SYMA Remote Control Boat, Q7 RC Boats for Adults and Kids, 20+ km/h 2.4GHz Fast Racing Boat for Pools and Lakes with Capsize Recovery, Low Battery Alarm, 2 Rechargeable Battery, Gifts for Boys Girls

This boat gives a good first impression when opening the package; the very first thing I noticed is that the designs on the boat are not sticker decals, they’re part of the paint job, so there’s no worry of them coming off in the water. The boat itself is a good size, not too big, not too small. The way the top pieces, which are the access to the battery compartment, attach and detach is pretty quick and easy while still feeling secure, and they are probably 99.99% water tight. The first time pegging the throttle control brings a smile and a laugh, because this thing is FAST! To use it in a pool would deny you the fun of its speed and maneuverability (unless it’s an Olympic-sized pool). The first time out I ran it in a canal...it was too narrow to really open up the throttle, and there were too many weeds (I know, because I managed to find ALL of them). Next time out, I ran it in a small lake, which was a blast. It’s able to make tight enough turns to create disturbed water, then take a wide circle to jump over the wake you created. The range of the controller communication is impressive; I drove it far enough away that I felt the need to turn it around because I was having trouble seeing it. It kicks up a ‘rooster tail’ off the back end, so that does help keep sight of it.The capsize recovery is a very nice feature, especially considering the range that this has. When I read about the capsize recovery, I was concerned that it may capsize easily, fearing this was why the creators added this feature. Quite the contrary! I tried to get it to capsize, turning it violently every which way attempting to force a flip, even getting some good wake jumps and landing into a hairpin turn, but I was completely unable to get it to overturn. I’m sure there are scenarios in which a capsize could happen, but under operating conditions where the boat itself is the only thing involved, capsizing would be highly unlikely. To test the capsize recovery feature, I placed the boat upside down in the water. The recover seems to be based on the torque of the motor partnered with the bottom-heavy buoyancy of the hull; it rocks back and forth a couple times before suddenly righting itself (and taking off like a shot, since you’re pegging the throttle as part of the capsize recovery). This is done manually on the controls by the user, so there is a very slight learning curve to get it to work, but it is very easily mastered and highly effective.The boat has ‘reverse’, but I wouldn’t call it that...it’s more of an ‘untangle’ than a means to travel backward. It will go backward, but not with any speed, not at all straight, and with minimal directional control. It is useful for getting things, like weeds, to dislodge from the prop, though. The steering linkage can connect to the rudder through a 9 hole grid plate, so you can have three levels of steering tightness, and three positions to offset a tendency for listing. After the first run with it connected to the center, where it was connected from the factory, I connected it to the tightest steering, which made it feel like it turned on a dime. There are also trim controls to counteract listing, which is a great thing to have since the boat does have quite a heavy list, I believe due to the prop being off-center from the rudder and/or the centrifugal force of the motor and propeller shaft influencing the direction of travel. A quick few taps of the trim controls get the listing leveled off and you’re good to go.Battery life is satisfactory, and since this comes with two batteries, it’s a good amount of drive time in total. The batteries are a bit odd, in that there are two connectors coming off of them: one for connection to the boat for operation, another for charging. This isn’t a big deal, but it does mean that you have a loose connector coming off the battery in the battery compartment during operation, and the shaft is within range of those wires, so the connector is capable of hitting the shaft if you don’t tuck it in such a way that it stays away from it. Not a big deal, but still an opportunity for human error to cause an issue. I had no problems with this while operating.All in all, I really like this RC boat. Its speed is just on the right side of the line between ‘fun fast’ and ‘too fast to control’. The controls are responsive, comfortable and easy to get the hang of. The boat is fun to drive, and is sharp looking.Pros: Speed, range, stability, control, anti-capsize, adjustability (trim, steering), battery lifeCons: Reverse, listing, need a larger body of water to fully enjoy

The media could not be loaded.  I became obsessed with RC toys after flying one of the SYMA drones. I though I’d like to take my newfound passion of remote control recreation to the local lake. I decided to go to a park where RC boat enthusiasts race their pro model boats so I could get guidance if I needed it. Well, I didn’t need it because this boat is as intuitive as an iPhone. The one thing I would caution is that if you like to “test” things before you get in your car and drive to you local lake or pond, know this: The engine/motor will not operate unless the boat is in the water. This is a safe measure because the motor needs water to cool the motor. So if the boat is wet in the water, it will run.The boat is small which was a concern when I saw the size of the other RC boats running on the lake (This is about 15” long x 4” high). The other boats were 3-4’ long but they also were over $500! When I dropped it in the water, I was a bit skeptical because the lake was not smooth as glass. The water was a little choppy for the size of the Q7……until I pushed forward on the accelerator stick. This thing took off and planed immediately while keeping a smooth forward trajectory and just skipping over the chop. It wasn’t long until RC enthusiasts with boats they haul in little pull wagons came over and asked about it. Their interest peaked at the price of under $75 because they always have kids that approach them that want to “try it.” For an entry level toy RC boat, I was surprised at the features. This thing turns on a dime and I could not get it to capsize. It has a feature that allows you to right the orientation of the boat if you flip it upside down. So in order to try that out, I drove the boat back to the shore and tossed it back into the lake upside down. It took a few tries to get it to stay upside down. And once I did, I flicked the joystick a couple of times and it was ready for battle.The speed is great on this. It says about 12mph, but I can’t verify that as I didn’t have a way to measure the speed. But I can tell you, it’s faster than I thought it would be. The boat comes with an extra battery and a cool little stand so you can change out the battery and remove/replace the cover underneath the cowling. This keeps the rudder and propeller away from harm. There’s also a protective removable bumper for the nose of the boat since it comes to a point. It will provide a bit of forgiveness if you crash into something head on.Another great feature that SYMA put into their aerial drones is the ability to warn the user that the battery is running low. That was a concern because if you are 300-400 feet out (and the boat easily had this range) and the battery dies, you need a boat or to swim for retrieval. I did lose track of time on the batter (20-25 minutes) and I got the warning (controller beeps) that it’s time for a pitstop. This is a great feature that will allow you to run the battery down to a safe level and still make it back to the dock or shore.I would highly recommend this boat as an entry into RC boating or as an option for others to try when they are asking about your professional RC boat that is too expensive to allow a beginner to take the controls of.

The media could not be loaded.  Wow! This is fun! :-)When I ordered this boat, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I haven’t had an RC boat before and wanted to try it out before I gave it to my son.Being a pilot, I appreciate well-engineered machines and this boat is just that. Would you believe that the electric motor is water-cooled? It is. You might be able to see the inlet and outlet of the water cooling in my pics. I never expected that! :-)After I took the boat out of the box, I proceeded to open up the hull, wanting to see the guts. To my pleasure, the hull is completely water tight. The hatch has four twist lock knobs to ensure no water ever makes it into the hull.The battery is big, very big. And the boat comes with two of them, plus a charging cable. It also comes with some grease for the prop shaft and rudder.A GREAT safety feature is that the boat has to sense it is in water before the prop or rudder will move. On the bottom of the hull are two flush contact points and when in the water, they serve to signal to the computer that it’s ok to power up. I was looking for an On/Off switch and realize that this sensor is it. Very clever and a makes this boat safe out of the water.The remote works great and takes 4 AA batteries.The boat is super fast as you can see in the video. If a friend had another one, it would be fun to chase each other around a pond or pool!I’m sure this will last a long time due to the thoughtfulness of the engineering. This looks like a good brand so I will be looking for other products they make.