Me again! Today I’m going to tell you about the RC that puts the biggest smile on my face. It’s a Fan powered RC Boat that looks great on the water or being hauled on the bed of my Traxxas TRX6 Hauler. It’s now had over 2 years of abuse on water, ice, fast flowing brooks, concrete and being hauled around the woods so I have no hesitation in recommending it to you.
Quick TL;DR: If you want a durable fun fan powered RC boat for under £90 delivered to your door that survived 2 years of bashing then the Swamp Dawg is in my opinion the best budget option for 2026. I’ve hammered it for over 2 years now, it has some bumps and bruises yet still runs as well as the day I bought it.
Just a quick heads-up…
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Click Here to buy the Swamp Dawg Fan Powered RC Boat
Intro
I first saw the real sized ones on Youtube, they looked and sounded great, an air boat that was powered by a huge fan on the back, with a flat bottom hull they glide across water at speed. After a quick Google I found an RC version called Swamp Dawg and I just knew I had to buy one. I bought mine in Feb 2024 and have used it regularly ever since. I bought mine from Aliexpress and it took about 10 days to arrive, shipping was from China to the UK, my recent orders have arrived in around 7 days.
Fun Factor
This is the RC that puts the biggest smile on my face, it is so much fun to use and it looks fantastic on the back of my Traxxas TRX6 Hauler. The hauler bed is smooth so the boat can drive right off and into the water, no need to lift it off, driving it back on also works but is much more tricky. The boat is very fast and leaves a spray of water behind it making a noise similar to a prop aircraft. At full speed when you apply full rudder the boat almost turns on the spot creating a splash and a huge spray of water.
Handling
It’s great fun in shallow, fast flowing brooks and handles slightly rough water with ease. It has enough power to go against the flow of the water with ease and will just skid onto land if it is stony or grass.
On a calm open lodge the boat is very fast and looks great zooming across the water, it handles weeds and water lilies with ease due to there being no prop in the water. You do need to apply power for the steering to be of any use so it’s not great in my garden pond but I can test it there.
Durability
I’ve bashed mine for over 2 years now, I’ve used it is fast flowing shallow rocky brooks and on a frozen lake. I’ve rolled the TRX 6 Hauler when it was hauling the boat on the back so my boat has been bashed and damaged but they are very easy to repair and almost unsinkable. I’ve also used mine on wet concrete which was fun but caused quite a few scratches. The hull is lightweight plastic so is sometimes brittle in cold water but is very easy to repair. As you can see from the photos mine has had quite a few bangs and scrapes but with some glue and expanding foam this boat seems to live on forever. Plenty of spare parts are available from here.
Electrics
Batteries only last a few minutes so I make sure to carry a spare.
The compartment for the ESC, servo and receiver is not 100% watertight so make sure you buy waterproof electronics.
I run it with a brushless outrunner motor along with a waterproof esc, servo and receiver.
The Good Stuff
- Fun – As mentioned earlier this is the RC that puts the biggest smile on my face when using it.
- Power – The 2300kx motor that is comes supplied with has plenty of power.
- Looks – This boat looks really good on the back of the Hauler or zooming around a lodge.
The Not-So-Good Stuff
- Handling – Tough to keep in a straight line when running at full power and steering is almost none existent at low speeds or until you apply power.
- Waterproof – The electrics compartment is not waterproof so make sure you use waterproof esc, esc and servo
- Durability – Due to the plastic design of the hull it crack quite easily when bashed into rocks or other debris. I have repaired mine many times with super glue and expanding foam.
Final Verdict
Overall this is a fun, cheap boat that will bring hours of fun. I’ve owned a few RC boats over the years but this is by far the most fun one I have owned. Spare parts are available and the electrics are generic so you can upgrade these easily.
Questions?
Contact me via one of my socials on Insta, Tiktok or Youtube.
Click Here to buy the Swamp Dawg Fan Powered RC Boat
Keep your wheels spinning, stay dry when it rains, and make sure that voltage doesn’t drop too low.
Jimmy