RC catamarans are a lot of fun to drive. They can be faster than a mono hull as they have two smaller hulls and have a tunnel for air to go under to get more lift to lift the hull out of the water to gain more speed. These are also prone to tipping over if you have too much lift.
Overall, catamarans are one of my favorite RC boats to drive as they can turn sharp, handle rough water good, and do have the excitement of flipping over if you are screaming down the lake.
In the following list, we will go over some of the best models on the market today. These are high quality models with replacement and upgrade parts available. We don’t want to recommend a model that you cannot find parts for, or get support for if it breaks.
Pro Boat Blackjack 24
The Pro Boat Blackjack 24 is a great beginner catamaran, it is 24″ long which is a good size as it still can be ran off of only one battery. When you get into larger sizes, you will need two batteries to run which equals double the cost and double the charging time unless you have two chargers.
The Blackjack 24 will go about 20 mph with a 2s battery and about 30 mph with a 3s battery. The speeds of this boat are not too great so you won’t have too many capsize events.
Pro Boat includes a high quality Spektrum 2.4 GHz radio with a waterproof receiver. In fact, all of the electronics are waterproof on this model including the 30 amp ESC.
The hatch on the hull has a seal to keep it as watertight as possible, but if water does get in there is a drain plug.
The hull is made out of ABS plastic and is pushed by a 2,000 kv motor. ABS is not as strong as fiberglass for a boat, but it works great to keep costs down.
The electronics, motor, and battery are mounted on an offset plastic piece in the hull keeping all of the electronics off of the ABS bottom and it also stiffens up the hull. All the parts within the hull are easily accessed due to the large hatch cover if you ever have to work on the boat.
The drivetrain exits the hull out of a stuffing tube and drives the plastic prop. There is a large offset metal rudder which has a water pickup for cooling the motor and speed control.
Although the electronics are waterproof, we still recommend using hatch tape to ensure water does not get into the hull.
The red color on the hull screams this boat is fast and looks great on the water. The added graphics are slick and stylish.
Pros
- Great boat for beginners and intermediate drivers
- Great value
- Quality Components
- Stable
Cons
- Could go a bit faster out of the box
Traxxas DCB M41
The Traxxas M41 is a beast of a package for a RTR boat. The model measures in at over 40″ long and was designed after the full size Widebody M41. This catamaran looks MEAN on the water and truly is mean when powered with 6s lipo’s.
This boat is capable of speeds over 50+ mph on a small pond, or even on a lake with some waves due to its large stable size.
All of the electronics are mounted to a removable tray which is quickly removable for service. The same goes for the motor mount which is also mounted to the internal structure built into the boat to provide extra rigidity to the hull. The hull is made out of ABS plastic, but has been reinforced from the inside to prevent any damage.
Now if you are going 50+ in any boat, you will probably have damage whether fiberglass or ABS, so ABS is not a huge negative here.
Just like most of the other boats, there is a quick connect flex cable drive system used to couple power from the motor to the included composite plastic prop.
The hardware on this boat is made of high grade aluminum with the rudder having an integrated water pick up tube for cooling the electronics.
Speaking of electronics, they are all waterproof. The servo, receiver box, Velineon 6S speed control and motor are used in other models with great success and they have been brought over to the boating world.
You never thought you would see a boat with stability control, but there is always a first for everything. Traxxas includes this feature on their TQi radio system which can also have a bluetooth module to connect to your phone for real time data sharing.
This model uses either 2 2s batteries or 2 3s batteries for huge 6s speed!
This model is great for the beginner who wants to start with a good platform to an advanced user wanting to do speed runs or just spend a day ripping around at the lake.
Pros
- Huge value for the money
- Backed by Traxxas Support
- Great for all water situations
- Good parts support
- Great components
- Great aftermarket support
Cons
- Would be nice to have a fiberglass body for the price
Pro Boat Zelos
The first thing I have to say about the Pro Boat Zelos is that it is a BEAST! Pro Boat has outdone themselves with this model. First off, the hull is a full 36″ of hand laid fiberglass. Did I mention that it has TWIN counter rotating 1900Kv 4 pole motors pushing large metal props.
That is all I need to say. The review is done.
Just kidding, I am going to give the disclaimer that this boat is not for everyone. As it can do 75+ mph out of the box, this boat takes some skill as well as lots of batteries to run. The boat is capable of running on 6s batteries for each ESC. This thing can really scoot.
To control this monster, Pro Boat includes a high quality Spektrum DX2E DSMR radio which is not your typical RTR throwaway. There is a M4000 plotted receiver to receive your commands and a waterproof high-torque Spektrum Servo that will drive your scale push pull rudder with working scale dampers.
The fiberglass hull is painted yellow for the Miss Geico theme and is watertight with the secure thumbscrew canopy latch system, but included are waterproof electronics just in cast. Also, as a just in case, we recommend you use hatch tape in order to keep every drop out.
There are two water cooled Dynamite 120A marine ESC’s capable of handling 6s battery power each to drive the 4 pole motors. To keep all this cool is dual water pick ups mounted under the hull.
Each propeller strut drives a counter rotating metal prop via flex shaft and is made out of beautiful black aluminum.
Open up the hatch and you will find it full of gear organized nicely. By being a dual, there is a lot of items that are stuffed in the hull: two ESC’s, two motors, receiver, servo, and two huge trays to mount your batteries.
This boat is for the avid boater who wants to go fast and hear that scream of dual motors. There is a certain sound of a dual motor rc boat, once you hear that sweet sweet sound, you will never want to go back.
Pros
- Includes high quality running gear
- This is truly the first and last boat you will need to buy
- Fastest out of the box on the market
- Dual motors
- Metal props stock
Cons
- This boat is a bit expensive
- Needs LOTS of batteries
- Duals may require more maintenance and cost to replace
Pro Boat Veles
The Pro Boat Veles is the younger sibling to the Zelos. Measuring in at 29″ this boat is more of a good all around boat that can still rip and go 50+ mph out of the box. This catamaran has a hand laid fiberglass hull with fiberglass hatch for better durability. The boat is a lighter green branded the Veles.
Pro Boat includes a high quality radio, the Spektrum DX2E radio and receiver which controls the high torque waterproof Spektrum servo. The 2000Kv 6 pole marine motor is controlled with a 120 amp Dynamite speed control. The servo controls the offset break away aluminum rudder with water pickup for cooling both the motor and speed control.
All of the parts in the hull are mounted on a composite frame making them easier to access and service. There are battery trays on each side of the cameraman providing a low center of gravity allowing you to rip through the turns.
The propeller strut is adjustable and holds the metal prop which is ran off of a flex shaft.
On 4s this boat is capable of 45+ mph and on 6s, this boat can run 50+. Add a sharpened and balanced prop, and you will have an awesome boat out of the box.
The hull hatch is has a rubber seal to prevent water from entering, but as we recommend with every boat, use tape in addition. The thumb screws really seal and lock the hatch down. A lot better than the magnets we see on some.
This boat is for most boaters, not quite a beginner boat, but not a dual motor monster. This boat can rip quickly around the lake, or just jump waves for fun.
Pros
- Thumb screw hatch
- 120 Amp ESC
- DX2E Radio Included
- 50+ mph out of the box
- Fiberglass hull
Cons
- Still need dual batteries
- Trim tabs would be nice
Pro Boat Miss Geico 17
The Pro Boat Miss Geico 17 is a great beginner boat or boat for kids. It will be fun in the pool, pond, or even lake. The boat is 17″ long with is a lot shorter than the other boats we recommend which makes it good for small bodies of water.
This boat is powered by a brushed 380 water-cooled motor and has a 2.4 GHz radio so you don’t have to worry about being on the same channel while playing with your friends. I remember when I was young and you had to make sure you had the red and the blue car if you wanted to play with a friend. That problem is gone.
This boat is truly RTR as it includes a charger and 7.2 volt Ni-MH battery. The speed control has forward and reverse in case you get yourself out of a jam. Most high performance boats do not have reverse.
The hull is made out of molded ABS plastic which is strong enough to handle anything in this size of boat. A single plastic prop drives the boat and the boat is controlled by an inline rudder.
The electronics are not waterproof in this boat so you will want to make sure you tape the hatch every time.
Make sure to buy some extra batteries, or even get a lipo cutoff and some lipo batteries to extend the runtime and speed out of this boat.
This boat is for the beginner boater who wants to have FUN. Boats this size are a blast to race with friends or family. I leave my boat in the car and play with it when we travel and it draws lots of attention.
Pros
- Good price
- Includes battery and charger
- Great beginner boat
Cons
- Not the fastest boat
- Electronics are not waterproof
Joysway Magic Cat
The Joysway Magic Cat is a micro boat measuring in at only 10″. I have its sister mono hull boat, and it sure is a BLAST. I use mine to surf the waves at the lake or even behind a boats wake. The top speed is about 12.5 mph so for such a small boat they really move. Add a lipo battery with cutoff and you have an awesome package.
Joysway includes a 2.4GHz radio on this model to ensure precise control. There is a 180 size water-cooled motor to drive this boat and a waterproof 9 gram servo to steer it with its inline rudder.
Included is everything you need to run, a 260mah battery, usb charger, usb DC adapter, 9v battery for the transmitter, and boat stand.
This boat isn’t just for kids, it is for people of all ages. I still enjoy running mine and hope to let my 2 year old daughter take the wheel this summer.
This boat can truly go anywhere: lakes, ponds, fountains, pools, hot tubs, or anywhere there is water. Even if you are an avid boater and have 10 other fast boats, this boat is a great one to add to the arsenal for that person who always wants to try one while you are running.
Pros
- RTR
- Great price
- Gets you started in the hobby
- Great to race with friends
Cons
- For the price, there really are no cons.