New To Hobby And.....

[Turbo Dan-O]

Screaming fast, rtr, no nightmares.

Is there such a boat?

There are a lot of choices out there but I think anyway you go you will be doing some upgrades to get everything you want. I am a newbie myself and I did a LOT of research before buying my Apparition about a year ago. I am still VERY happy with it but I have done a little work to make it faster. I will vote for the Genesis(or Apparition). It is cheap, big enough to handle some chop, and easy to upgrade and make fast. On the other hand I have seen a stock UL-1 that was nasty fast for a bone stock boat. It is a hydroplane though, and needs really smooth water to run in. Don't rush into anything and read read read on the forums!

[G-UNIT]

In monos I would for the impusle 31, great boat for alittle rougher water and fun to drive.
for cats I lean towards the new mistic and for
hydros, go for the UL-1, fast boat right out of the box and can even make it faster with a prop change and that goes for all of the above.
I would like to get a mistic myself but I learned on a black jack the early model so I learned about changing hardware,water cooling and a bunch of other stuff. and STILL LEARNING.

[Gimp]

There a nice Genesis is the classifieds, not to much needed to finish and wouldn't have to wait weeks for Hong Kong shipping lol

http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...nesis-for-sale

[siberianhusky]

First lesson for rc boats - Cheap, fast or reliable - choose two!
For a first boat I'd go with the Mystic or Impulse, I have a SV, good boat, lots of fun but not the most stable boat out there, nicknamed the Superflip.
I own a Motley Crew and wouldn't suggest it to an enemy! I've never owned a Mystic or Geico but have handled at least 3, much better built boats than the MC, I use a Geico power system in my Crew. That being said they will still break in crashes much over 50mph, they were simply not built with those kind of speeds in mind, they were intended to run with the stock motors in the high 40 mph range.
Never owned or seen an Impulse but everything I've read has been pretty positive.
To make a boat go fast there is a lot of learning, prop selection, drive angle and depth, rudder angle..... the list goes on. Testing is the name of the game, the boat has to be able to stay upright at whatever speed it's supposed to go.
With my Motley 1/16" difference in prop depth and moving the cg forwards less than 1/2" changes it from a fast smooth water set up to a fast rough water setup. Don't make the change and it will blow over backwards in a few inches of chop and the associated wind. Or it will stay stuck to the smooth water and not be anywhere near as fast as it usually is.
There is a lot to learn and just about all of us have made mistakes, hopefully we learn from them! Trust me it really sucks when a boat stops dead for no reason, then you take the hatch off and the stinky smoke rolls out! Potentially it can take out the radio, motor, batteries and esc if it's a bad one!
At least with a name brand rtr you can be fairly sure your first run won't end up in a disaster, and as people above have said there are some basic changes you can make to get the most out of these boats. Many many people race them in stock form in "Spec class" racing, just a propeller change. If these boats were a "nightmare" spec racing wouldn't be one of, if not the most popular racing class. All of my boats now are running either the Geico motor or the Aquacraft UL-1 motor, three of them with the stock esc. Couple cats, a mono,couple hydros and a tunnel hull, soon to be building a spec rigger as well.
I also find the size to be ideal, big enough to handle a bit of rough water but small enough to "keep handy", I'm lucky enough to have a nice running spot less than a half mile from my house, it's nice to grab a boat and a few batteries and head out for 45 minutes or so after dinner. I generally keep one boat "on display" on the shelf in my living room. Grab it and I can be on the water in 5 minutes. Wouldn't be the same if I had to drag a big boat out of the basement, then drive to the normal running area.....

[JIM MARCUM]

jabomano, For a well made, very strong RTR first boat I would recommend the single motor version of the Apparition from Hobby King (USA). Great looks & quality hardware. I have the twin motor version & love it. But it will be a lot harder for me to install big motors (Leopard 30/40 series) and I have to buy twice as many props as I tweak it. I also have a 60 MPH+ modified Miss Geico. The Miss G is a great design (kudos Darin), and in stock form it's a lot of fun. But if you put in 4S2P and a bigger motor (ie: Leopard 4074) it won't survive 50/60+ MPH crashes. The Miss G's canopy & hatch seal are made of a cheap thermoplastic (should be made from lexan like rc car bodies) & will be the first things you break, even stock. The Apparition is 100% heavy duty fiberglass - and will survive survive high speed crashes better than any of the Chinese Pro Boat hulls. Pro Boats fiberglass is too thin, the seams are poorly designed & will split/crack even with 35 MPH crashes. I have several Aeromarine boats - THE standard for fast, srtong, well made hulls. The Apparition is the only Chinese boat I have seen that even comes close to matching Aeromarine's design, speed, strength & quality. It only costs around $200 & it's an ARTR, so you will still need to buy a radio system (FlySky 2.4G: $39, ESC (Turnigy/SeaKing 180A), Servo & LIPOS (Turnigy Nano Tec). DON'T buy cheap Chinese LIPOs like DragonRed. I bought a pile of them & they have only been a pain in the A$$. JIM
PS: Ignore the pic of the boat with the 5692 motor in it - that's my 58" Venom Segad & I don't know how to un-attach it.

[desmobob]

I'm a long-time RC'er who also decided to try RC boating this year. I did some reading and picked the ProBoat Mystic, and I'm completely happy with my choice! I've been running it all summer with no problems and lots of fast fun (41MPH with just a prop change; probably 39MPH bone stock). Two of my buddies were impressed enough when they saw it run to also buy Mystics, so now the three of us a have a ball racing at the lake.

Take it easy,
desmobob