Radio Controlled Boats - Types of Hulls
The next considerable decision is which kind of radio controlled boat hull to pick out. If your are planning a scale project, your choice will obviously be determined by the full-size vessel you want to model. But sport, racing and sailing craft hull types present very different personality. In general, there are two hull classifications: monoplane and hydroplane.
MONOPLANES Monoplane hulls have one continuous surface in contact with the water. Monoplane hulls can be separated into two subcategories: deep-V’s and shallow-V’s.
Deep-V’s. The majority monoplane hulls are deep-V’s. This typical layout brings the keel to a sharp point well below the surface of the water. The bottom of the boat is sloping upward steeply toward the hull’s sides, resulting in a radio controlled boat that knifes through the water with a comparatively large wetted surface area. This type of hull is stable at all speeds and provides sharper steering reaction. The downside is that the additional hull surface that contacts the water causes drag that restricts maximum speed. Still, with the right power system and proper tweaking, these radio controlled boats are plenty fast especially for beginners.
Shallow-V’s are the faster of the two monoplane types because they operate with a lesser amount of surface area in contact with the water. The shallower keel v’s-angle produces a flatter bottom that causes less friction. The downside is that less contact with the water means a reduced amount of stability, so they are more challenging to control and require more precise trimming. Shallow-vees are very common for entry-level racing, this type of radio controlled boat or the so-called Cracker boxes being the most common.
HYDROPLANES Hydroplanes possess more than 1 surface in contact with the water. They consist of tunnel hulls, catamarans, outriggers and stepped hydro’s.
Tunnel hulls are generally often associated with full-size racing boats. They get their name from the raised center part of the hull. 2 outer sections or sponsons sit in the water with a tunnel between them. As the boat gains momentum, air builds up in this tunnel and raises the boat higher out of the water. This reduces the surface area that contacts the water. This means less drag and higher speeds, while the relatively wide spacing of the sponsons maintains stability. This design provides a superior balance of speed and handling for beginners.
Catamarans (cats) work on the same principle as tunnel hulls and differ only in shape . They have more steeply angled sponsons much like deep-vee monos with a tunnel along the center. A cat’s tunnel tends to be taller and narrower than a tunnel hull’s, so it takes longer to preserve stability. These also, are a good beginner model.
Outriggers are at the pinnacle of the performance ladder; their sponsons and main hull are separate pieces. This improves the airflow at high speeds, so outriggers are the fastest radio controlled boats; some even run at more than 90 miles per hour! The downside is that they are intended to work best at full throttle. At slow speeds, they sit too low in the water and do not handle well. Moreover, they are the least forgiving when it comes to setting the trim.
Stepped hydroplane hulls contain notches perpendicular to the center line that part the wetted surface into two or more sections. These notches pick up the radio controlled boat up on step sooner, and that improves performance. At speed, these notches reduce the wetted area, reducing drag. This hull type includes a varied group, from plain deep-v’s with small steps in the hull, to three-point hydro racers such as the full-size Miss Budweiser turbine-powered, unlimited hydroplane. At full speed, 3-point hydro’s travel on two tiny areas of the forward sponsons and the centrally located propeller at the rear.
Any way you look at it radio controlled boats are a great way to spend a sunny afternoon. Take the time to enjoy the activity and spend time with your kids and friends.