Best High Speed Brushless Catamarans/Hydro/Mono Hull RC Boat

CATAMARANS

As one of the oldest hull shapes, catamarans are great Racing niche in USA brushless rc boat racing and even larger niches in some other areas of the world. Using two hulls the catamaran design provides additional beam, increased tracking stability and, at the same time, increased speed due to 2 slim hulls with much less drag. Catamarans also generally require smaller motors to reach the same top speed than similarly sized monohulls. The catamaran hull is the most efficient power required vs top end of all the hull shapes. The main drawback to a catamaran is less usable inside volume than a monohull, so the engine compartment, battery storage and radio equipment are usually tight and wanting for more space. 

Benefits: Increased tracking stability, Increased top speed, less drag, Smaller motor requirements

Drawbacks: Very little room for electronics could leading to balance issues.

 

MONO HULLS (Deep V & Modified V)

DEEP-V HULLS

The opposite of a flat-bottom Hull is a deep-V Hull, which is wedge-shaped V from bow to stern. This provides the smoothest ride in rough water, because the hull cuts cleanly through waves rather than pounding against them like a flat bottom boat would, which is why this design is so popular for "offshore" style RC Racing Circuits. The biggest drawback would be reduced stability at low speeds, Deep-V hulls tend to Rock and Roll in choppy conditions when at low speed or at rest). In addition, because the deep-V has more drag than a flat-bottom, the deep-V hull requires more power to reach the same speed.

Benefits: Increased Stability in rough water, spacious compartment for electronics, easy balance tweaking

Drawbacks: Decreased Stability at low speed, Higher drag, Higher motor requirements

MODIFIED-V

Sometimes called a warped plane, this is the most common V-hull for RC Racing boats. The Modified V Hull combines some of the best characteristics of all the other Hull shapes. The flatter sections toward the stern increase speed and stability in both high and low speed like a flat-bottom Cat hull. The wedge-shaped forward hull cuts through Rougher waters like a traditional deep-V would and pushes the spray aside. The Kicker is, Like most compromises, a modified-V hull does not perform the best in any of the conditions, but it does provide an above average solution to most RC Boat Racing Water Conditions. The Modified V will be the best all use option whether you'll be racing across a smooth lake or Battling it out in "offshore" style choppy seas.

Benefits: Above AVG Stability in most all water conditions, spacious compartment for electronics, easy to balance, Great single boat solution for all your racing Needs

Drawbacks: Decreased Stability at low speed, Higher drag, Higher motor requirements

 

HYDROPLANE HULLS

Full Body Hydroplane Hulls look great as they dance across the water. If you like the look of hydroplane like miss geico, the budweiser, & the oberto, & enjoy that “on-the-edge feeling” a full body hydroplane just might be the right RC Boat for you. A key aspect of hydroplanes is that they use the water they are on for lift rather than buoyancy, as well as for propulsion and steering: when travelling at high speed water is forced downwards by the bottom of the boat's hull. The water therefore exerts an equal and opposite force upwards, lifting the vast majority of the hull out of the water. This process, happening at the surface of the water, is known as ‘planing’. RC Boat Racers call these hulls sport or scale hydroplanes and just as the name implies, they are full bodied like full-size UL-1 or limited hydroplanes. This type of boat rides on a cushion of air as well as compressing the water with its sponsons. One of the drawbacks with a full body RC hydro Boat is keeping it from blowing over and crashing. As a full body hydroplane hull builds speed it also packs more air under the hull. The faster the boat goes, the easier the boat can blow over. another draw back is that hydroplanes only turn well in one direction, usually clockwise in RC Boat Racing. 

Benefits: Extremely fast, Tracks well, Increased top speed, less drag, Smaller motor requirements, Aesthetically pleasing to watch in action

Drawbacks: Very little room for electronics, could be unstable at top end speeds, only turn well in one direction, most difficult to drive.

 

LIPO BATTERIES

Lipo batteries are used by many of the world’s top RC Boat Racers. They offer a serious competitive advantage. Lipo batteries do everything a Nimh battery can do, only more power,lighter,faster. Lipo Power for RC Racing is a leader in the RC Racing industry bringing all the benefits of lithium Polymer to a RC boats without all the headaches of conventional NiMH. Save weight, save space, go faster, go further with Lithium polymer LiPo Batteries in your boat.

RC BOAT PROPS

One of the most difficult tasks in Rc boating is selecting the perfect prop! Propellers come in many different materials, like Plastic, Aluminum, Carbon Fiber, Beryllium Copper, and Stainless Steel. The hardness with plastic bieng the softest and stainless bieng the hardest varies based on materal of the prop. The best performance will be from a perfectly balanced and sharpened Beryllium Copper or Stainless Steel prop. but that comes with much more cost. Most copper and Stianless props come as castings and need to be filed, sharpened & balanced. For the best "bang for the buck" and no work balancing & sharpening, look for Carbon Fiber Propellers. They are great for Sport running. As for the Veteran racer, when searching for the perfect prop we need to balance three important factors: Top Speed, Heat buildup in Batteries, Motor & ESC (electronic speed control) power ratiros and the ability for your hull to get up on plane. Always start out with a smaller prop and work up to the optimum size. Never put to large of a prop an electric boat first. This will lead to burnt up ESC, Motor or Batteries. Bigger is not better in every case, this is particularly true in high RPM motors. To run at their best efficiency they need to spin fast. Too large of a prop will not allow the prop to reach its best RPM efficiency range and will cause heat build up in the ESC, Motor or Batteries.