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The Walkera 'Fly Boat'

The new Walkera Fly Boat is something spectacular and very different - a hybrid electric powered boat and airplane that really gets people's attention!

The Walkera Fly Boat



This sleek looking 'hydro-plane' is a long-awaited rc model that knocks the socks off anything else down at the pond.

Powered by a 180 brushless motor and Li-Po battery pack, the Fly Boat has more than enough power to outperform many other electric boats, and then just as you're beating them to the line you can pull back on the stick and up she goes - airborne! (You can also race the model over snow or short grass, rather like a hovercraft, which makes it even more appealing).
Once in the air, aileron / elevator mixing capabilities make the Fly Boat fully aerobatic.


The Walkera Fly Boat is an ARF kit and comes with everything needed to assemble the model, including (unlike true ARFs) the radio control system and all electronics and hardware.


Independent Fly Boat Review

Because the Fly Boat is such an unusual product, Roger from RC Discounts, who holds the Fly Boat in stock, couldn't resist getting his hands on one to provide some detailed info about the product.
Here's what he says:

"We've been getting a lot of interest and questions about the item so I decided to open one up myself in order to become better acquainted and able to share my personal experience with it.

It comes ARF (almost ready to fly) with all of the parts required including brushless motor, LiPo battery/charger, rubber cement, servos, screws, ailerons, etc. It also includes a few extra body parts, a spare propeller, and underside balsa batons for "future" reassembling if needed.

Please note: this is a kit. It is NOT fully assembled and ready to fly (RTF). You will need to have some basic model building skills to get it from "out of the box" to "on the water" but also know that this really is not a difficult assembly. Clean off a table or your workbench, put on your favorite music, and in about 2 hours you'll have a fully assembled Fly Boat.

The instructions were very basic (i.e. lame) and not really as detailed as I would've liked them to be. Especially with the aileron rod positioning on the upper and lower aileron flaps. The electronics were all in place but servos still needed glueing. The receiver is actually a Walkera 6 channel but with only 4 channels/3 servos in use. It took me about 2 hours of patience and common sense but I got it assembled and it looks like I did ok.

I tested the servos first and all worked. Then I tested the motor and it was reversed, so I swapped two of the three connectors and problem solved. They're interchangeable and also note that the electronics will cut off the LiPo when it runs down to a certain level as a safety feature for the battery. For those of you not familiar with LiPo batteries you do NOT want to run them down all the way like you would a nicad or nickel metal hydride (nmh).


The Trial Flight:

Went to a local "pond" that allows electrics and started just motoring the boat around on the water to get a feel for it. Moves fairly well but sort of different than an underwater prop driven boat which is something I had to get used to...fast. It almost seems like the motor and prop are the main event and the boat is just along for the ride. My first attempt at flying had the boat lift off and go almost straight up...so I kind of hovered forward a bit and brought it back down into the water tail end first. A few more tries and I was able to fly the length of the pond by leveling it off some more and land without any mishaps. Harder landings were ok as long as I kept the nose up.

Fortunately, my first trial flight went well and aside from being a bit nervous at first flying this contraption, it actually was pretty cool and a lot of fun. It certainly attracts a crowd!

Conclusion: this is definitely a "different" type of RC experience but it has its place. I'm looking forward to trying it on the snow. As for the Walkera Fly Boat brand, I really don't have anything else like it to compare it to but as far as quality goes, it passes with my approval and recommendation if you're looking to try a hydro foam type of design. I'm interested in hearing how others have faired as well flying these things.

For those of you who are interested, I'm going to post more detailed instructions for assembling this boat so feel free to print them out.


Thanks Roger!

The Walkera Fly Boat is now available from Roger at RC Discounts