Making a Radio Controlled Boat

For some reason, being able to control a miniature boat as it skims over the water of a local lake is something that many people find very appealing. It doesn’t matter whether you are a kid or an adult; remote controlled boats are universally fun. On top of that, nothing is more fun than undergoing a huge and daunting project, and eventually seeing the results come through. Therefore you should consider building a remote controlled boat on your own, out of materials that you can buy from any local craft or hobby store. If you are here, you have likely already considered this prospect. It is more than possible, and probably easier than you would think.

Since you have taken the more interesting route and decided to build your remote controlled boat rather than buy one pre-made, you will have quite a few more challenges facing you that you wouldn’t have run into otherwise. However, all of the hard work that you put into your remote controlled boat will pay off in the end, and you will feel like you have really accomplished something when you take it out to a lake for a day and it is able to successfully navigate the treacherous waters. You will probably be frustrated along the way as your boat falls apart, or even sinks into the water never to be seen again. However, if you persevere you will be glad that you did.

Unless you have experience in the construction of boats, you will probably want to use plans that someone else has created. You can find plans for remote control boats all over the place – on the internet, in magazines, or in books. You may even use the plans for a full-sized boat, and make a scaled model of it. As long as you are confident that the motor and radio components will not interfere, this is a good route to take. Regardless of where you get your plan, you will need one that is utterly clear in every aspect. Even the slightest typo or misreading could result in your boat sinking, or spinning in circles struggling to stay afloat.

As you build the boat, you will need quite a few supplies, first, the wood is a very important part. If you are using custom plans, wood is probably the material you will be working with. You can find quantities of light wood such as balsa at your local hobby store. You should always get extra, since a wood that light is prone to snapping when you least expect it. The wood is held together using glue, and you will start with a hull-shaped structure then plate it with sheets of wood. After it is all done, you caulk the holes and cracks with some sort of putty, then spray it all with a sealant to make it waterproof. After that, you are free to paint it however you see fit.

The motor equipment on a radio controlled boat must have more attention paid to it than other remote controlled projects like cars or planes. If even one droplet of water gets into the electrical components, your entire project will be ruined, and you will have to buy new (possibly expensive) radio equipment. Waterproofing the motor equipment is fairly difficult, and you should always test it with no electricity involved before you actually go out on your maiden voyage. It is usually accomplished by having the motor extend an arm through a waterproof sealant that will prevent any water from getting in.

There are many parts to the process of creating a radio controlled boat, and each one needs to have close attention paid to it. As long as you can invest this time, you should have a great experience. You don’t want the little sailors in your boat frantically tossing things overboard as they try to stay afloat, do you?

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