popgun

Hi all

I am very new to RC boats, I have been trying to read a lot before I buy one though. I am used to playing around with a Nitro HPI Savage off road truck.

What I wanted to know is, what is a good boat to start off with? Obviously I want a big one and pretty fast....

I am playing with the idea of getting either a Pro Boat Black Jack 55, Hobby king has a Hydro Maniac 26cc and I saw some cheaper Chinese Hurricane model on the web to.
Budget is a max of say $1200.00

Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated, what to buy and mod. I read that the Blackjack has a terrible clutch, the Chinese things have slow motors.....

Regards
Jared

Steve Seebold 100

I would stay away from the ready to run stuff. If you want to assemble your own, I would go with either an RC Boatworks Y6 (my choice, I have 4) or an Insane mono. You can build either boat yourself for about $1,300.00 with a CC Racing engines Zenoah 26, my running gear and a decent radio. And with either boat, you'll have a 60 plus MPH boat. If you go with a stock engine, you can save about $400.00. and still have a 50+ MPH boat. You can also build it stock, learn to drive it and then go for a modified engine.

You can save about $50.00 if you use Speedmaster running gear. Their stuff is about 30% less than mine, but their quality just isn't there.

Either way, you'll have a really good boat.

SS RC Boats

Any link to your hardware you sell?

Hydro Junkie

Steve, I've never seen your work but I have Speedmaster. Never had a problem with any of the parts I've bought from them. What makes you say they have lower quality, just curious

Hesco Racing

Thinking the same here on the speedmaster. Show us your hardware Steve. Or a website I can look at. Stay away from the pre-built boats unless it is built by a racer. The proboats are weekend warrior toys. Not real race boats. Look at CC racing, Gizmomotors, Hobby warehouse at any of them you can buy all you need to build your own boat and it would be a whole lot better than ready made ones. Pleas do not compare ready made cars to boats. The car guys are so under pressure to compete that they would never try just put something together to sell. They always have to do better than the other. That is why you get so much better quality cars.

Cobus

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

Check around with the boat clubs in Bermuda as they can be very helpful in selecting a boat for you as someone may have a good used one or assist you in building one.

popgun

Thanks Gentlemen

Interesting. I will do my homework

SS RC Boats

I would like to see Steve's hardware! I have been using speedmaster for years without ANY issues with quality. Give us a link Steve.

I may be able to work out a deal and sell my almost new (only ran twice) 49" MHZ Titus hull/Speedmaster hardware for $800 shipped inside US. Hull alone was $460 without shipping from Germany. You will need motor,pipe,1/4 scale steering servo and radio. I had a Quickdraw Pioneer 26 in there before someone bought the motor from me right at our last race of the season (Oct 13). Boat has just been sitting since than! Ran in the 60's with QDP26....can run 50's with a stock motor. Have plenty pics if your interested.

Steve Seebold 100

Sorry guys. I haven't had a lot of extra time foe boats this week. My dad passed away Monday afternoon so I have been helping my mom get situated.

I'll have some stuff ready to show in the next couple of weeks.

martno1fan

Sory to hear about your Dad Steve,take care of your mum and the family that,s whats important.
Mart

Steve Seebold 100

I'm home how a couple of days after from my parents house. My brother has taken my mom to his house for a few days so I have some time.

Here's a picture of the running gear on the back of my mono. It's not a very good picture, but you can get some idea of what it is. I make everything on the back of the boat except the prop and the trim plates. The prop is Octura and the plates are Speedmaster. For the price of Speedmaster plates, I'm not going yo bother with them.

You'll notice the short water line from the rudder to the standoff. The cooling water goes through the standoff, eliminating that long unsightly hose that's usually there. The rudder is made from 7075 aluminum which is 2 to 3 times stronger than the one from Speedmaster, and it is .050.to .060 thinner than the Speedmaster at the trailing edge. That alone is worth 2 to 3 MPH.

I sell the rudder assembly for $70.00. Replacement rudders are $30.00.

The out drive is made entirely from 6061 aluminum. All screws are Stainless Steel. The nuts are CAD plated to prevent rust. There are 3 lead teflon bushings in the drive. There are 2 at what I call the business end, and one on the supporting end. I have had people tell me with proper maintenance they get as many as 3 seasons out of a set of bushings. All you need to do is add a little white lithium grease each time you bring it in off the water.

I sell the drive for $85.00. I know that sounds like a lot, BUT if you consider my competition's drive is $60.00. Then if you run a full season and weekends between races, you're going to replace their brass bushings 3 or 4 times. That's $6.00 each time. 4 times is $24.00. That makes that drive $84.00. Then you have to replace the bushings 4 more times over the next 2 years. That's another $48.00. That's $132.00 for a drive that cost you $60.00.

Plus, I put a warranty on my drive that says if it fails due to defective workmanship or material, I will repair it, replace it, OR, refund your money. YOUR CHOICE. The only thing I don't cover is the lead teflon bushings.

I don't offer running gear for other hull types YET. I have 2 hydros, a cat, a Jersey Speed Skiff and a Classic Thunderboat in the works right now, so all that hardware is coming.

I need a few more days to get my mom situated, then I'll be back in full production.

fisher3208

For a beginer at gas boats I would get a ZIPP KITs boat kit and build it yourself.They are all laser cut kits and hold some world records...They make a gas boat kit thats 45 inch long and takes a zenoha G 26 and only cost about $ 85.00 you can finish it with engine and all for about $600.00 and its fun to build. I am building one now and everything fits grate and I am almost finished after one weeks work...It a fun and cheep way to get started in gas boats. They have videos of them runing on there site and they are fast.....Bob

Hesco Racing

Steve I see your 1 internal water pick-up and raze you 2. Machined from 7075T6

Cobus

harleridr

I have a couple you may be interested an experss craft thunderbolt hull unused also a modified blackjack 55 custom rudders and billet clutch.
harle