REVIEW – I’ve reviewed several DEERC remote control cars here at The Gadgeteer, but so far all of these have been land-based remote control vehicles. Today that changes, with the DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat. I continue to regularly take out the DEERC trucks and cars that I previously reviewed and they’ve all held up well despite many minor crashes and rolls. I’m excited to try out their water-based Shark RC boat!
What is it?
The DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat is a small remote controlled boat designed for use in ponds, pools, or lakes.
What’s included?
- DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat
- USB-A Charger
- Remote Control
- Battery
- Install/repair tools
- Spare propeller and propeller bolt
- Manual
- Boat stand for storage/display
Tech specs
Click to expand
- Size: 16.34 x 4.33 x 4.41 inches
- Top speed: 30+ mph
- Range: up to 394 feet
- 2.4 Ghz wireless control
- Water cooling system for brushless motor
- Motor: 31,635 RPM brushless KV2845
- Battery: 3S 11.1V, 2000mAh high capacity battery
- Water resistance: Triple layered, 100% waterproof cover
- Range and low battery warnings on remote control
Design and features
The DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat has a unique shark theme going on, rather than your RC boat fashioned after a ski boat. A large shark fin adorns the top, the entire exterior is plastic, and there’s a rudder and propeller sticking out the back. LED lights blink out where the shark’s eyes are near the front, with more on the rear.
Two twist locks keep the top cover in place, and you can see in the photo above the stability fins and large rudder in the back.
The propellor is driven by a metal shaft connected to the internal motor. The warning sticker warning you to keep your hands away is important, it would be easy to accidentally get your finger with the high speeds that the propeller achieves with a bump of the remote control.
The remote is similar to the DEERC trucks and cars I’ve previously reviewed, a mostly plastic affair with a foam-covered steering wheel. It doesn’t feel super sturdy, but my other similar controllers have survived falls to hard ground and concrete with no damage so far.
The trigger controls throttle (both forward and back, by squeezing and pushing away). The reverse is much slower than the forward throttle, which is typical for boats.
Buttons and controls on the top include steering trim, speed limit, LED lights control, and the power button for the remote control. There’s no power button on the boat itself, it’s on as long as a charged battery is plugged in.
Assembly, Installation, Setup
Setup for the DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat involves snapping the top fin onto the top cover (plastic clips pop into place), and charging the battery with the provided USB-A charger.
Once charged, you access the battery panel in the boat by removing a series of twist locks. There’s a set holding the battery in, and a set protecting the motor and electronics further in, as well as a pair of locks that hold the top cover and fin in place. All of these have water seals, though the fin isn’t fully sealed so you may get a bit of water inside that top cover, which won’t affect any of the internal parts or the battery.
Performance
I had a hard time getting a clear window to test the DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat during the springtime review period, but right near the end of it, we had a break in storms, and I rushed to the nearest lake (Utah Lake) to test it out. Unfortunately, Utah lake (just south of the Great Salt Lake) is a fairly shallow lake full of plant life. The unprotected propellor did manage to get caught on grass or weeds several times, including once when I had to wade out and rescue the very stuck boat. Despite all this, I had a blast:
I managed to fully submerge the boat twice. Once it took several seconds to reappear and I thought I might have gotten it stuck in weeds underwater, but popped back up after a bit. When I was able to keep it in weed-free waters, it was faster than I expected, and turns on a dime. It reminds me of a full sized waverunner, both in rapid acceleration and sharp turning characteristics.
Pulling the weeds off the propeller wasn’t the highlight of the outing, I very much look forward to further sessions in less weed-clogged lakes in the future!
What I like about the DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat
- Very fast and agile
- Seems like it’s impossible to capsize, the fully sealed craft rights itself no matter how you thrash it about
- Fun shark design looks great cutting through the water
What needs to be improved?
- An external power button would be nice, as soon as you plug in the battery the boat is on so it’s best to transport it disassembled and then put it together at the location.
- External propeller easily snags on weeds or grass, if they could add a shroud it would help a lot in shallow waters
- All of the other DEERC models I’ve reviewed have come with at least 2 batteries, but you’ll need to purchase extra batteries separately for this one.
Final thoughts
All in all, I had a blast testing out the DEERC Fast Brushless RC Shark Boat. It exceeded my expectations for both speed and maneuverability, and ran for more than 20 minutes before I got the warning signal to bring it back. I’ve already ordered a second battery and look forward to taking it out in other lakes and rivers this summer!
Price: $129.99 (on sale for $93.49 at time of review)
Where to buy: Amazon (5% off with code: 5TGT2104S)
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by DEERC. DEERC did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
