Dock Equipment For your Electric and Nitro RC Boat
Things You Need Before You Go Boating
There are few essential RC boat accessories that you’ll need at the pond, and nitro boat and require more than the electrics, mainly because of the motor.
The variety of electric and nitro boat accessories is large, this page will only introduce you to the necessary dockside equipment you need to get started.
If you drive your nitro boat at a club, then you can probably borrow the necessary items from fellow boaters, at first. But as you get more involved with the hobby, you’ll need to build up your own collection of accessories, so you don’t have to rely on anyone being at the pond.
Nitro boat accessories:
If you have a glow plug motor in any RC model it needs the use of certain accessories , the required ones are…
* Glow plug igniter * Glow plug wrench * Spare glow plugs * Fuel bottle * Fuel pump * Starting system
These necessary nitro boat accessories are listed below:
Glow Plug Igniter: 
A glow plug igniter is needed to initially heat up the filament of the glow plug to red hot, so that the fuel inside the combustion chamber of the engine is ignited. Once the engine is running, the igniter is taken off and the heat within the engine keeps the plug glowing. Glow plug igniters are 1.5V and should be charged before each time you go to the pond. A weak igniter won’t heat up a plug!
Glow Plug Wrench: 
A glow plug wrench is a very essential nitro boat accessory! Glow plugs have a tendency to burn out from time to time and do need to be replaced periodically. Without a wrench you’ll not be able to remove the glow plug from the engine cylinder head, and replace it with a brand new one.
Glow Plugs: 
Spare glow plugs are required for when the one in the engine goes bad on you, which it will sooner or later! A bad glow plug is about the largest cause of non-starting nitro engines , and it takes just a couple seconds to change a plug – as long as you didn’t forget your glow plug wrench ! Check your boats engine manual, or ask the guy’s at the dock for the correct glow plug recommendations.
Glow Fuel: 
Glow fuel is, needless to say, essential! Choosing a high quality fuel is important – lower quality fuels can have an unwanted effect on your boat engine’s performance. Follow the engine manufacturer’s guidelines for choosing the proper fuel for your engine, both oil content and nitromethane content can vary depending on performance requirements. Check with the guys at the dock and is what they are using in their engines.
Fuel Pump: 
A fuel pump can be either mechanical or electrical . A mechanical one is less expensive and just as effective. Along with a pump, a small plastic squeeze bottle with a small nozzle is also a good idea, if you need to inject fuel directly into the carburetor when you’re having problems priming the engine.
12v Electric Engine Starter: 
Some sort of electric starting system is also a crucial nitro rc boat accessory, if the engine doesn’t have a pullstart feature . One of the one’s you could use is the Roto-Tech starter, and includes the necessary bits to convert your engine for this method of starting. These starters can be used for Boats, Cars and Planes using different attachments for each application.
Through the link below you can browse more nitro RC boat accessories .
RC Engine Starter Pack: 
A very easy way of buying all of the necessary accessories are in some kind of starter pack . This is usually cheaper than buying each piece separately, and some packs will include a 500cc bottle of nitro fuel also.
Electric RC boat accessories
One advantage of electric RC boats is that they don’t need anything to starting accessories; so long as the batteries are charged, then you just increase the throttle and drive off, unlike nitro RC vehicles that require at least the basic accessories listed above.
12v Field Charger:
A 12V field charger is a essential item that you will need at the dock for charging the battery pack .
If one doesn’t come with your boat, they can be purchased in many shapes and sizes ranging from simple ‘trickle’ chargers to multi-function , electronically controlled chargers/dischargers.
You can buy battery chargers for rc boats that are made to run from a 12V vehicle battery, either directly or via the cigarette lighter socket. These chargers are called field chargers, because they are designed to be used ‘at the dock’ ie wherever you’re running your RC boat.
Buying a second motor battery pack for your electric rc boat is a very good idea. Even fast-chargers can take 40 minutes to charge a pack, so having a spare one means that you can continue driving your boat while the first pack is charging.
When buying chargers and extra battery packs , always check that they are compatible with your boat’s motor, this is obviously very important ! Check your specific boat’s manual.
Other non-essential but desirable RC boat accessories to take with you to the pond include extra propellers for when you run aground, and a selection of tools such as screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers – you never know when something is going to work loose and you need to retighten it!
