RC boating can be an expensive hobby, but if you are new you can get into it with a decent RTR boat for under $50. If you have an expensive boat, it is also a good idea to buy one of these cheaper boats to keep in your car when you play because there is always someone who says “can I try it?” Give them this little boat to play with and you can keep your boat for yourself.
We have spent a long time researching as well as purchasing and playing with all of the following boats to find the best models to suggest to you, our reader. When you see these boats, they are not cheap quality, and really are good values. They are boats that will last for a long time, have replaceable parts, and they are all great boats for the price.
Best Boats Under $50
| Photo | Model | Speed from GPS | Length | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Cheerwing UDI | 12-13 mph | 16.7" Long | Self righting, 7.4v 1500 mah Li-ion battery, USB charger, 2.4GHz radio, waterproof electronics, water-cooled motor, low range and battery alarms |
  | Cheerwing RC Racing Boat | 13+ mph | 13.46" Long | Self righting, 7.4v 600mah Li-Fe battery, USB charger, 2.4GHz radio, waterproof electronics, water-cooled motor, low battery and range alarm |
  | Intey H102 | 10 mph | 13.5" Long | 2.4 GHz radio, 2 600MAH 7.4v Lithium Batteries, Self righting, USB charger, Good turning, stick remote, watercooled motor, RTR, |
  | Joysway Magic Vee | 8-10 mph | 10" Long | 2.4GHz radio, lithium battery, self righting, 3 blade prop, watercooled motor, RTR, |
  | Joysway Magic Cat | 10 mph | 10" Long | 2.4GHz radio, 6v 260man battery, USB charger, water-cooled motor, catamaran hull |
What to look for in a boat under $50
Boats under $50 should have these basic features: fully-proportional steerable rudder and ESC, water-cooled motor, waterproof electronics, 2.4GHz radio, stand, battery, and charger. All of the boats above are the best boats you can buy on the market given the price range.
Should I buy an RC boat under $50
Definitely, I own all of the boats above and they are certainly fun. They zip around and can turn on a dime. These are great for beginners or even fun to use while your other boats batteries are charging. Keep one in the car and use it when you travel and you won’t be sorry!
What is the fastest RC boat under $50?
The fastest RC boat under $50 is this Cheerwing RC racing boat. It is capable of over 12 mph on GPS on flat water with properly adjusted trim tabs and a freshly charged battery. If you add a sharpened and balanced metal prop, the boat is capable of more.
No matter what boat you choose on the list, they are all great boats and can be had for little money.
Cheerwing UDI
This boat handles the best rough water
The Cheerwing UDI is the biggest boat of the bunch. Measuring in at almost 17 inches, this is truly the biggest boat to tackle the largest waves.
I have owned many boats over the years, in the tune of over 30 different ones, and I will have to say this boat is very good quality for the money. The hull is very solid and can withstand large hits as it is pretty thick. It is almost too thick as it does add a bit of weight. It is very solid and I am not sure if you could ever damage this boat.
Top speed of this model was about 12-13 mph verified on GPS which was less than the advertised 18.5 mph. Even though it is a bit slower, it is still a blast to drive.
Cheerwing has made a simple RTR boat that includes everything to run in a package that is easy for beginners yet fun for experienced drivers. This boat handled the waves on the lake like they were nothing. It got exciting driving this boat through some chop.
The adjustable metal trim tabs and turn fins give the boat adjustability for different conditions giving this boat a leg up on the others.
This boat is advertised as self-righting, but with the battery in its designated compartment, I could not get it to work. This boat is actually quite wide, and it may not go fast enough to flip over, but it is always nice to have the feature. I did flip the battery to the other side of the boat and it would self right, so simply adding some velcro to tie it down may be your best bet.
Runtime was about 7 minutes give or take and can be extended depending on how you drive it.
After flipping this boat over and holding it under as well as driving it, the dual hatch design did a great job at keeping water out of the boats hull.
This boat has a safety feature that will not allow you to hit the gas unless the boat is in the water. Trust me, this can save a cut on your finger.
The radio has a low battery alarm and range alert to alert you so you can bring your boat back to shore.
Overall, I would say you get a lot of bang for your buck with this boat. It is a very fun boat to run, and felt very solid on the water. For this price, this is a must buy.
Cheerwing UDI U001 Venom RC Racing Boat
This is the Fastest Boat Under $50
This boat was a lot of fun, probably the most fun out of the bunch. Speed wise, the Cheerwing RC Racing Boat was unable to fit the GPS in, but it was faster than our UDI boat which GPS’d at 12 mph.
This boat can get squirrely once it is top speed which is what made it most fun. Hit the rudder to the left and it would do an instant 180-degree turn. Sometimes you can even turn sharp enough to submarine it.
The hull is hard plastic and could almost survive an earthquake with how durable it is. This did cause another problem of the weight it has limiting its performance. However, all of the boats on this list have what seems to be quite heavy hulls that are overbuilt.
The self-righting feature on this boat worked instantly and was a huge plus as I did manage to flip it over at top speed doing some sharp turns.
The included radio is of good quality and we did not have any range issues with it. Features on the radio include a range alarm and low battery alarm to make sure you you do not get suck on the water.
The boat comes RTR and worked great for us for several runs without a problem. There is a safety feature that will not run the prop unless it is in the water. This is a plus so you don’t accidentally cut your finger on the prop, but if there was something to go wrong, you have to ground out that circuit in order to troubleshoot.
Included was a stand, extra prop, battery, USB charger, hatch, boat, and radio. The boat is RTR and ready to throw in the lake for a hard run.
This boat is great for the beginner or advanced boater. I am glad to have this boat and it was a great buy.
Intey H102
The Intey H102 is the Best Value Under $50
If you are looking for the best BANG FOR YOUR BUCK, look no further. The Intey H102 succeeds in winning that title. This boat is one of the lowest prices on the list, but comes wiht all of the same features, and even comes with 2 7.2v 600mah lithium batteries. This keeps you on the water twice as long. The average runtime per battery was about 6-8 minutes which was on par for a boat of this size.
The speed of this boat was in the 10-11 mph range on the GPS, and trust me, on boats this small, it was FAST.
This boat tracked nicely with the turn fins and was able to make sharp turns in both directions.
This boat has a dual hatch set up to keep the insides watertight. There is an inner hatch as well as an outer hatch.
The radio is a stick radio versus a pistol grip. This is easier for kids to run, but can be awkward if you are used to a pistol grip, or if you fly planes or quads. The radio also featured a low voltage alert and range alarm to notify you when to head back to shore.
There is the same safety feature on this boat that will save you from nicking your finger with a prop shall you accidentally hit the throttle while your finger is by the prop.
All you have to do is charge the included battery and you are out on the water. Setup is very quick.
This package comes with the boat, stand, screwdriver, extra prop, extra prop nut, driveshaft grease, as well as the radio.
This boat is for the beginner to intermediate as a good second boat. The boat runs great and is fast enough to be quite exciting. This is truly the best value boat on the list.
Joysway Magic Vee
This boat is the smallest and most pocketable
Joysway has truly created a fun micro boat in a small package about 10″ long. This boat can actually fit in your pocket if you would like. The boat goes decently fast for its size giving you an exciting boat to race. The speed ranges from about 9-10 mph. I did not verify this on GPS as it is too small to fit into the hull, but did race it against a boat that I have GPS and clocked it.
The Magic Vee comes RTR with radio, battery, and charger and is ready to hit the lake as fast as you can charge the battery.
We used this boat behind our pontoon boat and it surly jumped the waves nicely. For such a small boat, it did very well against the waves. It hops around and can carve like an ice skater.
The boat has breakaway turn fins just in case you hit a rock, it also features a 3 blade prop to get it up on plane instantly. The boat is self righting and instantly tips over if capsized. Upon inspection afterwards, this boat does not take in much water.
This boat has a replaceable servo just in case it dies just like the other boats showing it is a step above something you would buy at a big box store.
Overall, this boat is great for any boater and is tuns of fun. It handles the waves like nothing as it can just drive through them, and is a great boat for the money.
Joysway Magic Cat
The Joysway Magic Cat shares the exact internals as the Magic Vee. The only difference is that it is a catamaran form. I borrowed this boat from a friend and did not take detailed photos of it. Next time I see it, I will snap some.
This boat is a blast to play with, it can zip around in circles, it speeds straight very well.
One downside is that it is not self righting. We did manage to tip it over on one run due to some high waves on the lake. On flat water, it would be a challenge to tip it over.
This boat comes with 2.4GHz radio, battery, boat, as well as 9v battery for the remote.
This boat is a great buy for the price and will give you hours of fun!
Top Race TR-800
The Top Race TR-800 was highly rated and we purchased based on the ratings. We found that the boat was a bit cheap with its lack of features such as the radio was not a 2.4GHz, it was not fully proportional, and the battery life was very disappointing.
There are several boats on this list that are far superior for only a few bucks more, so check them out.
Happy Boating!