.robb.

I was wondering if anyone has dealt with these el Cheapo's from eBay.

Features:
Brand new; come in original box w/ all accessories.
Made of durable plastic and metal parts.
Powered by 380-type racing motor which produces tremendous power.
Dual motors, ready to run; 100% durable metal actuating mechanism..
Comes with everything you need to race.
Range: 300 feets, 3-Function: forward, left and right.
Speed: approx. 20 - 25 mph.
Playing time is about 20 - 30 minutes per charge.
Dimensions: 30"L x 10"W x 6"H.
Package weight: 7 lbs.

Accesories Included:
1 controller.
1 7.2V 1800 mAh Ni-Cd rechargeable battery.
1 110V adapter; for use in the US and Canada.
1 user manual and 1 pair of spare propellers.

I think it will be fine for what I intended it for- the pond here at my apartment complex. This is my first RC boat by I have a handful of cars and stadium trucks.

Opinions?

TERBObob

My Feedback: (21)

Ok ... my personal opinion and just that .
If it was me ... I would not bother with those POS kiddy toys that a LOT of junk sellers , sell on EBAY .
I would MUCH rather invest my $70.00 bucks or so and get a REEF RACER .... LOTS faster and the spare parts CAN be had .

Auslide

The Century is an NQD Class Boat.. As in its a Replica of a More expensive Brand Just with Cheapened Electronics..

It has the same Electrocnics and same Motors as all NQD boats..

Saying this though does not mean they are a Bad Boat, Just not the Best..

The Hull on them is good and with a little money ( around double the cost of the Boat itself) and be made into a real great boat..

I suggest a Beefier Battery then the one they Provide you with .. at least a 2500mah.
Just becarefull as the stock electronics dont like Batteries rated much higher then this..

I have been tempted to get one aswell and Do a review on them but I havent found any In Australia that I can actually Agree to buy as the Postage alone is Worth more then the actual boat..

.robb.

I am really interested to see if it will really do 20-25 mph for 20-30 minutes as it claims.

I have been reading the threads on here about NQDs and will continue to do so.

FWIW- I only have $45 "invested" in it. If it does what it claims to right out of the box then I will be more than happy with it in the pond.

.robb.

Just got it in today and ran it at the pond. It ran a lot better than I expected. There were no holes in the hull- not a drop inside the boat after a 20 minute run. It was a lot of fun... but... of course... I wanna go faster.

magnat - Do you have any other suggestions other than a beefier battery? I'm going to go surf the NQD threads again to see what everyone thinks works best as far as improvements go.

pompebled

Hi Robb,

As Magnat said, the hull isn't bad at all.

What you could do is follow the general idea in the NQD thread and clean the hull out and restock it with a 700 motor, a flexshaft with strut and rudder(surface drive) an ESC and 12-14 cells.

This will make it scream!

Regards, Jan.

Kmot

My Feedback: (24)

I purchased two ebay cheapie boats a few weeks ago, out of curiosity.

Truly, they are not bad for the money. But, I only paid $64 for both boats, delivered.

This particular boat, the Century, seemed to be very fast when I tested it in a swimming pool. However, once out in a lake it did not seem nearly as fast. I dispute any claim of 25-30 MPH. More like 25-30 KPH.

Aggressive running and turning will get some water in this hull. Splashing over the deck it will seep through the hatch. The Atlantio, on the other hand, stays dry inside (my experience).

I think these boats are worthy of being upgraded with hobby class electronics. Some paint and minor detailing work and they can be made to look quite good, I am thinking.

The electronics, as it comes, are either "full on" or "full off". I did learn to drive them though, with some smoothness. This is accomplished, by moving the steering stick back and forth in very rapid pulses. This gives the 'illusion' of proportional steering.









Here is a short video of a completely stock NQD "Atlantio" during its maiden voyage:

http://media.putfile.com/Atlantio