GET WET MICRO BOAT GUIDE

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MANUFACTURER: HobbyZone

 

DISTRIBUTOR: Horizon

 

Hobby Inc.

 

MODEL: Zig Zag Racer

 

BEST BUYER: anyone; beginners

 

to experienced boaters

 

LENGTH: 15 in. (381mm)

 

WIDTH: 5.75 in. (146mm)

 

WEIGHT: 16 oz. (454g)

 

POWER: 380 electric motor with a

 

6-cell NiMH rechargeable battery

 

pack

 

RUN TIME: 10 to 15 min.

 

PRICE: $79.99

 

HORIZON HOBBY INC.

 

(800) 338-4639; horizonhobby.com.

HobbyZone Zig Zag Racer

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MANUFACTURER: Megatech

MODEL: H2O

BEST BUYER: Those who are looking for the ultimate in small-space maneuverability

LENGTH: 9 in. (229mm)

WIDTH: 4.75 in. (121mm)

WEIGHT: 9 oz. (255g)

POWER: 280 electric motor with a

5-cell NiMH rechargeable battery pack

RUN TIME: 15 or more min.

PRICE: $99.99

MEGATECH (201) 662-2800; megatech.com.

Megatech H2O

Easy fun is the name of the game with HobbyZone’s Zig Zag. If you can master inserting AA batteries into the included radio and plugging the included power-pack charger into the wall, you’ve handled the technical aspects. Now, all you have to do is drive! Don’t worry if you’re new to RC boating because the Zig Zag is darn near impossible to sink. If you flip it, the self-righting-hull almost always rolls upright in a sec- ond or two. The electronics are well sealed against water, so there’s no need to worry that a short will shorten your day.

72 The hull is made of rugged plastic, so the occasional collision

minisµs

between enthusiastic racers won’t pose a problem. The 380

motor has plenty of power for a boat this size, and we were

 

 

surprised just how quick these little suckers are.

 

The Zig Zag comes with three floating buoy balls so you

 

can set up a racecourse, and there’s even a bumper attach-

 

ment for buoy retrieval. If you detach a buoy’s anchor weight,

 

you and a few other Zig Zags can use it to play water soccer.

 

The boat comes with a wall charger and one battery pack;

 

extras are available from the manufacturer.

WATER LOG

These little boats are defi- nitely big fun! They are fast, nimble and very durable. On smooth water, the boat is foolproof; it rides super-flat, and you couldn’t flip it if you

tried. On rough water, it is even more fun as it bounces and skips along. You don’t have to worry about wiping out; if the boat takes a tumble, just wait a second for it to roll over, nail the throttle and you’re off again.

It steers so easily that someone who hasn’t ever driven an RC boat can pick up the technique in only a minute or two. The throttle is fully proportional, so you can go as fast or as slowly as you like; remember, though, that at slow speeds the rudder doesn’t have as much water flowing over it, so the response will be softer. Overall, the Zig Zag offers a lot of fun in a small, affordable package.

COOL FACTOR

min.

max.

PERFORMANCE min.

max.

SKILL LEVEL

everyone intermediate advanced

Now we’re talking micro! This little race vee-hull is only 9 inches long, although when you add in the length of the rudder, it ends up being slightly more than 10 inches. The H2O’s deck styling is more advanced than you’ll find on some of the other micro boats, and underneath that deck is a truly innovative way to seal it from leaks. The deck pops off to reveal a fully enclosed main hull; access to the internals is through a hatch that clips on much as the lid on a plastic butter tub does. This is a very simple, effective and reliable way to keep water away from the elec- tronics. If water does find its way into the hull, the radio and the speed control (both included and installed) are also individually encased in waterproof jackets.

The H2O relies on a 280 motor and a 5-cell battery for power. This is smaller than the power systems in the other micros, but since the H2O weighs less, it really doesn’t suffer in the performance category. In terms of handling, the H2O has a leg up; its rudder is substantially larger than those used in the others, and it is the only micro boat that features adjustable trim tabs.

WATER LOG

Looking at the size of the H2O, I was afraid it would be at a serious dis- advantage in performance. Boy, was I wrong; this little bad boy hauls! It lags behind the others slightly at the top end, but its compact size and crisp handling allow it to make up ground in the corners. It bounds over waves; watching it climb and then plummet off 18-inch wakes is hilarious, and not once did it seem in danger of capsizing. It looks cool, too, and the little battery will run all day. If you have a small pool, or if you just like the idea of a runt that can run with the big dogs, this is the pick of the litter!

COOL FACTOR

min.

max.

PERFORMANCE min.

max.

SKILL LEVEL

everyone intermediate advanced

73

winter 2003

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MANUFACTURER: Ace Hobby Distributors Inc.

MODEL: Sport Cruiser

BEST BUYER: beginners who are looking for a stylish cruiser for pond or pool

LENGTH: 14.75 in. (375mm)

WIDTH: 5.75 in. (146mm)

WEIGHT: 16 oz. (454g)

POWER: electric motor with a

6-cell rechargeable battery pack RUN TIME: 10 to 15 min.

PRICE: $79.99

ACE HOBBY DISTRIBUTORS INC.

(949) 838-0088; acehobby.com.

Ace Sport Cruiser

As you can tell from the photos, the Sport Cruiser is definitely the beauty queen of the bunch. Its vacuum-formed deck allowed Ace to work a lot of realistic detail into the design. Equally impressive is the equipment layout; all of the running gear is securely anchored in a molded interior and sealed against water. A nice touch for first-time boaters is the battery setup; the Sport Cruiser comes with a 6-cell rechargeable battery, but a battery adapter tray is also included so that owners without a charger can run their boats on 6, conventional AA alkaline batteries. The top deck is held by two screws and features a rubber on/off switch that protrudes through the deck. This allows the Sport Cruiser to be turned off without removing the deck; it’s a feature that none of the other minis offer, but all manufacturers should take heed.

The Sport Cruiser’s control system is less sophisticated than those on the other mini boats, and that somewhat limits its performance. Neither the throttle nor the rudder is proportional; the throttle is either full on or off, and the rudder is either full right, full left or straight. This makes precision driving quite challenging. The Sport Cruiser does have reverse though, and it’s the only mini boat that does. This greatly improves its maneuverability in tight spaces such as swimming pools.

WATER LOG

The Sport Cruiser’s emphasis is definitely on cruising. It trundles along at a walking pace; it doesn’t compete with the others in top speed. Turns are plenty sharp; since the rudder angle is all or nothing, you have to pulse the steer- ing input if you want a wider arc. The Sport Cruiser sits down in the water like a real boat and bobs and rolls with the current. This is fun to watch, and at the speeds the Sport Cruiser travels, it doesn’t present a danger of flipping over. This would be a good choice for younger boaters and for those who value style and building-quality over all-out speed.

COOL FACTOR

min.

max.

PERFORMANCE min.

max.

SKILL LEVEL

everyone intermediate advanced

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MegaTech H20 manual HobbyZone Zig Zag Racer, Megatech H2O, Ace Sport Cruiser