Does racing a FE boat take less driving skill than racing a nitro/gas boat?

[dano1]

Basically electrics are far easier to (get running), ive ran alot of nitro, gas and electrics.... and electrics on water .....even tho it makes no sence to run high voltage with water...lol...is far the better way to go, tuning gas on shore and then dropping in water can be very frustrating. Theres no difference as far as racing goes in my thoughts, ur racing.....what happens......happens. my two cents.

[sailr]

I used to run nitro and it could be tricky to get too far off the throttle without coming off the pipe or flaming out. No problem like that with FE.

[Flying Scotsman]

I have never run an IC boat but I do like tinkering with the engines, as far as driving skill is concerned I can not see any difference.

Douggie

[LuckyDuc]

The main difference that the nitro racer (A friend and club member) was trying to point out was in the MILLING part of the heat race.

In IC heat racing, a large part of success depends on your ability to pace your boat during the mill time to ensure a good lane and position relative to time and location on the course to get the start. Having raced nitro for the last couple of years I will say that it takes a lot of practice to get this down.

His point was that this skill requirement is somewhat lost with FE heat racing as most start the mill at 30 seconds and go.

I’m by no means advocating that nitro racing takes more or less skill than FE heat racing, I just thought it was an interesting topic.

[Grimracer]

No question it does build a certain drama that is missing in FE racing. (for me)

More or less skill.. hum.. just different.. I do however really love the mill.

Mike Tally and John Otto are some of the best I have ever raced with when it comes to milling. Kenny Hildrith and his son Chuck are also very tough. Brain Schmick, Dave Preusse.. Ernie Laflure.. all very very good at milling a boat.

I can not say any one person is better at milling in FE.. I can however make some assumptions, maybe it would just be a matter of time.


Grim

[RaceMechaniX]

I race all three power types and agree with Mike's comments. It's just different between the power systems and the way we run the classes. At least in NAMBA there are even more differences when taking about scale classes versus non-scale when it comes to the mill. The driving skill is more ciritcal with the class of the boats being run than one power system over another. It is true that milling is very competitive and not easy to master right off the bat. With FE you are usally confident the boat is going to go as soon as you pull the trigger. With gas its a little more challenging escpecially if you like to do a crawl to the line start. Hopefully your motor cleans out quickly and your boat has a good holeshot. With Nitro, you have the same issue with gas, but the motors and prop loads typically make it more challenging to slow down and come back up if your set-up is not good.

Setting aside the mill, basic set-up of the hulls and common areas, nitro is still the most challenging for overall IMO. A competitve boat will be on the ragged edge of a fine tune which takes a good bit of overall knowledge to set-up. The amount of variabilities you have is just greater. For example, in nitro racing it is common to change fuels, plugs, pipe lengths and props just with a change of the weather. On the course, most racers have a third channel for mixture which will be tuned in as the mill progresses and hopefully dialed by the start. You have to have an ear for nitro to tune the motor. There is a lot more "black magic" with nitro compared to other power systems and for this reason I believe its the most challenging.

Tyler

[Hydromaniac]

I don't think it takes more skill but I would say it takes more patience with nitro / gas boats, keeping them on plane, needle adjusments, flameouts ect. as for the mill thing thats just an excuse IMO, the chaotic course cutting scramble to the start, I'm not even going there. I used to race nitro when I started in R/C boating and I'll never go back. I think the racing is much better in the electric ranks. It seems like a lot more boats finish with lots of close finishes. I have not raced gas so I can't say one way or the other.

[AlanN]

Mill time is another aspect to the overall race. I really do enjoy the mill when running my gassers. When running my FE 1/8th scale I prefer to do at least 2 warm up laps to get the feel for the course and to try avoiding a big line up at the start. It is a part of racing that few FE'ers ever get to experience.

I have witnessed many races where the racers are totally unaware or don't know where they should start. ie what lane to be in when rounding the final turn to the start and the front straight. The mill can help avoid this.

Back to the original question though: More skill req'd? Not necessarily more skill but different skills to operate the different power types. A 60 mph gas mono runs/handles differently than a 60 mph FE boat. Mostly due to the weight differences. The FE hull has been generally heavier. May not be so much of an issue now that we have better cells. But there is a difference. Especially when you run in a heat with gas monos and they churn up the water with larger props. That is one example.

[sailr]

Back in the day, Herb Stewart was the mill champ. He'd nail that start right on the money every time. He taught me how to judge it. I'm not bad but no match to John Otto and the boys!

No question it does build a certain drama that is missing in FE racing. (for me)

More or less skill.. hum.. just different.. I do however really love the mill.

Mike Tally and John Otto are some of the best I have ever raced with when it comes to milling. Kenny Hildrith and his son Chuck are also very tough. Brain Schmick, Dave Preusse.. Ernie Laflure.. all very very good at milling a boat.

I can not say any one person is better at milling in FE.. I can however make some assumptions, maybe it would just be a matter of time.


Grim

[LuckyDuc]

A more fitting title for this thread would have been... Is the art of milling lost in FE heat racing?

[Grimracer]

To me.. Sean.. that’s a very large part of the "Heat" And its never been there for the FE guys. Most do not know the drama involved in a IC "lets call out Nitro here" heat race.

The FE guys are all.. aha.. they stall.. OK.. I say you don’t have your stuff together and your going to get beat. To large a prop and your boat might not launch.. this depending on the air density.. AND.. your best buddy giving the boat a bad launch.

As a side line. Just so you know.. I don’t care about the cost involved in RC racing.. Fuel or batteries.. if its my hobby Im going to spend money.. I don’t care.. does not and never has held water with me.. If I can not afford it.. it just does not happen.

I know, your thinking.. WHY THE HECK WOULD I PUT UP WITH ALL THAT!.. Well I can only say.. its the drama, the vision and the challenge that draws a person to this type of racing.

As you know RC boat racing to be is a tuners game. Driving is VERY important but at the end of the day its a tuners game.

From the side lines.. My wife does not care to watch FE boat racing. She loves to go boat racing and realy enjoys the heats. Our first FE race together was in Mazo some years ago.. After that she said.. no more of that for me.. I like the Nitro boats.

She too was missing the drama involved in Nitro boat racing. Just an innocent side line view but never the less quite qualified to comment. We have been traveling to races together for almost 20 years. Had we been FE racing all those years and then went to a Nitro race she might have had a different view.. and I suspect I would have too.

Grim

[sundog]

Hard pill to swallow

Does racing a FE boat take less driving skill than racing a nitro/gas boat? Ha! While that is an interesting and thought provoking question, I offer this: do you like to race? I understand the arguments from both sides, as I like to tinker and tweak and get things just so. And I realize that one persons intrigue is anothers’ annoyance. But understand that we are in a new era, and with that - habits and trends will change. With new innovations & technologies, convenience and cost and ‘environmental correctness’ will dictate future trends. And like the steam engine and tether racing, the internal combustion motor will be phased out of mainstream activity. The new neo motors are cheaper, faster, have more torque, more reliable, quieter, cleaner, (did I leave something out?) and will be the future of racing. There will be pockets of hobbyists keeping the old tech alive, just like steam engines, but it is quickly becoming old school. And you can’t stop these changes! So the way I see it, if you want to continue racing and don’t want to get left behind - well, draw your own conclusions here.

[siberianhusky]

Leave it to somebody to bring up that tired old crap.( The death of IC engines)
Both have their own unique skills required to be successful. Some people will never give up nitro boats, some people will never try nitro boats. To each their own.
I run both but my first love is nitro, been running it since the 80's and I'll never quit, found some people in my area running electric last year so I got into the electrics. it's boats, it's rc, it's fun.
I now have 5 boats that are electric or going to be electric in the near future.
2 new nitro boats in the last year.
You'll pry my nitro riggers from my cold dead grip though!
I also have 2 rc sailboats and enjoy the heck out of sailing them.
I don't care what it is as long as it's an rc boat on the water.
Same with motorcycles, dirt, track, touring whatever, don't care where it was made either as long as it has two wheels and a engine!
To me a willingness to try all aspects of a hobby shows more of a passion or devotion to they hobby than somebody who limits themselves to one small brand or power system. How do you know you don't like it if you don't try it.

[T.S.Davis]

HAHAHA

That's the craziest excuse I've heard yet. Well, it's up there on the list.

So you win in nitro by perfecting your timing on the start. I guess by that arguement the guys that win in FE have NOT perfected timing the start. So how do you win then?..........One can only assume therefore, that the FE winner has done so by being the best driver?

So the winning FE racer doesn't have the ability to jockey for position but has better driving skills. Totaly NOT a fair statement on my part but just as rediculous as discounting FE because we don't run laps for 2 minutes before a heat.

Get out there with Newland and Twaits and tell us about their start position skills.

Why can't guys just say "I don't like it"? I don't care for nitro but I respect all the skills required to do it. It's just a different set of skills. I'm an FE nut and I can't tell you why exactly. I just prefer it.

"Doesn't require enough skill so I'm not interested". It's so silly to me.

If you don't like FE just say so. It's okay to say NO some times. Insulting our intellegence is waiste of energy.

[sailr]

Race whatever you like, nitro, gas, FE, but don't bash anyone for their preferences. There isn't 10 cents difference in the skills required. You still first have to finish to finish first!

The sad part is the tendancy of nitro/gas oriented clubs to shun, or reluctance to accept, the electric racers. I have found resistance from the IC clubs to electrics to be a bit rediculous to say the least.