5 Fastest RC Boats [Comparison Table]

If you haven’t stumbled upon our articles already, you’ll be surprised at the amount of content we have for RC boats. From affordable buying lists (such as RC boats under $300) to RC boats for beginners and so on… If you’re planning on buying one for yourself, we definitely have you covered. Today, though, we are having the fastest RC boats on our mind.

Something for all of you high-speed addicts desiring more raw power underneath the canopy. And while there are certain advantages and disadvantages to various types of fast RC boats, they are pretty much straightforward all the way. No need to worry – further explanations can be found in the FAQ section down below. For now, first, we’ll list out the models in the table below after which we’ll dig deeper and see what they’re all about!

 

Table: 5 Fastest RC boats

Image	Name	Speed	Range	Run Time	Best Offer
	5. Traxxas Blast	50mph	BVLOS	20min	See best offer
	Pro Boat Voracity	50mph	BVLOS	12min	See best offer
	Zoopa Thunder 800	50mph	BVLOS	15min	See best offer
	Traxxas Spartan	50mph	BVLOS	8min	See best offer
	Pro Boat Zelos	55mph	BVLOS	8min	See best offer

*BVLOS stands for Beyond Visible Line Of  Sight*

 

5. Traxxas Blast

Coming in at number 5, we have our first Traxxas model for today! This little bugger goes by the name Blast… and it really does provide with a blast… of family-friendly entertainment! It has everything it needs to be the perfect companion on your family trips down to the lake – it’s cheap, really fast, can’t hurt anyone and is a massive attention grabber.

So, if you like what you are seeing so far, make sure you stick around till the end to learn whether or not Traxxas Blast is worth the money!

Only 1 simple downside

Let’s start off with the biggest issue I have with Traxxas Blast. As a matter of fact, it’s not just me but the majority of people who already bought it… or are planning on doing so in the near future. You see, Traxxas Blast sports a pretty decent Nautica ESC… but with a huge twist – it doesn’t support LiPo batteries (or at least that’s what we think at the moment). Only NiMH are allowed here, and quite frankly, the stock battery isn’t half bad.

However, it doesn’t pack quite enough punch to give that juicy Stinger 540 motor a proper test. With that being said, you will only be able to achieve around 20 to 25mph top speeds with this one. On the bright side, these NiMH batteries offer up to 20 minutes of riding time which is a number you should be very happy with.

Value for money champion

Despite the lack of LiPo support with the stock ESC, Traxxas Blast still offers quite the blast for its price tag. In more simple terms – Traxxas Blast, with its great all-around performance, actually sits at the top of the food chain as far as value for money is concerned. I mean, it’s an AIO RTR package that comes with the well-known TQ transmitter+receiver combo so there shouldn’t really be any issues on that end.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention Traxxas Blast sports fully waterproof electronics too which is a nice finishing touch to an already amazing product.

 

 

4. Pro Boat Voracity Type E

We are going to continue this list with a very cool looking 36-inch RC boat model made by Pro Boat. There’s no introduction needed for these guys – they are one of the most respected brands in RC boat industry, known for making only the highest quality products.

The same goes for their Voracity Type E model. Not only is it beautiful but it performs absolutely amazing as well. Want to know what exactly am I talking about here? Well, here’s everything you need to know about this gorgeous little thing:

Traditional design

Voracity Type E by Pro Boat features a traditional speedster RC boat design but with some interesting material choices. First of all, they have decided to use lightweight fiberglass for the construction as well as some aluminum finishing touches for extra durability.

Twist latch canopy system is here too, becoming sort of like the trademark of all high-end Pro Boat models. It’s followed by completely waterproof electronics putting the end to accidental leak damage.

Crazy amount of power underneath the hud

Now that we got the design out of our way, it’s time to take a closer look underneath that pretty blue canopy. Well, well, well… what do we have here? If it isn’t a 1650Kv watercooled brushless motor supporting up to 6S LiPo power. Trust me – 6S is more than appropriate for an RC boat of this size.

In fact, once paired up with a powerful enough battery pack (actually, it runs best on 2x 3S LiPos containing cca 5000mAh), Pro Boat Voracity Type E can achieve up to 50mph top speed. Pretty sweet, huh? Even better – it rides great, with quick turns and buttery smooth transitions, making it among the most entertaining RC boats out there. Is it worth the money? Damn sure it is!

 

 

3. ACME Zoopa Thunder 800

Let’s start off by stating that ACME Zoopa Thunder 800 is an unknown name on the market… or at least it was in my case. I heard about this RC boat less than a month ago and weren’t overly impressed at the first glance.

However, once it actually arrived and I had the chance to test it out for myself… needless to say – I was blown away. Zoopa Thunder 800 is an absolute beast of a performer and surprised all of us with brilliant design, smooth maneuverability, and wicked top speed! Let’s learn more…

What a wonderful surprise…

Starting off with the actual performance, it needs to be said at the very start that Zoopa Thunder 800 delivers across all departments. Take its top speed as a reference point – with everything stock inside of it, this little bugger can achieve marvelous 50mph.

That’s faster than stock Traxxas Spartan which, quite honestly, doesn’t exactly have the best LiPo batteries out there. This one, on the other hand, sports 2x 5000mAh LiPos, capable of enduring up to 15 minutes of driving time. Keep in mind though – you won’t be getting anywhere near 15 minutes if you hit the pedal to the medal and rush to the top speed all the time.

A proper toy for the big boys

As far as water-cooling is concerned, both engine and ESC are water-cooled, preventing overheating and improving general performance under heavy loads. Additionally, Zoopa Thunder 800 features receiver + transmitter combination.

They communicate via 2.4Ghz frequency allowing for approximately 150 meters of seamless operating range. Last but not least – this thing freaking RIPS!!! It sticks to the water without any issues, even at full speed, and the sound its brushless motor makes while the throttle is pushed to the max is definitely something you must hear.

Maneuverability is great too and so is the driving curve! Finally, even though Zoopa Thunder 800 is primarily meant to be a high-speed toy for big boys… it’s actually so easy to control that kids can play with it as well…

 

 

2. Traxxas Spartan

Here is another one of Traxxas RC vehicles – the Spartan. They seem to be everywhere – we have already featured their drones (Aton and Alias), numerous RC cars… and now we are approaching their RC boats lineup as well.

After taking a closer look at Blast, a mid-range masterpiece with a dash of professional-level gear inside of it, now it’s time to take a look at the Spartan. I got only one thing to say about it before jumping into details – it’s not for the faint of heart!

High tier brand right here

It was already stated above that Traxxas is a well-known brand. In fact, they are well known for their ability to produce high-speed RC vehicles across all categories. And as far as their Traxxas Spartan model is concerned – they’ve done nothing wrong with it.

Waterproofed electronics – check! Removable power module – check! optimally designed deep-V hull – check! Powerful motor – check!  Traxxas Spartan is actually running a beefy Velineon 540XL brushless motor.

Put the stock battery aside as soon as you open the package because you will be needing a proper 6S LiPo pack instead… and by proper, I mean very high C rated pack! You can expect around 50mph on average with such a battery, much faster than the stock one that can produce cca 30mph.

Proven to work design

Traxxas RC vehicles are always all about speed, and it’s nothing different with their Spartan high-end RC boat either. A big part of this falls to the design. As you can see from the picture above, Traxxas Spartan narrow yet lengthy design with extremely aggressive edges.

It’s nothing new though – Traxxas Blast sports a relatively similar design which works amazingly well as far as developing fast speed goes. And, for God knows which consecutive time in this article already – if you are all about fast speeds, then Traxxas Spartan must seem rather interesting!

 

 

1. Pro Boat Zelos

For high-speed RC boat enthusiasts who have money burning in their pockets, Pro Boat Zelos is the obvious way to go. As a matter of fact, it’s an absolute champion as far as top speed is concerned, so if that’s the only thing you’re craving for, look no further!

However, even though high top speed is the key factor to this one, not everything revolves around it. In fact, Pro Boat Zelos has a great build quality and decent tracking as well, making it a great all-around RC boat to buy.

Lightning-fast speed

It’s only logical to start off with this beast’s specifications and the reasons behind its superb top speeds. Of course, Pro Boat Zelos is an electric RC boat and not a gas one. This means that it’s running on a powerful battery and coming equipped with a 1000Kv 6-pole water-cooled brushless motor.

As far as battery power is concerned, its internal circuitry, motor, and 160A ESC all support up to 8S LiPo battery packs. More precisely, Pro Boat Zelos works best with 2 x 4S batteries ranging anywhere from 4000 to 6000mAh.

Once you connect everything appropriately and you start pushing the throttle with 8S power onboard, your Pro Boat Zelos will be able to achieve approximately 55mph of top speed. Pretty sick, don’t you agree?

Catamaran design with a twist

If there’s one strangely surprising thing about Pro Boat Zelos, then it’s definitely the catamaran design. Usually, we don’t think of catamaran boats as the fastest ones out there. However, thanks to state of the art materials, impressive (to say the least) build quality nicely poised with twist-lock canopy and triple-layered fiberglass, Pro Boat Zelos is a true catamaran speedster.

Plus, it’s also noteworthy to add that its electronics are fully waterproof so there should be no worries as far as leaks are concerned. Overall, the price (honestly speaking here) might be just a bit too high for the average user. However, if you are not an average, then, by all means, go for it!

 

 

FAQ: Fastest RC boats on the market

With the actual list out of our way, let’s take a closer look at the most frequently asked questions as far as fast RC boats are concerned:

 

Can I drive these fast electric RC boats from my real boat?

If you’re the type of person who likes to play around with his RC boats while chilling on his own freakin boat… then I’m sure you will be more than happy to know that you can do that with each and every single one of the above-listed drones.

Do you want to know why? Well, for starters – they are all electric RC boats which mean you don’t need to mess around with gas. I take this for a fact because one of my friends actually managed to get oil stains on his Lolivul speedboat from his gas-guzzling RC beast.

Luckily though – these are all battery-powered boats. Simply connect the batteries, close everything up and throw them into the water. Once you’re done, you’ll either have to net it out or go up for a swim to get it back, depending on the size of your real boat.

 

Is there a lot of maintenance with RC boats?

As a matter of fact – there’s little to no maintenance as far as RC boasts are concerned. Gas RC boats, on the other hand, are a completely different story and will crave for your attention as much as they want.

The biggest issue with RC boat maintenance is remembering not to overcharge their Lipo batteries. Overcharging high C rated LiPo packs can be a potentially life-threatening danger so make sure you always charge them under supervision.

However, there are several other key factors to electric RC boat maintenance that you should definitely know more about:

 

Do all fast electric RC boats come as RTR?

Unfortunately, the majority of fast RC boats currently available on the market do not come in ready to ride packages. Most of the time, you will have to go get AA or AAA batteries for the transmitter. In addition to this, some of them will not come with LiPo (or NiMH) batteries so you will be forced to provide your own. Chargers are also scarce, which is why the advantage here heavily goes in the favor of seasoned RC enthusiasts.

Newcomers to the RC boat hobby – you will have lots of initial expenses but don’t let that drive you away!

 

Conclusion on Fastest RC boats

Extremely fast RC boats are now a thing. And by extreme, we are talking about 200mph world record breakers here. While such machines tend to cost considerable amounts of money, I highly doubt a lot of people will try to recreate them at their own expense. But that doesn’t mean you can’t experience the thrill of high-speed RC boats with a smaller budget! It’s quite the contrary – for roughly $300, you can get modest speedsters that can go close to 50mph. If you’re just in it for the thrills, stick with electric RC boats instead of gas ones. There’s no maintenance and it’s generally a lot easier learning curve to digest.

All in all, I hope you had fun reading about some of the fastest RC boats available on Amazon.

Thank you for sticking with us till the end!

Best of luck…

Vito Dronelli, Content Editor @DronesGlobe