The Best RC Boat, for Beginners and Serious Hobbyists (Kids & Adults)

While everyone is going on about flying RC drones, those of us who enjoy the wetter things in life spend our time nailing across lakes and ponds with our awesome RC boats.

If you’ve been looking on with envy as people have fun from the shore, here’s your chance to pick the best remote control boat for you!

RC Boat Guide

Personally, there are few things I love more than radio-controlled toys.

For me, it all started with radio-controlled helicopters and, more recently, multi-rotor drones. RC cars are also still massively popular, with dedicated tracks and competitions all over the world. This means we can all be forgiven for overlooking the slightly less mainstream world of RC boats.

Yet, that would be a pretty big mistake. It turns out that RC boats, especially in the modern age, are incredible little machines that can both teach you a lot about full-sized boating and be an absolute hoot by themselves.

So let’s take a closer look at this fascinating hobby and go over the most important things you need to know when first starting out. You don’t even have to know anything about RC boats or even RC toys in general to benefit from this guide.

Although it’s common to say you have a remote control boat, “RC” is actually short for radio-controlled. It basically means that a machine receives commands wirelessly using radio waves. This is as opposed to having a long wire attached, or using another wireless medium such as infrared light.

In the past, most RC technology was analog. These days, however, your RC toy will almost certainly use some form of digital radio. Usually on the 2.4GHz band.

An RC system consists of two different main components. On the one hand (actually in your hands) is the radio controller. This is how you send commands to the RC boat, which is, of course, the other component.

The RC boat has a receiver that relays radio commands to the controller electronics of the device. That controller board operates the various motors, servos, and other components that make the craft steer and move.

What’s So Great About RC Boating?

There are lots of different hobbies you could be spending your free time on, even just when it comes to things that happen in and around the water. So why should you invest in RC boating? Obviously, if you clicked on this article you’re thinking about this already, but let’s try to get at the best arguments in favor of becoming an RC boat fanatic.

First of all, the RC boating community is a major reason to get into the hobby. There are thousands of people worldwide who love RC boats and would be happy to teach you everything you need to know – both in real life and on the internet.

Also, have you seen how much a boat costs? Owning and operating any sort of full-sized boat is expensive, especially when it comes to the really exciting power and speed boats. While the best high-end RC boats aren’t exactly cheap, most people who get into the hobby can afford to eventually own a variety of designs and have fun learning how to operate an assortment of RC boats.

Another second major point in favor of RC boating is that it’s pretty safe, at least compared to actually going out on a boat. Unless something goes wrong and you have to retrieve your remote controlled boat, you aren’t getting in the water yourself.

Last, RC boating is a hobby you can engage in away from the water as well. Whether you are modeling or building your own boats or maintaining your store-bought units, there’s always something that can occupy your time.

Hull Styles

So now that you’ve decided you want an RC boat (you have, haven’t you?), the first thing we should talk about is the hull style.

Just as with full-scale boats, there are various hull styles for RC boats. This impacts how the boat handles, how advanced the pilot has to be, and how fast the boat goes. There is no “best” hull design; each comes with its own pros and cons.

The V-shaped monohull is probably the best choice for first-timers, and is the most common hull style you’re likely to see out on the water. It’s also the type we reviewed the most (see our reviews above).

The single hull with V-shape cuts deeply into the water. The more of the hull that’s in contact with the water, the more resistance the boat meets. However, this is a stable design that handles well in almost any body of water. It does have the edge in rough water.

The hydroplane hull style may be familiar to you if you’ve ever watched powerboat racing on TV. This hull design is fast. At speed, the bulk of the hull doesn’t rest in the water. It’s supported by lift rather than buoyancy. Once the boat gets up to speed, the hull pushes down on the water surface, which pushes back in equal measure.

The boat “planes” across the water, which makes immense speeds possible. This is the same thing that happens when cars hit puddles of water at speed and then lose their grip, except here we want that to happen.

Hydroplane RC boats look like they would be perfect for Batman, but they are not for the faint of heart. They also work best on calm waters such as lakes – not a boat to take out in the rough.

Catamarans usually have two hulls connected by a bridge. This design makes for a fast boat that turns easily. They also work pretty well on choppy water, but they have a tendency to blow over and capsize. So conditions involving strong winds should be avoided.

Hull Materials

Another thing that full-scale boats and RC boats have in common is the variety of hull materials you can choose from. This affects the weight of the boat, how strong it is, and (of course) its price.

The most common hull material for remote control boats is ABS plastic, which is cheap, light, and durable. Plastic is a fantastic choice from a functionalist perspective. The main downside to this is aesthetics. These boats can look and feel cheap. So for those who really care about the modeling or aesthetic aspect of RC boating, there are better choices.

Fiberglass is a popular material for full-scale boats as well, and it offers a fantastic paint finish. Unlike ABS plastic, you can fix fiberglass damage. Fiberglass also comes in a variety of thicknesses and flexibilities tailored to different boat designs and purposes. It’s a good choice for Nitro or gasoline boats as well – it’s not bothered by fuel spills, unlike plastic, which can be damaged by it.

Carbon fiber is the most premium material an RC boat can currently be made from. Just as with supercars and other high-performance vehicles, carbon fiber RC boats are incredibly light and strong. Which makes it perfect for high-end racing boats. Sadly, despite being so expensive, if your carbon fiber hull is damaged there’s no way to fix it.

Power Trains

Regardless of what hull type or material you choose, you still need some sort of power source in order to make the boat go anywhere. There are a number of choices when it comes to how your RC boat gets its juice, and we’ll cover all the main choices right now.

The first is electric power. Just as with other remote control vehicles, electric power has started to dominate the RC boat world. New battery technology and powerful motors mean that the fastest boats on the water are all electric. On top of this, electric boats can be run in reverse, they happen to be super easy to maintain, and they’re the most affordable option.

Sounds perfect, right? Well, you really need to make sure your boat’s waterproofing integrity is always perfect. And even the best batteries still can’t keep these guys out on the water for long, so you’ll have to bring your electric boat in often for a swap. The battery life is usually just 10-15 minutes.

Next up we have the nitro engine RC boats. Nitro is a methanol-based fuel, and the proper term for the engines that use them are RC “glow” engines.

Unlike silent electric boats, nitro boats scream across the water, belching smoke. It’s realistic, sounds awesome, and can match electric boats in terms of peak power output, if not in instant torque. Since the fuel is much more energy-dense than lithium batteries, these are the best RC boats to stay out in the water for a longer time.

However, they are more prone to failure, so you need to have a retrieval plan. They also need cooling, and most cooling systems only work properly while the boat is speeding along. Leave them idling and the boat could overheat. You also need to source and store the Nitro fuel, perform much more maintenance, and deal with the relatively messy nature of this fuel source versus electric battery power.

Gasoline engines, of course, share many of the same pros and cons that come with Nitro motors. These boats also get expensive fast as you scale the power and speed.

Gasoline engines are less finicky to dial in than nitro engines and, of course, finding gasoline is much easier than finding Nitro, which you can get only at specialist shops.

The last power option is the cleanest of all – RC sailboats. While these boats are radio-controlled, you only use battery power to operate the sails and rudder. The actual motive force comes from the wind.

These boats take quite a lot of skill to operate, but are graceful, quiet, and can be used on small bodies of water, such as in parks, without people complaining about the noise or smell.

This is Just the Beginning

What you’ve just read above is the bare minimum of information you need to know to get started in this hobby. The good news is that, while not as simple as RC cars, RC boats are much easier to get into than RC planes or helicopters.

There is a lot more ground to cover before you really get into the hobby. For example, saltwater requires special cleaning of your boat and careful checking for corrosion-related damage. There are also considerations to make when choosing rivers, lakes, or ponds for your RC boating.

The simplest way to get started is to buy an affordable pre-built RC boat like the ones we reviewed at the beginning of this page, and put it on the water. Really, there’s never been a better time to buy a captain’s hat and go stand next to the water with all the other remote control seamen.