SYMA 22" Blazingly Fast Balaenoptera Musculus Racing RC Boat

I was heading for a friends cabin on a lake and felt a new toy was needed. As usual the Amazon shipping was excellent and it came in two days, in plenty of time before the trip. I wasn't looking for anything too serious so after reading many reviews I settled on the inexpensive Musculus.The one I got was a solid yellow but the color didn't really matter to me. I charged the battery at home and set the boat up for a quick test to ensure it worked. I encountered no issues. At the lake it was just a matter of putting it back together and dropping it in the water off the dock and away it went like a rocket! This thing turns on a dime and hits a pretty fast top speed in a second. It could have used a minor trim to steer exactly straight but for 10 minutes of fun its no big deal. You're going to be yanking this thing left and right all the time anyway. Battery charging seemed to take 3-4 hrs. I looked for an extra battery but all I could find were NiCD not NiMH like the one which came with the boat. I don't believe you should interchange these battery types on the same charger so I bought nothing more. Per other reviews I did encounter some water in the boat on the first run so I taped off some of the seams for subsequent runs. Very little got in after that. The antenna mast wouldn't stay in on its own so I added some tape around the base which worked fine. When the mast first fell out/over in the water the range was drastically reduced. Had the boat been out at the limits I would've had to go out to get it, or at least close enough to get back in range. The first thing we tested was the range. To do this we stood onshore by about 30 feet and drove straight out until we lost it. At that point we just walked to the edge to reacquire and turn it around, Our estimates were that it was least 200 ft out, possibly as far as 250. Impressive. At the end of the weekend we had made 5 or 6 runs without issue so I decided to leave it behind for other cabin guests to enjoy. About one month later I was told the boat worked flawlessly for another weekend of fun on the water, so for $40 this thing has been worth every penny even if it never floats again.

. . . We bought this as a Christmas present for our 14 year old son. We bought it in November and wrapped it to put it under the tree. On Christmas day, a little less than a month after the boat arrived, my son opened it and tried to use it. It didn't work. The controller functioned up to about two feet away, but not beyond that. We tried a new set of batteries but got the same result. I then tried to unscrew the antenna to reattach to see if that was the problem. The antenna broke at that point. I contacted rctoyvillage and explained what was happening. They told me the antenna was the problem and they would send a new one. That came about a month later and made no difference. I then tried a third set of batteries, but no go. I wrote back again and got no response. I waited a couple weeks and wrote to them and told them I was about to write a negative review but wanted to give them a chance to send a new boat first. They wrote back and said that it had been a long time and that I should try to fix the boat rather than complain about it. I wrote back and told them we tried everything we knew to do, but the boat was a dud and never worked from the very first. I asked them again to make this right. That was several weeks ago and I got no response. I understand they have a 14 day return policy, but the boat should have worked out of the box. Needless to say we are not happy with this company and would not recommend the product. If you do buy from them, make sure you don't wait more than 14 days to test it. Better yet, buy from a company that at least guarantees the product will work out of the box. My son would like to write a stronger review. He was really excited to be getting the boat and is really frustrated by the runaround from rctoyvillage. We'll not be back to this company.

I read all the reviews before purchasing and decided it was worth the risk. I'm overall pleased with the boat though there are a few pros and cons. As everyone states, it's fast - though as battery drains so does the speed. The range is pretty good, I didn't send the boat out all that far though; maybe 75 yards. The battery lasted longer than I would have thought given everyone's reviews but agreed, not long enough- only because it is really fun and it takes 5 hours to charge between uses. I took it out on a few windy days where the lake was choppy. Jumping the waves was a blast but I did find some water inside the boat afterwards. Given the shape of the hull, it isn't easy to flip it upside down and get all the water to run out. You sort of have to play the tilt back and forth game to remove any water that ended up inside the boat. The remote control is a little deceptive as it shows having a forwards and backwards, left & right but the truth is- there is no reverse. Also, with two electric propellers turning left means cutting the left prop, right is done by cutting the right prop. This means that turns are slower in speed and that somewhat limits your stunts if you're used to a 4 channel RC boat. Sadly enough, when extending the antenna on the controller I pulled the top section right off. I might have been able to fix it but the little copper part that held the telescoping antenna together fell into the water. It's likely replaceable but I just decided to crimp the antenna in place. All in all, I bought this for my little kids to sit on daddy's lap and drive while we're on vacation. It was a huge hit with both kids, the neighbor's children, and my yellow retriever who would chase it and then run from it. For $40, you cannot find anything out there that will deliver the same performance and entertainment with such little time and investment.

As the title states, for the money (mine was about $36'ish shipped from Xheli here on Amazon), this is a very fun little toy. It is definitely toy grade, not hobby grade; but as far as toy grade r/c's go, this one is one of the faster toys. If you're interested in getting started in r/c boats (or looking for something friends and kids drive while you're driving your more expensive r/c boat), this is a good intro to the hobby and you're not out a ton of money from the start as it comes ready to run with remote, battery pack and a charger. All you need to buy are AA batteries for your transmitter and you're ready to go. Check on youtube also to see videos of the boat to get an idea of the handling and speed; it's quick and will turn on a dime. I only wish that I could order another (in a different color) so that I could run two boats together; but there's no way to contact the seller in order to specify color as unfortunately they just send out random colors. Also, if you have standard six cell packs from other r/c's they will work in these with very minor modifications and for more juice, I've been told the electronics will hold up to a seven cell battery. As for my ratings, fun value only got a four (would have been five if this was my first r/c though) educational value only got a three as hobby grade r/c boats actually have rudders for steering, durability has yet to be tested although it seems plenty tough and handles heavy chop better than I'd expected overall it's five stars for a toy grade r/c as it is a good "toy", just don't expect hobby grade and you'll love it.

I received this unit two weeks after ordering it. It was on hold with the seller for 5 days? Upon opening it up the boat was about what I expected except the Transmitter was less than expected as it just used buttons with no speed control. there is a reverse button that does absolutely nothing. I have used advanced RC boats and Walmart versions and can really say that this is worse than most as all it has going for it is it's speed. The biggest reason for the bad review is the way the hull is designed to ingest water to function?? I can understand the cooling factor with a dry sump cooling system but this boat uses the water to complete a circuit!!!?? It has three holes drilled in the transom and is reliant on the water for power. Upon getting the boat out a ways the signal died and within 2 min the boat sank??!!! It is fast but for the risk of loosing the boat I give it a thumbs down. It's really a poor design and unless you plan on using it in clear shallow water all the time I would steer clear. The PX-11 I purchased from Amazon as well did a better job but is twice the size and you should read my review of it also. If you never have ran a high end model like Kyosho or Traxxas I would try and find something used before going this route for cheap speed.

When we received this boat, we tried it out in our back yard swimming pool. It was so fast, it jumped completely out of the pool. We were amazed at its speed. The boat only has one speed - fast. We tried it next on one of our city park lakes. It was fantastic. Fast, maneuverable, and just out right fun. We set out a race course around brush and buoys in the lake. Took turns timing each other around the course. It was great fun - while it lasted. My eight & nine year old grandsons controlled it with ease (except approaching shore to fast). My teenage grandson also liked it. Of course, I thought it was a fantastic entry into the higher end (over the backyard swimming pool putt-putts). The biggest drawbacks I thought was the lack of speed control. It is either on or off. Fast or stop. Perhaps a variable speed controller would be better. The only other drawback was the short battery (race) time. On a new charge, the boat flew, within a few minutes (5-7), the speed was noticeably slower. After 10-12 minutes, the boat just was at idle or crawl. I went to our local battery shop and they made me a duplicate battery. Now when the first battery slows to a crawl, we just change the battery and we are off again. When we are done, I just recharge both batteries & we are ready for the next time. Age recommendations - I recommend it for 14+ without adult supervision, but 7+ if adult supervised. I base that on the fact my eight year old was able to operate it, but could not understand the battery connections, etc. I highly recommend this boat for a excellent remote control boat, above the cheaper backyard pool boats. I am a RC helicopter enthusiast and thought I would try my hand at boats. EXCELLENT CHOICE ! Grandfather in second childhood.

I read many reviews and realized there was a risk in purchasing this boat, but it was also well rated on a top 10 list. The price was great and I figured it would be a good entry item as my first radio controlled toy and one for my 7-yr old grandson. Do read the various other reviews for tips on making the toy work better. A few of mine follow. But first let me say that it is fast, responsive, has at least a 250’ range, does not tip, and is great fun. My grandson can drive it well with supervision. We both enjoy it and have run it 4 times now. The 5-hr charge time is annoying, however, but it does run for about 15 min which is adequate for a “play session.” UPDATE - it died 5th time I went to use it. See below. Tips: 1. Do use duct tape to secure the antenna as in choppy water the plastic straw will pop free and the antenna will hang in the water. 2. The boat does have 2 safety interlocks, one of which is not described in the instructions. One is that the copper shafts around the propeller must be in the water to complete the circuit. It will not run when out of the water. The other is a SPST switch near the radio receiver, that must be switched on. 3. To trouble shoot the boot make a shorting wire with alligator clips at both ends and clip it from one copper shaft to the other. This completes the circuit that would normally happen when the boat is in the water. Be careful! But now you can run the boat on your work bench and check it out. 4. Have a soldering gun handy as many of the solder joints are poorly done with inadequate flow of the solder. In fact after the boat took a little bump into the dock one of the leads came loose from the right motor. It was easily re-soldered but beware, you may need to have such skills. 5. My radio controller is intermittent. Bumping it on one side causes it to work but sometimes bumping it on the other causes it to fail. I have disassembled it and looked for loose parts / cold solder joints but the failure is inconsistent and I have been unable to trouble shoot it. It is working for now. 6. As others have pointed out the boat does take on some water because the hatch cover is inadequately sealed. It is gasketed on the sides but not front and back. I added my own weatherstrip gaskets and it now stays relatively dry. 7. I found it useful to duct tape the battery in addition to the clip that is provided, otherwise I have found it jarred loose during operation. I thought I had read somewhere that it came with a spare sets of propeller blades. Mine did not. Do know that the boat has no throttle control. The motors are full on or off. You turn by running just the left or right motor, instead of both at once. So it is easily controlled but the down side is that you cannot cruise at slow speed, unless you constantly pulse the motors, or until the end of your run time when the battery is losing juice. All in all great fun for the 4 occasions on which it worked, but a bummer that when I went to use it the 5th time the motors burped and ran for a second and then nothing I did could get them running again. It was less than a month old and Amazon was very easy to work with for a return.. An engineer certainly designed a neat toy, but the assembly and quality control could be better.

My sons and I purchased this boat as a father's day gift, and they have eagerly been waiting a month to give it to him. We opened it this morning and got it all ready to go. We took it out to the pond in back and discovered two disappointing things: It would only go forward and not backward. So either the remote or the boat does not work correctly. Having the ability to only move forward made it very difficult to maneuver it out of cramped spots. Secondly, the design of this boat is terrible. The battery sits in the back so it is poorly balanced. We put the battery in (charged for *exactly* 5 hours, no more, no less--just as the directions dictate) and the boat shot out to the center of the pond and died. 30 seconds of use on a 5 hour charged battery. We tried to send it back but it was done. Two minutes later we saw the nose tipping up and boat started to sink. That was the worse $40 we have EVER spent. It's not even worth $1 for that short, lackluster experience. My three boys were so very disappointed in their father's day gift. Terrible, terrible quality. Please don't waste your money!