RC Electric Boats – Guide for Successful Electric Boating

RC Electric BOATS

We are talking FAST Electric boats. That’s right fast! What is fast? Stay a while and find out, it won’t take long to get addicted.

RC Electric Boats – Outrigger Style Hull

NOTE: All info is for surface drive ONLY.

Building a FE (Fast Electric) boat from scratch is a very challenging goal. Reading through the several topic in this area of the site will better prepare you for a successful build. More focus will be on selecting the proper power system for your hull.

If you are a new boater to RC Electric Boats who has read all the pages in the Fast Electric section and are still having trouble selecting a Power system / setup or just want additional ideas, visit the RC Electric Boat Setup Calculator for additional guidance by clicking the image below. A complete list of all the topics covering Fast RC Electric Boats can be found further down in this page.

RC Electric Boat setup, power system calculator

RC Electric Boats setup, power system calculator

The biggest mistake a new FE boater can make when getting in to RC Electric Boats is choosing a power combination that is not properly matched. Now this is true for both modifying a Ready to Run hull or building a boat from scratch. In most cases this leads to excessive heat with in the system. Heat is electronics worst enemy, too much will certainly destroy any electrical component.

Over the last several years, the most difficult decision in choosing brushless power is KV selection. Please read through the Motor section to understand how this is done.

Also check out the RC Electric Boat Calculator for RC Electric Boats.

Fast for many people can vary greatly depending on skill level or even budget. But for most, fast generally means 30-60km/h minimum.

RC Electric Boats - Want Fast? Try the Traxxas Spartan!

RC Electric Boats – Want Fast? Try this! Only 80km/h IF you can handle it.

If you like what you read, or see yourself Piloting a ( Fast Electric ) RC Electric Boat, press one of the 3 buttons below and join the growing community. We need you!

Power System

POWER SYSTEM The 6 key components that make up a complete Power System in a FE hull are the following: 1) Hull 2) Cell Count 3) Motor 4) ESC 5) Prop 6) Hardware Once your hull is complete visit: Pre-Testing Operating Temperature If you read all the pages in the Fast Electric section and are still having trouble selecting a Power …

Fast Electric Boat Hull

There are several different Boat hull types available and a few of them are covered here. Each hull type has a different appearance and also performs differently than the next. The hull in general is selected out of personal preference based on appearance, speed and handling goals. The length of hull greatly effects speed, power …

Brushless Boat Motor

MOTOR To select the Brushless Boat Motor best suited for a hull it is important to know the hull size and amount of cells planned to be used. Size of hull will determine the size of motor needed to push the weight. Cell count will determine the wind (Kv) of motor needed. Hulls from 20”/55cm – …

Cell Count – LiPo Battery

The cell count of a boat is best selected depending on the total length of the hull. Following this general chart will determine a cell count for a specific hull length while providing best speed, performance and handling for the power. Hull Length LiPo Cells Min. Capacity / C Rating 20”-24” / 55cm-68.5cm 2 …

Boat ESC

ESC – Electronic Speed Control What is an ESC? An ESC regulates the power from the batteries to the motor. It must be properly selected in order to be able to handle the current draw demanded from the motor. How to Select a Boat ESC It is recommended to choose an ESC that will handle the current …

Boat Propeller

Visit the Propeller Database for an entire Prop List of available props from different manufactures. Terms Diameter – The diameter is the largest circle created by the tip of the blades in one revolution. Pitch Ratio – The ratio between the Pitch and Diameter. Pitch in general is always larger than the diameter. Pitch – …

Water Cooling

An important part of Radio Control Electric boating is keeping the equipment cool. Both the ESC and motor require water cooling in most cases in order to keep temperatures low. It is recommended to keep motor and ESC temperatures below 140F or 60C. This will ensure the components will not fail by excessive temperature. How …

First Run of your new Build

When the hull is finally completed with a well suited power system, it is very important to follow these next few steps. More often then not, the first run for any hull usually is not the best, as you may think. Taking the next couple minutes to read the rest of this page will become …

Operating Temperature

There are several reasons equipment may heat up, causing a high operating temperature. if this is the case here are possible causes. Too hot – greater than 140F/60C. Many times there may be more than one reason for over heated equipment. In this case choose the most logical fix. Motor – High Operating Temperature Possible …

Drive Hardware Setup

Stinger / Strut Outdrives The outdrives are the most important part of the drive hardware. There are two types of outdrives that are commonly found on RC boats. These include the Stinger outdrive and strut drive. Stinger drives are usually only found on mono hulls. They house the prop shaft completely from the transom to …

Drive Adjustments

Stinger / Strut Adjustments – Mono, Cat, Tunnel Hulls An important drive adjustment is changing the angle of the output for the stinger and strut will adjust the ride attitude of the hull. Angling the stinger/strut on a Monohull, Catamaran, Tunnel Hull so that the prop is now higher than previously(pointing towards the sky) will …

FE Boat Maintenance

Although (Fast Electric) FE boat maintenance appears to be minimal, there are still specific requirements that should be done following every run or every couple runs. The small amount of items to be covered should be performed every run or every other run. Drive Line Lubrication On each run, one of the more important things …