Remote Control Boats
Remote Control Boats, also known as radio-controlled boats, are extremely popular among hobbyists. Most users find the ability to acrobatically glide across the water at surprising speeds to be exhilarating. While in experienced hands, remote control boats are often capable of pulling off difficult maneuvers that require considerable agility due to the commonly disproportionate power-to-weight ratio. Because of the wide range of applications, RC boats can be found in a wide variety of configurations.
The most common type of remote control boat in use is the electric style
sport boat. These boats are much quieter than their gas-powered
counterparts, and occasionally faster, sometimes reaching speeds over
110 KPH. In fact, an electric remote control boat holds the world record
in the 100-yard sprint! For many hobbyists, however, a boat that can
travel in the range of 15-50 KPH is much more appropriate. When built to
travel at these more moderate speeds, many public lakes and ponds
permit the usage of remote control boats due to their small size and
more quiet nature.
While not as wildly popular as their sporty cousins, remote control
sailboats are also frequently seen on public waters. Most sailboat-style
models rely solely on wind to accelerate and move across the water,
though a handful of more complex models will include an underwater
propeller to supplement wind power. Control over these models is a
little more limited - most transmitters permit the user to operate the
positioning of only the sails and the rudder for steering - a day with
moderate air movement will provide hours of fun to a remote control
sailboat user.
In addition to sport and sailboat models, remote control boats can be
found in combat configurations, among others. RC boats built for combat
will often be larger to-scale models of real battleships and aircraft
carriers. These types of boats will have hulls constructed, in part, of
balsa wood. When one boat takes damage from another via a deck-mounted
projectile weapon that fires ball bearings, it may even sink! Of course,
this type of model is not recommended for children and should only be
used by experienced adults.
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