hexter19

Ok. I'm a long time nitro car, truck, and truggy guy. I want to get into boats. My buddy got a Traxxas Nitro Vee and we broke it in and leaned it till we needed to back off cuz of rising temps. At its best, with smooth as glass water it seems slow for me. In small chop it was garbage! We could barely get it to skim and it was very slow!

So I looked around a bit and I saw a guy running an Aquacraft V24 Gas Boat and I liked it. It seemed to handle moderate chop well and it was definatly faster than the Nitro Vee, but still not with the speed I am wanting.

I have about $1,000 to spend, and I want RTR or close to it, and Speed! I feel on safer ground with a nitro model but I am willing to go gas if the speed payoff is there.

Can anyone suggest a few models of each fuel type for me to check out?

The only Nitro boats I've seen that seems pretty quick are the Shockwave 36. And the AquaCraft SuperVee 27 Nitro RTR. And the prices are totally acceptable. I have also seen a couple of Gas boats that seem quick as well and they were the Bonzi (which costs a bit more than I have), the Bonzi Edge, the Blackjack 55 Catamaran, and the Enforcer Super G. The Bonzi Edge and the Super G both are in my price range, but how user friendly will they be for me?

How easily modified are these boats? Can I drop new larger engines in them later?

Or should I buy a Traxxas Nitro Vee and put a 3.3 engine in it?

Please help me! Lol! Thanks!

Pro Boat ShockWave 36 Nitro RTR- http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=PRB2050
Aquacraft Super Vee 27 Nitro RTR- http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXPRZ5**&P=0
Bonzi 50"- http://bonzisports.com/bonzi_info.html
Bonzi Edge 50"- http://bonzisports.com/edge_info.html
Blackjack 55 Catamaran RTR- http://www.horizonhobby.com/Products...ProdID=PRB2850
Enforcer Super G RTR- http://www.funrcboats.com/ProductInf...d=ENFSUPERGPKG

saleens7

the proboat Shockwave 36 is an ok RTR nitro.....although there are a few bugs youll need to work out.....it runs great in both calm and choppy water......i have one, and for the first two runs it worked great, it definately didi close to 35mph and i ran it on a choppy windy day on the 2nd run and it worked great.....the only thing is after those first two runs i just kept on getting a new problem every time i tried to run it......then again, it was my first nitro ever and i probably did something wrong and i also think the engine was a lemon....i couldnt get it to go over 1/3throttle on the water....it would rev right up on land, and i checked the servo travel and it opened the carb up all the way, but it just never ran good....

the enforcer super G is a good rtr gas boat.....i done have one, but ive heard good things about it....you could upgrade it to a watercooled zen....you can also buy a mid mod, or even a full mod zen to put in it as well.....

i dont have any experience with bonzi.....so i cant say anything about them

you may also want to look into the proboat Shockwave 55 SS and the proboat thundercat 31 (nitro)

hexter19

I saw a clip of that Shockwave 55 ss! Man! Thats nice! I like it alot! Do they even make anything in nitro that comes close to that performance?

saleens7

you would probably have to build one to get speeds like that....either that or actually buy one....

piper_chuck

My Feedback: (12)

Here are a couple other ideas for you.

First, there's a club that races in Queenstown (the one near Easton). Quite often someone in a club is selling a boat. These have the advantage of being setup already and you've got someone to help you if questions arise.

Also, look at the Aeromarine choices. They're located in Delaware, perhaps they've got something you like.

I just got my SV27 Nitro running last weekend. The initial runs were quite surprising, it's a quick little boat. Considering how fast it runs with the stock engine, I'm not even thinking about upgrading it, I think the hull is too small for any more speed.

And finally, you could look around for second hand boats that pop up. For example, there's a .21 Aeromarine Sprintcat for sale on eBay. The person selling it, who I don't know, is a former racer from IMPBA district 12. This boat would run pretty well initially, and could be upgraded to a hotter .21 or a .45 later.

ryan_t888

To add to the above posts, what ever you do stay well away from the traxxas boat. It is the slowest RTR nitro out there and way too many problems exist. The 3.3 won't help much at all.

Ryan

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

Nothing against the people at Fun R/C Boats as I've only dealt with them once and it was only a question that I asked but you can orderv directly from Warehouse Hobbies or Aeromarine. Both should be able to custom build you a boat if you want it a little hotter than stock. I've heard that the Zenoah work that Warehouse Hobbies does for an extra $50.00 is well worth it.
The WHH boats have a heavier lay-up so they will take a beating from wave jumping, hitting the shore, a dock or whatever and still keep on ticking.
Gas boats will have a lot less maintenance involved and you won't spend a lot of time playing with carb needles. You'll smoke your buddy at the pond also.

hexter19

OK so I've narrowed it down to the gas engine boats! I'm gonna take the plunge! Now I just have to do a bit of research from what you all have said and figure out what I'm gonna get. Thanks alot Ron Olson for turning me onto Warehouse Hobbies! I really like what I see there! I'm a little confused still on the build it yourself options but Im getting there!

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

It's just like what you'd get in a RTR boat except that you save a few dollars by assembling it yourself.
Seeing how it's you're first boat you might want ot spend the extra bucks nad let them build it for you.

weathervane

Check this guy out. He is not to far away and has a few things for sale.
Good luck, Andrew


http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemId=303201