WonkaBalls

Zig Zag vs. Reef Racer 2
im looking for a boat to just play with in a pool or lake.
which one of these is a better stock boat?
are there any others on the market of this size that are better?

CadillacDTS2001

zig zag 2 is better , i can't rember rite now , but in one of the rcboatmodelers they compared them and the zigzag one most of them , but the reef racer has watter cooling ! so ..... but im sure it wont matter that much

ZIG ZAG 2

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

I've got a Zig-Zag that I bought for use as a retrieve boat. It hasn't had much of a chance to do that as I get it out and start playing around with it and running the battery down.
If I were to do it again, I would have gotten the Reef Racer. I don't like the looks of it that much but the motor and radio gear are more protected in it than the ZZR.
You might want to consider where you are going to run it as the ZZR has a 110-volt charger and the RR a 12-volt charger that works off the cigarette lighter. If you're going to a pond then the RR might be your choice. If you live lake or pondside or have a pool at home then consider the ZZR.
They're hard to beat for the price compared to what else is in the price range, Radio Shack and Nikko that will only give you about half the speed plus if anything happens to them, they're trash can ready.

love those warbirds

My Feedback: (39)

I'm thinking of the reef racer because you can get them dirt cheap at tower hobbies's scratch and dent section. Like over 40% org. price

SnoX

My friend was driving his Reef Racer and the motor mount came loose. Then the torque of the prop pushed the stuffing tube into the boat, leaving an open hole for water to come through. Then it fried the steering servo. Thats when we noticed it was only running in circles. We sent it back to Hobbico and they are fixing right now.

It is still worth the 55$ he paid for it.

Vertical3-D

My Feedback: (20)

I pick reef racer, due to the pistol grip tx as apposed to the stick tx that the zig zags have, little flaws can be fixed but I hate driving boats(unless its a scale model) with sticks, I leave that fro my planes and heli...

jodini

My Feedback: (2)

So I just got done posting with the problem with the rudder not centering on the servo with the Zig-zag. I brought it back to the shop and we looked at a reef racer and what a difference! Granted, the radio was probably broke....but it was a cheesy radio. The Reef Racer radio is a lot more beefed up and it has the side steering wheel (and I'm not even a car guy....I fly helicopters and planes). Also the reef racer is tougher. The radio compartment is sealed up better, the top canopy is a lot more solid, and the main hull is more solid. This might add up in weight which is not good, but for someone just getting into this....it's perfect. A guy with a zig zag might beat me on the line, but when we hit rocks, I bet the Reef racer wins! Also the battery is more milliamps and the connector is more what the car guys use so you can use your peak chargers. The canopy on the Zig-zag was a rubber band snap on and also you had to take out 4 screws. The canopy on the Reef Racer is velcroed (like my zagi) and all the radio components are sealed tight under two hatches (with rubber seals).
I still haven't had either on water and that's what this really is all about, but I've had my hands inside both of these and the Reef Racer feels like a well built boat.

There's my 2 cents!

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

jodini, nice review, but its too bad the reef racer does not come with a scoop that you can mount on the front, like the Zig Zag does. It serves two purposes. One, it is for pushing around the ball that comes with it to play pool soccer. Two, it serves as a nice tool to rescue a dead boat by pushing it in with the scoop.

jodini

My Feedback: (2)

And one more thing...the Reef Racer has a power switch on the boat (which is also sealed but accessable). The Zig-zag is a plug in your battery and hope your throttle trim isn't too high!
And charger on the Reef Racer takes 30 mintues to charge, the zig zag charger take 3 hours.

Just the facts!

jodini

My Feedback: (2)

grk65.....good point. The zig zag did come with boeys (sp?) and the cool scoop connector. AND the zig zag comes with a stand....the reef racer does not.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

With my Duratrax Ice charger it only takes 20min. But I believe the Reef Racer is the better choice and I wish I had it instead. Because you can buy the scoop separate as a replacement part and since it only connects with 3 screws, I am sure you can connect it to the Reef Racer.

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

The balls and scoop are only useful if you use them. On my ZZR, I did use one as I put a tea cup hook low on the transom to tied a ball to the back to use the ball for retrieving dead boats.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

I like the idea of pushing the dead boat back with the scoop better, as I do not need to carry anything else And I have used the scoop to push back a boat about everytime I have gone out.

jodini

My Feedback: (2)

So today was trial day with the Reef Racer....20mph on a big lake....PERFECT! Was having a blast for about 1 minute and then the boat stopped. Stuck about 30 feet out....and then it started again....then stop again! This kept happening until I got it back to the shore so I charged up the battery again (had a quick charger for my planes) and the same thing! Called up Hobbico and they thought it was a loose connection. Since I'm impatient I went back to the Hobby store and they gave me another one (nice guys since this was my second return.....remember I swapped out the Zig-zag).
Hope tomorrow goes better. I will say that the charger that comes with the Reef Racer is almost too agressive. I ran the new battery down and left it on the charger for only 15 minutes....it puffed up like a balloon! YIKES. I quickly unplugged it, grabbed a fan and cooled it down. When I tested it, it seemed O.K., but man! That's bad![X(] Going to use my peek charger from now on.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

PUFFED UP LIKE A BALLOON!! I would throw that battery away and fast. It now has the potential to explode or catch on fire. Batteries are very dangerous. Not to mention that they can ruin all your electronics if they short out.

jodini

My Feedback: (2)

grk65....it puffed up because it was hot and the shrink wrap around it was air tight. I ran it today and I'm recharging it now....it seems O.K. I think it just got so hot and the air had no where to go....these things are wrapped air tight!

But back to the boat! It was great! Cruised around longer than I expected....and I had plenty of charge left. My 2 year old son was having fun with it too since I let him pull the trigger while I steered it. That's the nice thing with this hobby. With my R/C helicopters and planes....he doens't get to join in on any of the fun, but the boats (or at least these boats) are safe enough around a toddler.

grk65....I'll keep my eye on the battery.

RideBC

I have 3 ZigZag 2's. Yes 3 boats... I liked the idea of playing soccer in the pool. I hadn't seen the reef racer until I was in a hobby shop buying motors. I burnt out 4 motors this past summer... I bought 2 batteries for each boat, and I'd say 4 of those batteries work well.

The ZigZag2 is a blast in the pool, but I did find they brake down alot. I haven't seen the reef racer go, but they look like they are more durable.

Also, don't believe the hype about them being self righting. Unless there is momentum, if that boat turns over, it's staying that way. If the canopy wasn't so loosely fit, maybe it would right itself, but as all of mine are, they stay upside down.

I'm a bit bummed with them right now, as not one of them works. 2 need new engines, and the other needs a new speed control I'm pretty sure, but its cold outside here, so I'll worry about that in the spring.

Granted I was hard on them... but I'm about done rebuilding them every 2 weeks of use. Went and bought an Air Hogs stormlauncher today... looking forward to checking that out on the water!

Speederson

Hey how good does that work? I havent tested mine yet. Do you push from the side front or back. Will it work for a turn over as well?
Thanks.

ctonez

I have 2 Reef Racer 2's. I also attached little eyehooks to them so I can easily attach a swivel from my fishing rod and send the boat out to retrieve, circle the stricken boat 3/4 and reel it in...it works great! The idea is actually from someone else on this forum...I think maybe Jallen355 (forgive me if I'm wrong...just trying to give cred where cred is due...).
There's a rescue or retrieval boat thread in here somewhere.
Anyway,
I contemplated the ZigZag 2 vs. ReefRacer 2 when I bought mine. I had 3 main criteria - low cost, something basic that I could run pretty much anywhere, and something I could eventually hop-up. One thing that helped me make the decision was seeing the replacement shaft/prop for the ZigZag...the shaft is probably close to the size of the ReefRacers', but the prop was either threaded or glued I think and particularly small. The ReefRacer prop is held on with a nut and I can change props at will. The watercooling is also pretty trick. I tape my hatch as a matter of habit even though I probably don't have to, but that assures me I can flip the boat every which way possible and it still rights itself with no water inside at all. I also have a Radio Shack Caliente 2. It's actually way faster than the ReefRacer, but can't turn very well...yet. But that's another thread for another day.

Wheelnut

My Feedback: (81)

I am also going to use the fishing pole idea with my ZZ racer. I have used it in the past by just pushing in the dead boat with the scoop of the ZZ. But it can sometimes take too long. I would say deffinetly tape the hatch shut. I would think that when reeling in both boats that the chance of getting water in the ZZ will greatly increase.

Orange Crush

I am also going to use the fishing pole idea with my ZZ racer.

Benmat has further refined his rescue method. A pole is no longer required. Just take the reel (I use an old Zebco w/the thumb relase) and attach it to the bottem of the rescue Tx.... then just flip the Tx over and reel it in. I made a bridal that ties to a rail on either side of the back deck on my Coast Guard Rescue boat (the one w/a working water cannon to put out Lipo Lightening's battery fires... ) and have aleader on the end of the line on the reel that I just "quick connect" to the bridal on the back of the boat and launch it. Super quick and easy. No reason a stranded boat shouldn't be on shore in anymore than a minute, if not less. Oh, and we have not to date failed to "snag" and complete a succesful rescue on the FIRST attempt. Benmat's method works...

YOSOMEGA

The ZZR2 is a way better stock boat, but you can't hop it up or fix it, so if you want fun speed in a stock boat zzr if you want quality and the potenial to hop up rr2

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

There is a little that can be done. Offshore Electrics has a 8-cell battery pack for it. There is a video of it running on his site. That puppy scoots!