RC Boat Hobby - Enjoy this outdoor RC hobby

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The RC boat hobby is another type of fun radio control pastime that many people enjoy. Remote control boats are a very diverse hobby that comes in many different sizes, shapes and types so everyone can enjoy the kind of boat that they like.

But also, with so many choices the beginner will find it difficult to find the correct boat for them. You don't want to buy the wrong boat, so let's discuss which types are available and what a beginner should get when entering the RC boat hobby.

Types of RC boats

Remote control boats can be bought, or made, to look and float just like any type of boat that you want it to. For those who don’t know, the different types of boats are:

• Sport boat
• Vintage Racer
• Hydros
• Tug boats
• Warships
• Fishing boats
• Sailboats
• Yachts
• and some more…
• 
  

Surprised at the overwhelming choices of RC boats? Many people are, and usually people just get a simple racing boat and go on their merry way.

I discourage people from doing that though, because we all have a boat type that we like, so you need to discover what you like and then make a decision.

Next we need to talk about how your boat can come assembled. Beginners should get a Ready to Run boat. A boat that is RTR is exactly that, ready to start splashing right out of the box, no assembly required. These types of RC boats come with a white hull, so you don’t have to paint anything, just drop it in the water and go.

Now if you want to assemble your boat, by putting together many pieces, then you need to get a kit. Kits may require drilling, painting, sanding and maybe other tedious work that a beginner might not want to do. Kits can also come in just wood, which means you have to coat it with protection, paint it and build it. Good for advanced modelers or people who really want to just jump right into the hobby.

To sum things up, RC boats can really just come in three different types of classes. First are the powerboats, which are sports and racer boats. Sport boats are designed to be just fun, while racing boats are made with racing in mind.

Next are scale boats which focus mainly on authenticity, and just a little on performance. A scale boat is something that someone who wants a realistic boat that runs, sounds and looks just like its full version counterpart.

Last but not least are sailboats, which is in my opinion the most relaxing kind of boat you could control. Sailboats are of course powered by wind, and can actually come as scale and powerboats, but keep in mind that since there is no onboard motor, you will have to learn a whole new set of rules.

Choosing a hull

The next very important decision you need to make is what type of hull your RC boat should have.

If you are buying or building a scale boat, then of course that will determine your hull, but powerboats and sailboats can have different types of hulls which exhibit many different characteristics. Let's look at the different types of hulls below and what they do.

• Monoplanes hulls - Monoplane hulls has it surface constantly in contact with the water and is the most common type of hull for real full sized boats. What's funny is that monoplane hulls can actually be separated in two categories, deep-vee and shallow-vee.
  
  Deep-vee brings the keel to a razor-sharp point far beneath the surface of the water. The underside of the boat is slanting upward sharply toward the hulls sides, resulting in a RC boat that cuts all the way through the water with a moderately large wet surface area. This type of hull is steady at all speeds and provides sharper steering response.

  The shallow-vee is the quicker of the two different monoplane types since they run with less surface area touching the water. Shallow-vee has a flatter bottom that produces less drag, which means a faster boat!
  
  But the drawback to this is less stability because it has less contact with the water. If you are an entry level racer, then a shallow-vee hull is what you want.

• Hydroplanes - Hydroplane hulls have more than one surface in contact with the water at all times. The different types of hydroplane hulls I will talk about below.

• The first type of hydroplane hulls is tunnel hulls, which are most often on full sized racing boats. They have a raised center section of the hull and two outer sections that sit in the water with a channel between them. So when the boat starts going faster, air will build up in this channel and will raise the boat higher out of the water. This will decrease the amount of surface area that touches the water. This will create less drag, but higher speeds, so you will have the perfect balance between speed and handling.

• Catamarans hulls function very similar to tunnel hulls, and are only different by shape. Catamarans have more sharply angled sponsons, and the tunnel is a little taller and narrower, which means it is more stable. This is a good choice for beginners and comes highly recommended from RC boat enthusiasts.

• Outriggers are another form of hydroplanes and are the very best in performance and speed. The sponsons on outriggers and hull are separate pieces and what that does is actually improve the airflow and make your boat have speeds of 90 miles per hour or even more.
  
  The only problem is that they are made to go fast, so when you are moving slow through the water the handling will not be as good.

Engine types and power sources

With boat types and hulls out of the way, it is time to discuss power sources and engines. An RC boat can either have an electric or fuel powered engine, and of course sailboats use the wind. Which power source is best for you?

Electric RC boats are the best choice for beginners and scale model builders. Electric motors are very inexpensive, run better and have no fuel or exhaust. Beginners really do not want the hassle of dealing with fuel and tuning the engine to run properly.

Scale model builders also should know that fuel can damage your models exterior, which is of course not good if you want it to look like a scale. Another great thing about electric RC boats is that it doesn't make much noise so you don't have to worry about disturbing others around you.

The only bad thing about electric motors, compared to fuel powered ones, is that you get a shorter run time. Don't plan to spend hours driving around your boat, unless you have two backup batteries and a car charger.

Fuel powered RC boats use a glow engine, or gas engine, that uses nitro methane or gasoline as fuel, and can come in many different shapes and sizes. Glow engines tend to be a little faster then gas engines, so most likely the fuel powered RC boat you buy will have a glow engine.

Glow and gas engines are very reliable and will actually last longer then electric motors if taken care of properly. Fuel powered RC boats also have a very long run time, and is only limited by the size of its fuel tank.

A major downside to glow and gas engines is that you have to keep buying fuel, and glow engines burn fuel rather fast, plus they are messy and make plenty of noise and exhaust.

RC sailboats are of course the only other alternative to electric or fuel powered RC boats. Sailboats are a little tricky because it takes some skill to control a sailboat using the wind. Get a little experience with a regular electric boat before you move onto RC sailboats.

Used RC boats

Buying a used RC boat is a great idea because you will be buying a hand me down from someone who has taken care of it and used it many times. This is a major plus because your boat will be broken in, especially if it is a fuel powered RC boat. Many people everyday are putting their RC boats for sale online, so you have a wide selection to choose from to.