This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Which RC boats are best?

Few people can afford a boat, but most people can afford an RC boat. These small remote or radio-controlled toys are a great way for kids, or just the young at heart, to captain their own vessel, even if the body of water in question is the family swimming pool.

There is an impressive range of RC boats on the market, with models for curious novices and serious enthusiasts alike. Our top pick, the Force 1 Velocity RC High Speed Racing Boat, is a great choice for both and can reach speeds of 20 mph. Whether you’re shopping for a child or for yourself, here’s what to consider when purchasing an RC boat.

What to know before you buy an RC boat

Sailboats vs. powerboats

There are two types of RC boats: Sailboats and powerboats. Sailboats have actual sails and rudders, just like a real boat. They are powered by the wind and closely mimic an authentic sailing experience, but might be less exciting for small kids or novice users. They definitely require a much bigger learning curve.

Powerboats run on battery power, although a few models use gas or nitro. There are powerboats that mimic sailboats but are easier to use if the wind doesn’t go your way. There are also powerboats built for racing and speed.

Hull shapes

Hull shape affects the performance of both boat types but is an especially important consideration for sailboats. Remember that the bigger the boat and the more intricate features it has, the more difficult it may be to store or clean properly.

Most RC boats are

iStockphoto / AppleZoomZoom

• An alligator took down a remote controlled boat in Florida after the RC toy got too close for comfort
• NHRA driver Alex Laughlin was in Gainesville, Florida for the Gatornationals race when the encounter occurred
• Read more ALLIGATORS stories here

Don’t mess with an alligator. It’s such a simple concept. Leave them be and we can all peacefully coexist. But if you try and feed the alligators, get too close, or bother them with remote-controlled boats then there will be problems.

Case in point, this guy drove his RC Boat under a fence and into a pond where the remote-controlled toy got too close to an alligator. The gator was having none of his shenanigans and put the boat to sleep with the quickness. And while this is on a micro-scale, it’s reminiscent of a mythological sea monster sinking a ship.

Alligator Sinks Remote Controlled Boat

This went down earlier this month in Gainesville, Florida, home of the Florida Gators. Coincidentally, it was a racecar driver (Alex Laughlin) who was driving the RC boat and he was in Gainesville for the Gatornationals race.

Here’s what NHRA driver Alex Laughlin’s Facebook caption (above) said, if that didn’t load for you:

Alex Laughlin: “ONE OF THE CRAZIEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE!!! It’s a Friday rainout here at the Gatornationals and my trip to Wally-World for the RC boats and rain boots made the day! There’s about a 5-6ft GATOR in the water beside our pit area where I was driving my sweet new ride.

Well… Mr. Gator decided to cruise over and EAT MY BOAT!!! It snagged it, looked me dead in the eye, and slowly lowered itself like a submarine, then about 10 seconds later the boat porpoised back to the surface! I drove the boat back to

This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Which RC boats are best?

Few people can afford a boat, but most people can afford an RC boat. These small remote or radio-controlled toys are a great way for kids, or just the young at heart, to captain their own vessel, even if the body of water in question is the family swimming pool.

There is an impressive range of RC boats on the market, with models for curious novices and serious enthusiasts alike. Our top pick, the Force 1 Velocity RC High Speed Racing Boat, is a great choice for both and can reach speeds of 20 mph. Whether you’re shopping for a child or for yourself, here’s what to consider when purchasing an RC boat.

What to know before you buy an RC boat

Sailboats vs. powerboats

There are two types of RC boats: Sailboats and powerboats. Sailboats have actual sails and rudders, just like a real boat. They are powered by the wind and closely mimic an authentic sailing experience, but might be less exciting for small kids or novice users. They definitely require a much bigger learning curve.

Powerboats run on battery power, although a few models use gas or nitro. There are powerboats that mimic sailboats but are easier to use if the wind doesn’t go your way. There are also powerboats built for racing and speed.

Hull shapes

Hull shape affects the performance of both boat types but is an especially important consideration for sailboats. Remember that the bigger the boat and the more intricate features it has, the more difficult it may be to store or clean properly.

Most RC boats are

Welcome to Time Machines, where we offer up a selection of mechanical oddities, milestone gadgets and unique inventions to test out your tech-history skills.

The military complex has certainly embraced the concept of telerobotics, especially in the use of drones, but luckily the technology has also led to other, more peaceful applications. Drones have been used to entertain, take on laborious tasks and even deliver packages (and burritos!). As we pursue the development of remotely controlled and autonomous craft, we must tread carefully or suffer the same fate as the fabled Icarus. Nikola Tesla saw both the terrible as well as the beneficial consequences for this technology when he debuted the “remote control” and the jury is still out as to whether we’ll succumb to a dystopian Terminator-style future or reach a peaceful stasis, where we harness the usefulness of robots and autonomous devices, and avoid the worst-case scenarios.

Nikola Tesla’s Remote Control Boat

Tesla once said, “The world moves slowly, and new truths are difficult to see.” It was his way of responding to the crowd’s stunned disbelief upon viewing his scientific wizardry at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 1898. Using a small, radio-transmitting control box, he was able to maneuver a tiny ship about a pool of water and even flash its running lights on and off, all without any visible connection between the boat and controller. Indeed few people at the time were aware that radio waves even existed and Tesla, an inventor often known to electrify the crowd with his creations, was pushing the boundaries yet again, with his remote-controlled vessel.

Tesla’s presentation, which was part of an Electrical Exhibition, was decried as magic by some, but it’s unsurprising that others would focus on its potential as a weapon. It wouldn’t be the first

Which RC boat is best?

Some say those who love the water and everything about it should have been born with gills. For those that fall under this banner but can’t afford the typically high cost of water sports or don’t have a large body of water available to them, an RC boat is a great gift.

The best RC boat is the Force1 Velocity RC High-Speed Racing Boat. This RC boat is the perfect watercraft for both entry-level interests and high-performance needs with an incredible top speed of 20 mph and a high durability and ease of control.

What to know before you buy an RC boat

Types of RC boats

Scale RC boats: This type of RC boat focuses on precise historical accuracy. They aren’t intended to be the fastest options available but to be the most impressive looking.

RC sailboats: This RC boat uses no fuel source of any kind, relying on their controllable sails, rudder and the wind. You’ll need to understand how sailboats use the wind to find success with these RC boats, but in return, they require much less maintenance.

RC powerboats: Think of a standard powerboat and you’ve got the picture for what RC powerboats are. Speedy and slim, there are two subcategories of RC powerboats: racing boats and sports boats. The racing boats are, as the name suggests, meant for high octane and often professional-grade racing. Sport boats are ideal if you’re looking for casual fun. They can be powered by one of several power types.

Power options

Batteries: Battery-powered RC boats are the easiest to maintain and use, and they’re very quiet as well. They can also be used indoors since they don’t give off fumes from burning fuel, but their batteries rarely last much longer than a few minutes.

Gas: