Gas powered RC boats info

Float Your Gas Powered RC Boats
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So, you've decided to get into
gas powered RC boats,

also known as Nitro boats.
They come in a variety of styles and configurations and many are scale models
of real vessels, including racing boats, military ships, aircraft carriers, etc.
The smaller, less expensive units travel around 20+ mph, and if you've got a
real "need for speed" then some of them can reach nearly 100 mph!

Of course you'll want to consider your time and your budget. You can buy simple
RTR (Ready-to-Run) plastic boats that take only a couple of hours to assemble
for under $200 dollars. And at the other extreme, 1/8 scale RC speed boats that
are race ready, like the famous "Miss Budwieser" costing nearly a thousand
dollars, can be viewed through our site too.

The following information should help answer some questions for you about these
radio control model boats.


HULLS:There are several different types or styles of gas powered RC boats hulls available and each style is offered in many different sizes, ranging from about 20" to 60". The different styles are:

1) Deep Vee (Mono Hull) - Top photo, the most popular and the best bet for the beginner. Widely manufactured as Inboards or Outboards for Nitro gas powered RC boats. They can handle rough water, turn sharply and are most forgiving to the driver. They also have the most drag.

2) Catamaran - The yellow boat, they are a nice blend between a Hydro and a Deep Vee as it can handle rough water but has less drag than a Deep Vee therefore able to go faster. Cat's also are manufactured as Inboards or Outboards.

3) Hydroplane - Hydroplanes or Tunnel Hulls, right, are the fastest radio control model boats on the water but require near perfect conditions or they will flip! With little or none of the boat in the water while running, these scale models have very low drag.

ENGINES: Most gas powered RC boats use a 2 or 4 stroke glow engine, sized specifically for that model. They range in displacement from .049 cu. in. to 1.2 cu. in. (80cc to 200cc). RC speed boats glow engines cannot be operated with the same gasoline youd use in your car because they require a special fuel called glow fuel (or Nitro fuel) which contains methanol as the base. Different amounts of nitromethane are added to increase the energy that the fuel can provide. Oil, pre-mixed into the fuel, lubricates and protects your tiny engine as it pounds out amazing power!

Two-Stroke means that the engine "fires" (ignites the fuel in its combustion chamber) with every revolution of the piston. Generally, theyre a good place for new gas powered RC boats modelers to start. Two-strokes are easier to operate, less vulnerable to problems if misused, and deliver more power for their size and weight.

Four-Stroke engines fire once with every two revolutions. They consume less fuel, sound more realistic, and provide more torque but cost more, are harder to adjust and require more maintenance.

Break in your Glow Plugs: The idea is to temper the tiny coil by heat and cooling 4 times. Take new glow plugs and ignite them with your glow starter for 10 seconds and then let cool. They'll last a lot longer and save you money

Fuel Nitro %: It is always a good idea to start at 20% Nitro fuel in your gas powered RC boats engine and work your way up if you need more power. 20% is very reliable in a boat and less temperamental.

Common radio frequency bands for radio control model boats are 27mhz and 75mhz as well as a series of individual frequencies available within each main band. The frequencies can be changed with "Crystals" The crystals are specific to each manufacturer and are sold in sets. The set contains one crystal for the Receiver (Rx) and one for the Transmitter (Tx) and you can not mix the Rx and the Tx crystals for radio control models.

Polishing a Prop: Sharpen the curved edges and only polish the front side. Leave the back side in the factory cast or "sand blasted" looking finish. This will help to push the water on your gas powered RC boats.

Rudders and Turn Fins: The parts in the water should have a very sharp leading edge and a flat back edge. This way the water does not try to "steer" the surface as it passes by! Get all the surfaces smooth (or polished) if at all possible.

Paint Colors: Try painting your RC speed boats Yellow or White, they are the MOST noticeable colors on the water.

Important Safety Precautions



Never operate your gas powered RC boats around swimmers.

Never operate them around real boats.

Never operate RC speed boats without some sort of retrieval system. Don't go in swimming to retrieve a boat in dangerous or frigid water.

Whenever operating any radio control model boats, including gas powered RC boats, the radio transmitter should be the first thing switched on (prior to switching on any receivers) and the last thing switched off.

Here are a few last-minute preparations:



If you're operating your boat in an area where there are other radio control model boats in operation, check your radio frequency. Make certain that you're not operating on a frequency that is already being used by another hobbyist.

Do a range check. To check your transmitter and radio controls and verify that they are operating correctly, have an assistant stand at a distance from the boat and turn on the radio transmitter. Make certain that the transmitter antenna is collapsed.

While your assistant works the controls, make certain that the servos are receiving a signal and operating properly. If you get a good signal during your test, with the antenna collapsed, you're not likely to get into problems when your gas powered RC boats are on the water.

I hope this information helps you in your decision making and above all...have fun!

Testimonials page

Customer Testimonials(continued from front page)
...give you a call.

You provided me with information and advice and there was never a sense of a salesman trying to get a sale no matter what, but rather a guy who loves RC planes simply wanting to help me. I realized that I was talking to someone who cares about customers, not easy to find any more.

Thanks for making my first RC experience go as smoothly and enjoyably as possible. You seem to have lots and lots of knowledge gained from first-hand experience in the field that you can pass on to a newbie like myself. You have patience and really listened to me, providing me with the best information and advice possible. Thanks for providing this customer with your many years of RC know how. This is something of great value to anyone interested in remote control hobbies.

Im glad to begin my RC hobby with Remote-Control-RC-Hobby rather than any other company, and look forward to continuing my business here Steve.

Thank you and take care,


Frank Dolansky Jackson, MS
dolansky@netzero.net

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December 6, 2004

Hi Steve

I would like to express my many thanks for the quick action you chose to resolve a problem with a R/C Rx that I had. It is obvious your website does not have a backburner for customer service and I would invite anyone to visit ( remote-control-rc-hobby ) for good advice, service, and honest pricing.

I am impressed with your - "people first, dollar second "- approach.

Fred Eshpeter
Minnedosa, Manitoba
eshpeter@mb.sympatico.ca

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April 9, 2004

Steve, got my new motors and heatsink in. Everything is running great again. I was a little rusty since i had not flown the heli in 3 weeks, but i was amazed at how well i did with it since it had been so long.

Being a nobie to the RC world, i knew absolutly nothing about general RC equipment and RC aircraft, i knew even less about RC heli's. Although it has always been a dream of mine to own one, I always thought it was either too expensive or too hard for someone like myself. Then when i met you Steve you walked me through everything and were very patient with me while i made my decision on which heli to buy. As you know, I ended up getting a GWS FEDA mini dragonfly and the price was unbelievable and you even included some extra's at no extra charge to me.

Steve you made a lifetime customer out of me. Thanks man!

Cary Jordan(Jacksonville, Fl)

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March 16/04

Dear Steve,

It's me again. This time I wanted to say THANK YOU for such excellent customer service and product support. As you know I was quite anxious to get my Tiger Moth in the air and flying. When I realized there was a small problem with the radio it took the wind out of my sails.

However, your professionalism and genuine concern for my problem put me at ease. You solved it and I am one very excited RC pilot. The Tiger Moth works great and I am beginning the fun but challenging game of getting and keeping the plane in the air (with no crashes yet!)


Once again, thank you. Remote Control RC Hobby is the place to go!

Kindest regards,


Frank

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March 03

Steve,

Just to let you know, although this hasn't been a perfect transaction, I really put that to the fault of UPS. The amount of support and ease of part replacement, not to mention the conversation with you easily ranks the overall experience as a definite positive on eBay, and I will post feedback accordingly once the complete transaction is done.

Bye for now,

Chris
chagen7@concentric.net

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Feb 13, 2004

Hello Steve,

Thank you once again for your email and newsletter.
I have problems reading your newsletter because I get excited and go from article to article and before I know it, its (oops!) 5 am. Gee, I think I better get to bed but really THANKS for cheering up my little life.

Kind Regards,

Gerry from Australia
--

GMCAuley

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December 2003

Steve,

Received the RC yacht in perfect condition -- 3000 miles and to East Coast & no problems. This was my first transaction on eBay and it was painless as well as rewarding. The RC boat is everything that was described in the ad and by the picture. Your follow up via email was great. Thanks again for a enjoyable purchase experience.

Regards,

Bill Kirkpatrick
West Chester, PA USA
610-347-0453 (work)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hello Steve: Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated your help and excellent customer service with my first eBay purchase through you. Being a novice at Internet purchases, you were so helpful and patient with all my questions. I was really impressed that all my emails were answered immediately and your information was clear and concise. I look forward to dealing with you again in the future and won't hesitate to pass your name onto my friends.

Thanks again, Barb Leach
Markham, Ontario

Radio control air planes info

Essential Radio Control Air Planes Parts
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A great way to become familiar with
radio control air planes

is to understand the parts that make up the control system. These parts include the transmitter, receiver, servos and battery pack. There are, of course, other parts involved in the airplanes flight, but these are the ones that make up the brains of your plane.

The
transmitter

is the control interface between the pilot and the radio control air planes. Transmitters can come in 2, 4 or 6 channels, and generally consist of two joysticks and various other switches and controls. The joysticks are used for left, right, up, and down controls, and the configuration depends on if the transmitter is a 2 or 4 channel radio. These joysticks on the transmitter can also be set up by the user, giving the pilot customized control over how the plane responds to the transmitter.

The transmitter sends signals as dictated by how the pilot moves the transmitter part positions, and these signals are picked up by a
receiver

which is integrated into the structure of the radio control air planes themselves The receiver takes this signal and transfers it to the
servos

which are also located on the plane. The motion of the servos is called proportional motion because the more a pilot moves a control, the more motion the servo responds with.

Servos are small electric motors with gears and the servos are connected to moveable parts of the radio control air planes. The receiver converts signals to the servo, and the servo converts this signal into motion by moving the part of the plane it is connected to. Rudder control, throttle control, landing gear you name it...if there is a servo involved the transmitter can be set up to control it!

All of this motion of the radio control air planes is dependent upon the

battery packs

used to make this transferring of signals happen. Battery packs are made of battery cells, the number of cells dictating the power output of the battery pack as a whole. The most common batteries are Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) and Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh), which are rechargeable and last through countless charges.

However, for the very best value and longest flight times be sure to have a look at the latest
lithium batteries.


So these parts...the transmitter, receiver, servos, and battery pack, make up the control system of your radio control air planes. No matter what else you spend your time and money on, its worth the effort to make sure this control system is adequate and functioning properly.

After all, it is this system that dictates how far you can fly and how much control you have over your plane when its in the air. Try to remember that it doesnt matter how fast a plane goes if the pilot isnt in complete control.