Gas RC boats - speed, power & economy!
The term 'gas rc boats' can cause some confusion because nitro rc boats (along with nitro rc airplanes and cars) are also commonly referred to as 'gas powered' when, technically speaking, they're nitromethane powered.
But a gasoline powered radio control boat such as the sleek looking ProBoat Shockwave 55, shown below, actually uses standard 2 stroke gasoline and has a similar design 2 stroke engine to those found in the 'weed-eater' garden tools such as edgers, blowers and trimmers.
These engines are typically around the 25cc size which, as you can imagine, provide plenty of power to push a model boat through the water!
The Shockwave 55 can be seen below:
See the Shockwave 55 in more detail.
Big is beautiful!
Gas rc boats like these obviously need to be quite a bit larger than nitro models because of the physical size of the engine. A fairly average length is around the 4 foot mark, and this size boat makes up the bulk of gas powered boats, whether general sport boats or racers.
This size boat is always guaranteed to turn heads at the local lake. The noise, smell and rooster tail - the water thrown up by the boat at speed - only adds to the realism, and the spectacle is improved greatly if there's any degree of chop on the water, so the boat is jumping!
Alongside the Shockwave 55, another nice gas rc boat example is the racing catamaran Blackjack 55, shown below...
Advantages of gasoline
Gas rc boats are probably more common than you might think and there are a few reasons why this is the case.
First and foremost, the running costs are a lot less for a gas boat than for a nitro model. Admittedly a gas rc boat hull will be more pricey to buy than a nitro one, but the engine will be much cheaper to run and maintain, particularly if you're not too fussed about upgrading it as much as possible! And the engines are readily available too.
They're cheaper to run because a typical weed-eater 2 stroke gasoline engine runs on a mixture of gasoline and oil which is a lot cheaper than nitro fuel specific to model nitro engines. You can fill up a 2 gallon fuel container for just a few bucks at the pump, but that same amount of nitro fuel from a hobby store is going to set you back considerably more.
Also, the engines used in such gas rc boats are really pretty simple things and nearly always have a simple recoil pull-start mechanism. This does away with all the accessories that a nitro rc boat needs to get started, such as glow plug igniter and charger, electric starter etc.
A 2 stroke gasoline engine modified for rc boat use can be seen below:
Reliability is also another factor to take into consideration; a larger gasoline engine revs lower than a small nitro motor so parts tend to last a bit longer, and if something does fall off then a replacement part is usually readily available from a decent motor spares / garden tool shop instead of having to order from a specialist hobby store, or the manufacturer.
Speed: gas vs. nitro
Nitro rc boats always seemed to have the edge over gasoline powered ones when it came to speed, but it seems that gas rc boats are now getting their own back. This is because it's getting easier to tune up or upgrade a simple gas engine and also the boat hulls are being manufactured to a higher 'racing' standard and design.
Gas rc boats that once struggled to reach 30mph because of their weight and clumsiness are now being raced around large lakes at speeds of 40, 50 or 60mph, with the fully race-tuned and equipped models reaching 90mph or more! That's a lot for a smaller nitro powered model to try and keep up with.
See the gas rc boats shown in more detail.
Related pages
Nitro rc boats - an overview of nitro (glow) powered boats.
Electric rc boats - the cheaper, quieter and cleaner alternative.
RC sailboats - if you're not bothered about a motor.
RC boat systems - info on radio gear used in all rc boats.
