Radio Controlled Boats - Gift Guide

Radio controlled boats are made in electric, nitro, and gas versions.  Electric are more popular because they are so easy to operate.  Nitro boats use Nitro-Methane fuel and Gas boats use regular car gas with oil mixed in the fuel.  Each type of boat has it's own advantage over the other.  Here are a few advantages of each.

Electric - Least expensive and easy to operate.  Electric boats get slower as the run time progresses and the battery power is depleted.

Nitro - Mid price range, fairly easy to operate and nitro engines deliver 20 to 30 minutes of run time per tank and deliver full power throughout the tank of nitro fuel.

Gas - Highest speed range, gas boats use regular car gas with 2 cycle oil and can cruise for up to 45 minutes on a tank of gas.

Boat Speed - One of the most frequently asked questions we get about boats is how fast do they go? 

Electric boats cruise between 15-20mph generally

Nitro boats cruise between 30-35mph generally

Gas boats are capable of very high speeds usually in the 40 to 45mph range.

Radio controlled boats make great gifts and can be run in a variety of locations.  Most r/c boats however, do not tolerate "sea weed" in the water.  So if you plan on buying a boat for someone that would use it in a pond think about this small problem.

Radio control boats use rudder and propeller systems that are submerged fairly deep into the water.  If you run a boat like this on water with weeds in it, the boat will quickly bog down and may even become stuck out in the water.  It is best to run your boat in clear clean water for the best fun.

 Most r/c boats are sold as ready to run packages with everything you need in the box.  Fuel, start packs, batteries and chargers are almost always sold separate and must be purchased in order to operate the boat when it arrives.

We stock a large variety of boats and some of them are so highly detailed that they are suitable for display in your living room.  Here are a few of our top gift recommendations for radio controlled boats.

The Hobbyzone Zig Zag Racer 3 is a very popular boat and includes a battery and charger.  The Zig Zag Racer arrives ready to run from the box.

The Pro Boat Mini V is another good starter boat but requires the separate purchase of a battery and charger.

The Proboat Shockwave 36 and the Shockwave 55 are both popular nitro and gas boats

If you are looking for sailboats we have several ready to run boats in our inventory.

Accessories for boats:

Most electric boats require 6 cell 7.2V battery packs and a charger to operate.

Nitro boats require fuel and a start kit to operate

Gas boats use regular auto fuel.

We hope that this guide will give you some general information about radio control boats.  As always, if you have additional questions or need help picking one out you may contact us anytime.