2manytoyz Aquacraft Cajun Commander RC Airboat

Aquacraft Cajun Commander RC Airboat

I was a fan of the Alligator Tours airboat, also made by Aquacraft. But running nitro motors is noisy, bringing unwanted attention at times, and can be temperamental some days. Brushless motors are amazing, and the battery technology has come a long way from the days of running nicads. For under $300, this model is almost ready to run. Just need to supply a LiPo 3S battery for the boat, and 4 AA batteries to the transmitter. Everything else is included.

My buddy Dennis and I both bought the same model this week. Today was the maiden voyage for both boats. The performance out of the box is quite impressive! We both only had a couple of 3S 2200MAH charged batteries with us. I didn't bring my big camera, but will next time, and will get some action shots.

The fit and finish is pretty good, but only the camouflage color scheme is offered. I will be repainting mine in time.	It's Fall here in central FL, but you wouldn't know it with the 90 degree temps. We found a little shade.
Dennis was doing a battery swap on his tailgate. Notice the 4 old LiPo batteries behind the boat. They were charged, but all were swollen, and had little capacity left.	While we were standing next to his truck, one of the 4 batteries suddenly burst into flames and smoke. I was closest, and without thinking, I swept the lot of them out of the truck bed with my hand. Probably not the most prudent decision, but the truck suffered no damage, nor did I. I did knock his boat half off the tailgate, but Dennis caught it. The battery smoked for another minute, and the plastic wrap was fused to the asphalt when it was all over. It hadn't been damaged, and wasn't in use at the time, but it was sitting in the hot sun. I will be giving these batteries a LOT more respect after this. He junked the rest of the old batteries as a precaution. I will be doing the same.
When knocking down the tall grass in the water, the boat can collect hitchhikers. Keep that in mind when picking up your boat, and throwing it in the back seat of your vehicle!

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