Many people who are looking at the RC hobby for the first time may choose RC power boats as their first. There is a great diversity of RC watercraft out there to choose from. There are speed boats, ones that look and feel just like the hydroplanes you see on television; or if you are lucky, in real life. There are a number of different warships, some that are scaled down replicas of the real thing. In addition, there are also many different alternative boats, from jet skis, RC water cannons and even submarines.

The choices can be a little overwhelming when it comes to RC powerboats. There are electric RC watercraft, gas powered models and even high octane Nitro fuel powered boats. As a beginner to this exciting hobby, you may want to pick the fastest one you can, but this is not always a good idea. Here are some things that you need to know about RC boats, which may help you pick the right one for you as a beginner.

Yes, you can buy those super charged Nitro RC power boats, but there are some drawbacks for the beginner. These RC watercraft are cool to be sure, but there are a number of things involved. One of them is the fuel. Gas or Nitro fuel is expensive, can't be shipped through the mail and is also messy to try to put into the small tanks, especially for someone who may not be that familiar with the product. Sure, they make these boats go fast, some the equivalent of real boats, but for someone who is just starting out, they may be too fast. You really need to learn more about handling the controls, so you don't end up wrecking your boat the first time you put it in the water.

Another thing about fuel powered RC power boats is that they do emit a certain amount of pollution, and can leak fuel. There are many places that don't allow you to pilot gas powered RC watercraft, so this is something you definitely have to check out. While these boats may be fast, the drawback is they don't last very long on a fill up, and you keep having to refill the tanks every five minutes or so.

For beginners, there are electric RC power boats, and these are a much better choice. For one, they can be almost as fast as gas powered RC watercraft. They last longer on the water, because instead of a gas tank, they have a rechargeable battery pack. These batteries can be recharged over and over, saving you a lot of money. They can also be shipped through the mail. Battery packs on a full charge can last a half an hour, depending on how fast you go.

Electric RC power boats are much easier to deal with for beginners and they are much less expensive. A newby is going to probably go through at least one RC watercraft while they are practicing and not having to spend a lot of money up front makes more sense.  Many of these electric watercraft are RTR, or ready to run right out of the box, while many gas powered products have to be assembled first.