RC Boat Magazine The World's Leading Radio Control Boating Magazine
Cool Wave Ridin’ Deep-Vee
I have about a half-dozen different radio control boats in my fleet of watercraft. Each boat is different and has various pros and cons. When I received the Atomik Whiplash 24 for review I was quick to make judgments based on previous models that look similar. Luckily for me, Atomik did a serious amount of homework before they let the public get their hands on the Whiplash 24. In doing so, they made a fast, fun, near bullet-proof deep V style boat that is sure to please marine hobbyists of all types.
AT A GLANCE
MADE BY: Atomik
MADE FOR: Beginners to intermediate
WHAT’S IT COST: $299.99
BOAT TYPE: Brushless electricdeep-Vee
BUILD TYPE: Ready-to-run (RTR)
SPECS & TUNING OPTIONS
LENGTH: 28.12 in.
BEAM: 6.5 in.
HULL MATERIAL: Blow-molded ABS hull with factory applied graphics
MOTOR: V380 2200kV Marine Brushless Outrunner
SPEED CONTROLLER: 50A Pro Marine water-cooled, capable of 4S, 14.8V LiPo
PROP: 3-blade molded composite
RUDDER: Knife edged, 6000-series aluminum
DRIVE SYSTEM: Adjustable direct drive, quick release, flex cable
NEEDED TO COMPLETE
• Nothing!
TOOLS
• Two hex wrenches
THE BOTTOM LINE
With next to nothing to do other than install and charge batteries, the Atomik Whiplash 24 is ideal for entry-level to experienced watercraft enthusiasts. Velcro in a battery and go, plain and simple. Its straight forward design leaves little for maintenance meaning more time making waves on the water. If you want something quick, easy to use with little effort, this is your boat.
FEATURES
HULL
Atomik made a tough, yet lightweight blow-molded ABS hull the foundation of the Whiplash 24. For extra buoyancy there is a piece of foam toward the front that should keep the Whiplash 24 afloat in case it capsizes. Bolted in place at the center line of the hull is the brushless motor with the speed control Velcroed to the left. Moving toward the back, the battery mounts across from side to side with twin Velcro straps followed by a sealed radio box. Inside the box is a micro sized rudder servo and receiver. The hatch design does a fantastic job of keeping the inside of the boat dry and it is magnetically held in place at three locations, two toward the front and one at the rear. The bottom of the hull features a three step design. This helps the Whiplash rise up out of the water, reducing friction as the boat gets up to full speed.
RUNNING HARDWARE
An aluminum flexdrive shaft transfers power to a three blade prop. Because Atomik employs a flexdrive system, adjusting positive and negative thrust angle is done rather painlessly. Located in line with the prop is the aluminum rudder with a water pickup for the cooling system.
POWER SYSTEM
The Whiplash 24 uses a small water cooled Marine Brushless Outrunner V380, 2200Kv motor. It is lightweight and produces great power for its size. A Pro Marine brushless speed control is also water cooled and can be operated by 2S, 3S or 4S LiPo battery packs. It also has a built-in 2-amp/5-volt BEC so the radio system will have more than enough power. The Whiplash 24 also comes with a 2100mAh, 3S, 11.1volt LiPo battery pack that provides excellent run time and complements the motor and speed control.
ELECTRONICS
Atomik equipped the Whiplash with a 2.4GHz VR2T transmitter/receiver combination. It features dual rate steering adjustment as well as basic steering and throttle trim adjustments. It has a drop-down wheel design and is powered by eight “AA” batteries so it has a good, solid feel when held in your hand. The receiver and servo are kept safe in a water sealed radio box, but for an extra level of protection the receiver is also placed inside a latex balloon.
PERFORMANCE
Being just 24 inches in length, the Whiplash 24 does not need a great big pond or lake to be fully exercised. The perfect spot for testing the Whiplash 24 is located not far from my favorite hobby shop, R/C Madness, so I took all my gear and headed to Freshwater Pond in Enfield, CT. With a fully charged 11.1V LiPo battery pack I throttled the W-24 to the near center of the pond, about 30 feet away from shore, never going above half power. I took some sharp lefts and rights along the way to try to get a good feel for the boat and I quickly realized that the steering was a bit too aggressive. I turned the steering dual rate down to about 70-percent using the dials on the transmitter; this made hard turns more predictable and made the Whiplash 24 feel more stable. With the basic feel for the boat down, I ripped the throttle back and the Whiplash 24 rose up out of the water and shot forward like a torpedo. Despite running on just a 380, 2200Kv sized brushless motor, the Whiplash 24 has some serious get up and go. This is due in part to the lightweight design of the stepped hull and 3S, 2100mAh LiPo battery pack. With a better feel for the Whiplash 24, I sent it the complete length of the pond at full speed, making wide sweeping turns along the way. This was super fun and the people walking along the pond stopped to watch and commented to me about how quick and sharp the boat looked. After doing this for a few passes, I brought the boat back to shore for a quick inspection. The inside of the hull was almost completely dry and the motor and the ESC were still as cool as could be. At this point I installed a fresh pack and had at it again.
I again sent the Whiplash 24 across the pond, this time making fast cuts across the water to make the boat change direction in the blink of an eye. This caused quite a bit of water to be thrown up, but the Whiplash 24 felt stable nonetheless. I do feel that if the steering rate were much more than 70-percent doing this would cause the Whiplash 24 to capsize. When the Whiplash started to slow after about 10-plus minutes of use, I brought it back to shore for one last inspection. This time the motor and speed control were a bit warm, but this was to be expected as I ran it much longer and there was just a bit of water inside the hull. To get the water out I just pulled the drain plug, let the water drain out and reinserted the plug.
PROS & CONS
+ Fast! thanks to the BL and LiPo system
+ The magnetic hatch stays where it belongs
+ Water-cooled 50A ESC andV380 brushless motor
+ Comes with a 3S LiPo pack and balance charger
+ The interior stayed dry
+ Waterproof electronics
– The drain plug is a pain to reinsert
DOCKSIDE DEDUCTIONS
Don’t let the size of the Whiplash 24 fool you, it is a well-designed, boat that looks great and performs exceptionally well. Atomik gave it the prefect price point for a boat of this quality that comes this well equipped. Even better, once you buy the boat, you will need nothing else because everything, including “AA” batteries for the transmitter. With a great price point, fantastic performance and sharp looks, the Atomik Whiplash 24 is sure to create a great many waves in the very near future.
LINK
Atomik atomik-rc.com, 800-705-0620
Words: Dean Berry
Photos: Walter Sidas