Rain and warmth starts new plant growth, and it gives us huge puddles of water to float our remote control boats. It's the time of year when weather turns from cold winter blasts to warm air. Falling snows leave us, and rain takes its place.
And those dry ditch beds fill to make perfect waters for racing events.
Across the back of my property, and along one side, is a drainage ditch. When the spring rains arrive that ditch fills. It helps move the water away from the area, and keep the neighborhood from flooding.
Under normal conditions water won’t stay long in that ditch because it moves quickly to the large culvert down the block. But lately neighbors don’t bother to clean the drainpipes that run under their driveways. Those pipes are full of junk, and all stopped up.
So the flow slows, the water backs up, and the ditch is soon full of water – close to overflowing.
Not a good thing for the neighborhood, but it gives me an extra place to play with RC boats. It’s deep enough that even the sailboats have depth for their keels.
The best thing about that ditch when it’s full of water is I have a 100-foot or so straight stretch to race on. And it’s wide enough that three racing boats can make side-by-side rooster tails as they speed from one end to the other.
When it comes to enjoying your remote control boats you have plenty of models to choose from. And each of those models has different missions.
What RC boat best suits your aqua preferences? Here are some models to choose from:
Racing boats
Sailing vessels
Cabin cruisers
Submarines
Amphibious craft
Military ships
Personal watercraft
Surfboards
RC racing boats come in many different styles. Choose from hydroplanes, boats designed for drag racing, sleek sailboats, and high-speed cabin cruisers. Most of the racing boats can run in shallow water. But you do need a good stretch to get them up to speed.
Sailing vessels come in various styles also. Single hulled sailboats don’t float well in puddles for the most part. Their keels require much deeper water than a puddle usually gives you. But the catamaran and trimaran style boats give you great sailing opportunities. For a depth that comes in between the needs of the single hull and the multi-hull try a three-masted schooner. A pirate ship brings you a different kind of adventure.
Cabin cruisers need deeper water than most racing boats, but not much. Take a short dinner cruise, or imagine yourself visiting those favorite ports of call.
Submarines operate better in fish aquariums, or in waters you build with Plexiglas walls. It’s tough to see the boat once it submerges if you don’t have clear water. The good thing about the submarine is that you can enjoy it all year long if you have an aquarium in your living room.
Amphibious craft operate on water, and on land. These come in hover craft models, tracked (tank-like) models that float when they enter the water, and even a solar powered model that lets you play in the sun with no need to stop for battery charging.
Stage battles on the water with a fleet of military ships. Build your fleet with an aircraft carrier escorted by destroyers.
Personal watercraft comes in the form of wave runners and surfboards. You don’t need deep water to run these models. And they don’t need large areas of water either. A personal watercraft gives you RC boat operating fun on most any body of water.
Sometimes we let the rains give us an excuse to stay indoors. But as RC hobbyists you have reasons for getting outside, and having fun.
Just find a puddle, and power up those remote control boats.
