Newbie question - How long is re-charge time?

[777]

I have been lurking around here for a bit and am ready to ask some questions. I am considering a boat, and since I'm a beginner, I have considered electric.

I understand that run time is roughly 7-10 mins., but how long is re-charge time? That could be a factor in whether I decide to go with electric.

Please let this newbie know which way you think that I should go & offer me any newbie advice that you think is important.

Thanks!

[RickE]

It will vary due to what sub-c cell pack your using (they run from 1400 to 3000 MaH) but on average the charging time will be between 20-30 minutes. What most boaters do is have a couple of extra packs and rotate them in the boat to allow the just-run ones to cool-down before recharging them.

RickE

[777]

Thanks for the reply, RickE. Okay, so about having one in the boat, one cooling, and one re-charging. That way you could rotate them, only having to stop long enough to change them out. Does that sound feasible?

How expensive are these packs?

Thanks again.

[RickE]

From a low of 14.95 up to almost 100.00 bucks for a six-cell pack madeup from unmatched cells to high-output matched ones. On average, a good sport-type, 2000-2400 MaH pack will do for fun running and you can pickup most brands of these packs from Tower for around 34.95 or less.

Your idea for rotating three packs sounds excellent. Some boaters even use fans or place the warm packs in small ice coolers to cool them before recharging, as heat is the number one killer of battery packs.

RickE

[777]

Thanks again, RickE!

I am looking at starting at the bargain end of the scale with something like the Traxxas Blast. That way I can learn & grow before I ramp it up and start spending the family's retirement fund as I have with my other hobbies.

Is the Traxxas Blast considered a good beginner boat? Are there others that should be considered?

Thanks again.

[RickE]

Yup, the Traxxas Blast is a good starter's boat as it comes pre-assembled and uses a regular six-cell battery pack for power. the only other RTR I can think of is the ProBoat ShockWave 26 electric boat, which is sold through Horizon Hobby, Inc. There's a review of this monohull in the new issue of RC Boat Modeler Magazine-you might also find the story on their website as well. It's also ready to run, plus it comes with a JR pistol radio that many like better over the stick unit with the Blast.

RickE

[MoPower]

If you're concrened about money, the most inexpensive RTR boat I've seen is the GP Marine's Wave Rocket RTR. (saw it in tower) It is fully assembled and includes an ESC and radio installed. Uses a 6-7 cell batt.

It's $99.99

Good Luck!!

[777]

I found the Shockwave http://www.horizonhobby.com/products/description.asp?prod=PRB2150 and it does sound pretty good!

However I'm having difficulty finding the GP Marine's Wave Rocket.

Does anyone know how either of these compare to the Blast?

Thanks for your help, guys.

[MoPower]

Sorry about that... I saw the Wave Rocket boat in tower's flyer, but I do NOT see it on their web site.

my bad...