NAMBA Nationals.

[hyrulejedi86]

MY frist boat and conversion was the Mini Rio about 2 summers ago! That and OSE started it all!