I went through a phase during which I wanted absolutely nothing more than a radio control boat.

I had dreams about radio control boats, about standing on the dock of my parents lake cabin as my boat screamed across the waves, dashing up spray into the faces of its little bitty driver.

I daydreamed about steering my little boat around racing pylons and into sharp turns, the propeller biting into the water and launching the boat into the air as it cleared the crest of the next wave. It was on every birthday and Christmas wish list for about a year and a half, until my interest finally waned. It never tapered off completely though; if I ever end up with a house on or near a little pond or river I’m definitely getting myself a radio control model boat.

Part of my interest in radio control model boats came from my interest in being on the water.

My father didn’t have a high-performance racing boat, which is really too bad, but he did have the next-best thing: a fishing boat. I liked fishing as a child, but what I liked more was going out onto the lake and coming back, especially in rough weather. I loved how the boat skipped across the waves and how the bow threw up spray when things got really choppy. Once in a great while I caught a little bit of footage of professional race boats, and then I was really hooked. What I needed were radio control speed boats.

Radio control boats can be divided into two general categories, gas powered radio control boats and electric.

I had always sort of pined for a gas power radio control boat, if only for the fact that they were faster and louder than the electric boats, and it was a fast-and-loud sort of time in my life. Though the gas power radio control boats are indeed faster than the electric boats, they’re also a bit tougher to control and maintain. They’re also more expensive. Electric boats are bit slower than gas boats, but they are easier to assemble and maintain. If you’re debating on what to get to start out with an electric radio control boat is probably your best bet, and if things go well you can upgrade to a full-on, screaming, gas powered race boat. Don’t forget, if you get more than one boat (which would be a lot more fun. Even if you own both of them, what good is a racing boat if you can’t beat your friends in a race?) be sure to get the boats on separate frequencies. Most manufacturers offer multiple frequencies on their boats for just this reason; make sure you take advantage of it, otherwise your frequencies will cross and you won’t be able to race at all.

There is also a group that make radio controlled battleships.

They actually have guns on the boats and try to sink each other. They have strick safety rules and design rules for the radio controlled boats. They use very thin wood to build them and the guns shoot little BB's that are just strong enough to punch a hole in the wood. If you ever have a chance to watch a group of these hobbiests, you will be in for some excitement.

Radio control model boats can be a great hobby for those who do not live near a body of water large enough for real boating.

All you need is a small pond in a park and you'll be off sailing every weekend.

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