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The Best RC Boats for Fun or Sporting

Like remote-controlled trucks before them, RC boats are an immensely popular and worthwhile way to spend a sunny afternoon outside. They come in all colors, efficiencies, speeds, and battery powers, and it all amounts to the same unique experience, whether it’s for weekend fun with kids or friendly competition on the water. If you’re looking for a new RC boat that conquers still water and waves, here are some options we recommend.

Choosing the Right RC Boat

Consider these factors when buying your new remote control boat:

  • Speed: Understandably, it’s the first thing on everyone’s mind when considering an RC boat: “How fast do you think this thing can get?” We all love to pick up speed, but it’s important to understand that at the expense of more speed means significantly less boating time. It’s a give-and-take situation; you just have to decide which is more important.
  • Steering: A good RC should be easy to maneuver. If you’re an adult, consider a remote that clearly displays good to know information, like speed, battery life, and throttle positions. Kid captains may be better suited with an RC remote that’s as simple as turning a knob and squeezing the gas trigger.
  • Water Resistance: It’s also greatly important that your RC has the strength to withstand freshwaters, from their calmest days to their most choppy. Find a boat that can get knocked around and still carry on its way.

Best for Kids: Force1 Velocity H102 RC Boat

 

RC Boats can provide a fun outing on the water for anyone, but they can be especially entertaining for kiddos. However, you’re going to need a device your child can easily maneuver whenever your eyes are off the pond, and the Force1 Velocity Boat is an easy task to handle for adults and kids. Its RC remote features simple controls and an LCD screen that displays signal strength, power, trim adjustment, and throttle. And while this RC boat is suitable for kids, don’t mistake its simplicity for minor child’s play; It can still reach speeds over 20 MPH and travel 120 meters away from its power source. When close to being out of range, the RC’s remote control will emit a low signal to warn the driver of their border. If you’re looking for a boat that both adults and kids can enjoy, here’s one that makes your search easier.

Best for Kids

Best Battery Power: Yezi Remote Control Boat for Pools & Lakes

 

The amount of time you can actually spend on the open water with your boat tends to vary, and it’s often not that long. In a crowded field of products offering 10-to-15-minute intervals between charges, the Yezi Remote Control Boat offers users upwards of 20 minutes of wave running. This RC is recommended for users 14 years and older, as it’s easy to use and control with a remote that’s a comfortable fit in your hands. Notable features include its high-speed motor and large propeller as well as its flip recovery function, allowing the boat to self-right itself if capsized by choppy waves. The boat includes two rechargeable batteries that only need a two-hour juice before getting out on the water.

Fastest on the Water: RC Toys TR-1200 Remote Control Boat

Of course, what’s an RC Boat without a little bit of speed? Well, a little bit of speed will get you any standard RC on the market, but if you’re looking for unmatched acceleration, then you’ll want to check out RC Toys’ Remote Control Boat. Reaching speeds as high as 30 MPH, this is a professional racing boat equipped with some high-efficiency perks, all in the name of speed. It features a brushless motor and built-in water cooling system that will help extend the overall life of your boat. Like similar models, it utilizes an auto flip recovery system that self-rights itself when capsized. This, however, should happen infrequently, thanks to the boat’s electron speed regulator that keeps the 18-inch boat level with the surface. Its 2.4-GHz Radio Control Transmitter gun is easy to operate and capable of sending your boat out more than 300 feet for 8 to 10 minutes at a time.

Also Great: Abco Tech Remote Control Boat for Kids and Adults

Wave-resistant, fast, and stylish to boot, the Abco Tech Remote Control Boat is another great option for kids and adults. Its double-hatch body prevents potential capsizing on even the roughest of freshwaters, while its auto-correcting rudder prevents your boat from veering off-course. Additional features, like the RC’s waterproof seal and water-cooled engine, keep the inner circuitry of the boat running smoothly with each trip into the pond. Think of this boat as “a greatest hits” of RC necessities. It’s capable of reaching speeds as high as 20 MPH, and it’s entirely regulated from a 2.4-GHz remote control, which features an LED display that shows the signal strength, overall power, trim adjustment, Left-Right throttle switches, emergency stop function, and a low signal warning for when the boat is out of range.

Hollis Mills Hollis Mills
Hollis Mills is a freelance journalist and a content writer for LifeSavvy. He has a bachelor's degree in English literature, and as an undergraduate at Texas A&M University, Hollis wrote and edited for the nationally recognized student newspaper, The Battalion. When he's not writing, you can find him complaining about Boston Celtics basketball or giving plenty of peanut butter biscuits to his always-hungry Catahoula dog, Blue. Read Full Bio »
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