Help me decide what to buy boat wise?

[aaronmt73]

We are getting close to closeing on a lake house and after watch youtube videos I think im going to need a r/c boat..l figured this is a good time to lay the ground work for my Christmas present from my wife.Im thinking a cat with a brushless set up.I know very little about these as of now.I like the geico 29" ones ive seen.obviously I want something that's goona run real good stock and maybe have room to grow.Im not even sure what brands are good and where to shop.Thanks Aaron

[fox88gt]

Take a look at the forums on www.offshoreelectrics.com (http://www.offshoreelectrics.com) before you buy, there is a ton of great information, all focused on fast electric RC boats. For something the size you are looking at, electric is the way to go these days (although I'll always love the nitro & gas boats). The power and efficiency of the brushless motors and LiPo batteries is pretty amazing. I picked up an Aquacraft Revolt 30 earlier this summer and have been having a ton of fun with it. However, thats a V-hull and you're looking for a cat, but Aquacraft just released the Lucas Oil cat (30" I believe) that really looks great and I'm sure it hauls because it uses the same motor and electronic speed control as the Revolt. Pretty sure the Miss Gieco 29 is comparable in performance (i'm just not familiar with the ProBoat brand). You'll be impressed how much more you can get outta these just with setup changes and different props. Its a pretty addictive hobby.

[Trimmed Out15]

The aquacraft Mötley Crew runs great, fast, handles great. Like Fox said a little setup time and prop testing and its faster. The miss gieco porpoises a lot so beware, good luck with your hunt. The forum Fox said is a big help as far as setup and any question you have.

[Trimmed Out15]

Tower hobbies is one of the cheapest places to purchase these things, they are knowledgeable as well. There are usually codes you can put in so the more you spend the more you save. I bought the boat and batteries through tower and my charger through amazon.

[fichrman2]

Pending on how much lake you have , I would consider going with a larger gas cat or hydro. They are easy to maintain, inexpensive to run and user friendly-
Not to mention, eventually your gonna want more boat than you are thinking along the lines of now ;)
The smaller F/E's are a great place to start, dont get me wrong,but they are exactly that-entry level boats- and the need for more wont take long..........
Just my .02 from a guy thats been there.

Andy

[fox88gt]

Andy makes a great point. A 30" boat looks big on your workbench, but they shrink pretty quickly when you toss them in the lake. I kinda figured he was looking at electric for a little less noise, if he has neighbors. Not to say that an FE boat is silent, but a little quieter than gas. If he's on a big lake, a bigger boat will certainly be more versatile and fun. If its a homeowners association lake or something like that, an FE boat can be a nice way to skirt rules that prohibit gas powered RC boats if such restrictions exist.

I'm still very pleased with my FE and plan to keep it even when I do eventually upgrade to a bigger boat. Like Andy said, its a great place to start and the boats seem to hold decent value if you sell it second-hand later on. @Trimmedout, does the new Lucas Oil cat look like the same hull as the Motley Crew? I think its the same hull but I'm not certain.

[aaronmt73]

I'd be good with a 30",id really rather stick with the f/e boats simply becouse of the noise.It's a big lake so no issues there i just would prefer it a bit quieter for early morning running.Are there any twin motor boats in that size?

[Lake rat Skater]

Venom king of shaves or the new 34 inch twin cat made by atomik r/c. The traxxas spartan is really a nice boat as well.

[fox88gt]

I must say that I've read some not-so-great reviews about the Spartan. Electronics troubles, poor strut placement (too low, makes the boat porpoise) and its a plastic hull vs. all the other boats here which are actual fiberglass hulls. I have also read that it takes more motor/battery to get the same performance as a comparable aquacraft or proboat. To me, all the vids I've seen of the spartan look like the hull runs real wet. Not to mention its overpriced for a plastic hull. Much better alternatives out there I think.

[aaronmt73]

I was doing some looking last night.I think the king of shaves is discontinued from what I can tell.I believe there is a version 2 of miss geico,im not sure though.The lucas oil looks like a nice boat as well.Any opininons on fiberglass vs plastic?

[fox88gt]

I would definately recommend fiberglass in this size and speed range. The time will come when you blow it over or stuff it, and its nice to know it'll come back to shore in one piece (even if its upside down). Fiberglass gives you options for repair if you come into contact with something solid too. Some of the real high end stuff is all laid up in carbon fiber & kevlar. There are methods to inlay these hulls with carbon fiber as well.

[fichrman2]

Some good points made if F/E is the route your going and Glass FOR SURE !!!
So we know what type of power your gonna use and roughly what type of hull you prefer ( cat )
The next question that comes to mind to me is- Have you considered a Tunnel ???

Right now for damn near the same coin you are considering spending, there are several hull options for a 45mph+ glass tunnel in the 30+ inch range with F/E power AND if you ever considered racing has classes available. IMHO of all my boats right now- my Mod Vp is one of the most fun to drive and race because you really have to drive it , granted its one of my slower race boats ( 45+) but it challenges you to drive it right and nail your setup.

Food for thought............

If your interested in learning a little more on those type boats from some of the best guys that race em all the time there is a REALLY good thread here-
http://www.intlwaters.com/
(You do have to register and get approved- no big deal, Tom does it to keep out the rif raf.)

Anyway in the Tunnel Hull section there is a pinned thread by Bill Britton - "How to get into F/E Tunnel the RIGHT Way"
A basic tutorial for what to buy from where and how to set it up - GREAT THREAD .
Sorry to ramble, once again just my .02 but - you will get much more pleasure/pride-longevity and quality by buying the parts and setting up YOUR boat. It's just scaled down big stuff, and works just the same ;)


Andy

[Trimmed Out15]

Some good points made if F/E is the route your going and Glass FOR SURE !!!
So we know what type of power your gonna use and roughly what type of hull you prefer ( cat )
The next question that comes to mind to me is- Have you considered a Tunnel ???

Right now for damn near the same coin you are considering spending, there are several hull options for a 45mph+ glass tunnel in the 30+ inch range with F/E power AND if you ever considered racing has classes available. IMHO of all my boats right now- my Mod Vp is one of the most fun to drive and race because you really have to drive it , granted its one of my slower race boats ( 45+) but it challenges you to drive it right and nail your setup.

Food for thought............

If your interested in learning a little more on those type boats from some of the best guys that race em all the time there is a REALLY good thread here-
http://www.intlwaters.com/
(You do have to register and get approved- no big deal, Tom does it to keep out the rif raf.)

Anyway in the Tunnel Hull section there is a pinned thread by Bill Britton - "How to get into F/E Tunnel the RIGHT Way"
A basic tutorial for what to buy from where and how to set it up - GREAT THREAD .
Sorry to ramble, once again just my .02 but - you will get much more pleasure/pride-longevity and quality by buying the parts and setting up YOUR boat. It's just scaled down big stuff, and works just the same ;)


Andy
Lets see some pics of your boat, love tunnel boats, use to race opc

[fichrman2]

Here ya go -

Its a VisionCraft 20 Tunnel we put a pad on for ModVp -

http://i39.tinypic.com/20igrhj.jpg

[Trimmed Out15]

Beautiful, my stuff is so old that I still have all K&B motors, A,B and C. Also have a aero marine cat with a blowout 7hp gas motor and the little motley crew electic just to run off my real boat when tied up to others

So aaronmt, have you made a decision ?

[aggiestckl]

The aquacraft Mötley Crew runs great, fast, handles great. Like Fox said a little setup time and prop testing and its faster. The miss gieco porpoises a lot so beware, good luck with your hunt. The forum Fox said is a big help as far as setup and any question you have.

Is the Motley Crew based off of Ron Romans Skater?

[aaronmt73]

I like the motley crew but as well as the geico.When you guys talk about the geico are you guys talking about the version 2 and what has been updated and changed.The motley crew shows it only being a 35-40mph boat,which is hard to believe having twins.

[Trimmed Out15]

I never personally ran the geico boat but in most of the videos I watched it porpoised a lot, that what made me go with the MC.

[Trimmed Out15]

Is the Motley Crew based off of Ron Romans Skater?
This is what it looks like, looks very close to the real race boat.

http://www.bigsquidrc.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/aqub2100.jpg

[fox88gt]

Inquiring minds (well, my mind anyway) wants to know...have you chosen an RC vessel yet?

[badbradviper]

I have ran/have the impulse 31 the blackjack 29 a 50in gas boat with a weed eater and many other RC boats it's a sickness of mine. The key to all the RC boats is setup and having the wright prop. The blackjack 29 is the faster brother to the mis gico. I found a detounged x642 prop made all the difference in the world. On booth my impulse and blackjack booth hulls running 4s launch to plane do not purpose and turn well. Funny how a big kids toy mimics the real thing!
I like messing with RC propellers a lot of learning from them can be used on the real thing and cost so much less. I don't feel bad messing up a $20 prop compared to a 500 $ real deal.

[BeansGT]

If you arent just looking at hydos and cat hulls and are open to Vhulls the Traxxas boat is fast out of the box and can be made faster . 55+ out of the box and it cmes lipo ready . I have upgraded mine with a motor , ESC , porp and a set of additional trim tabs and its pushing 65-68 with its current prop depending on water conditions and batterys .