Hello all - boat newbie here!
I’m a looking for some shopping advice here because I am working in Trinidad where there is little in the way of RC shops and what there is, is very expensive (read 2x to 3x the US price).
The benefit of living on an island is that you’re near the sea and it’s pretty calm here so there are plenty of places to boat but they are all seawater. In the mornings the sea can be very smooth with barely any ripples so it's pretty smooth out there but not glass. Also, the occasional passing boat will throw up wash that adds quite a bit of chop.
Most of the local guys seem to run 1/4 scale cracker box boats with weed-wacker type gas engines. I would like to run something that can handle some chop but is electric. So now to my first question – how small can I go without being too small for offshore? 30”? 20”? 15”?
Here's a shot I took a few days ago of a gasser:
My 6-year old son is the motivation for the boat adventure – he wants something to race with his dad. I'm going to have to build two - one for me and one for him. So, I would like a boat style that is relatively user friendly and suitable for a small kid. I have seen some self-righting boats like the Danvo Avenger – are these a good choice? And can I get something in that style that will be large enough for offshore? Or should I go for a regular v-shaped design or cracker box style?
I have a crackerbox plan scaled to about 17" in length which we're going to build for fun (maybe out of foam board) just so that my son can get some building experience.
Another thing I want to do fix a set of running gear so that I can buy a bunch on a trip back to Houston (e.g. motor, esc, batteries, props) and then make hulls from plans scaled to the equipment I have. I have no idea what a decent set-up is so once a size is fixed (I'm leaning to around 20") then I'll need recommendations on the gear.
Thanks for the help! I'm probably more excited about this project than my son is!
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