wanted: Aquacraft Top Speed 2 comments

[Scott351]

Looking for pros & cons of the Aquacraft Top Speed 2 model
w/ the O.S. .21XM outboard...

1) durability?
2) top speed (stock configuration)?
3) stability in relatively smooth water?
4) any "must-have" upgrades? (cost?)

This boat would be used in "small" ponds on
calm days.

Thanks,
Scott

[Ron Olson]

1) It's fiberglass. That sounds dumb at first but the original Top Speed was very flexible plastic. The design wasn't that bad but you didn't want a boat the flexed.
2) Stock, it will do 35 with no sweat. Work on the setup with tiny changes at a time to see improved speed and handling. See #4.
3) It will run very well on smooth water. expect to see some bouncing as it gets up to speed, this is normal on some tunnel hulls as once it gets up to speed the boat rides on a cushion of air and will then settle down.
4) Most of the upgrades will be in the prop department. Find a prop that the boat likes. Next would be to get an aftermarket tuned pipe.

[Scott351]

Thanks for the reply. I guess I was overly optimistic...
I was hoping the top speed would be around 50mph
(especially with a $300 motor).

Anyone have recommendations for the best way to
hit 50mph w/o spending a fortune?


Thanks,
Scott

[Ron Olson]

With some tweaking you can see close to 50, all it takes is time, the right prop and a lot of fine tuning. Even at around 45 MPH it will be competitive. At 50 they start to get a little on the edge of control. Up the nitro to 65% and play with props to find one that the boat loves. An aftermarket tuned pipe will help also.
$300.00 is a bargain nowadays, it's a good thing that you're not going inboard or hydro racing or you'd really be in for sticker shock! This boat combo is a bargain for one that you can race.

[rcBPman]

If i could spend 300 on a boat and hit 50mph than i would not have spent over a grand in each one of my monos to get 45 to 50 mph with alot of tuning and many differnt pipe lengths and nitro% and props. You need to understand how the TS2 runs before you are thinking of getting to 50mph. With every new mph that you get out of the boat you will see the change in how the boat handles and thats when you start to change almost everything around. Have fun with the boat and learn from it. 50mph is fast but so isent 35+....

[Scott351]

I should've been more clear in my original post: I do
not own a Top Speed 2 yet. Any boat I buy will NOT
be used for racing. R/C boating isn't popular enough
in my area to support any kind of organized racing.
Well, I did check 3 years ago and the local pond held
3-4 races per year.

I have seen a Pro Boat Thundercat 31 & Shockwave 36
run 35+ mph ($350 RTR pricetag). The Dynamite engine
is $120, so I expected more from a boat with a $300
O.S. engine.

I was considering the Aquacraft V24 ($800) or the
Shockwave 55 ($1000) but their top speed was also
stated ~35mph! It seems there is no "cheap & easy"
way to hit 50mph?


Scott
36" ABC Hobby Super Hawaii
60" unknown catamaran with dual 30cc engines