Official Discussion Thread: Bancroft Swordfish Mini Raceboat -RTR

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Bancroft Swordfish Mini Deep V

https://www.motionrc.com/collections...acing-boat-rtr

https://www.motionrc.com/collections...acing-boat-rtr

As exhilarating as it is easy to drive, the Bancroft Swordfish delivers speed, control, and style in a convenient Ready To Run (RTR) package. Open the box, charge the included 3s 2800mAh battery with the included battery charger, insert your own AA batteries into the included 2.4Ghz radio transmitter, and toss the boat into the water! All of the electronics are pre-installed, and the boat's running gear is setup for balanced speed and maneuverability out of the box without any additional adjustment. The Bancroft Swordfish sports a slick racing scheme in either a red-orange or a yellow colorway, accented by a gloss black hull and race-inspired decals.



In a raceboat, water ingress is bad, bad thing. To greatly reduce this risk, the Bancroft Swordfish's hatch is secured with a metal thumbscrew through the hatch and into a threaded hex nut molded into the hull. I especially like the adhesive foam weatherstripping that lines the recessed channel. This design provides a watertight fit, and the molded-in metal nut can be tightened without fear of stripping. I have stripped plastic threads in the past, so I'm glad to see all metal in the Swordfish!


While the red-orange colorway's paint is a high finish gloss, the blue colorway's gloss finish also adds a metallic pigment into the paint. Sunlight really sets it off!

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The Bancroft Swordfish's power system uses high quality components including a Hobbywing "Sea King" 40A ESC. Both the ESC and the brushless outrunner motor are water cooled, drawing water in through a port side inlet and piping it over the ESC and motor before exiting out the transom.




A one-piece molded Deep V design hull with smartly positioned strakes impart crucial stability to the Swordfish. The ABS hull is rigid enough to sustain the forces of high speed runs, yet supple enough to give a gentle ride.



Speed is worthless without control, so the Bancroft Swordfish sports an all-metal control and stability system. Metal turn fins are pre-installed; their shape and geometry is optimized specifically for the Swordfish's speed and weight, stabilizing its turns at both medium and high speeds through both smooth and choppy water. These turn fins greatly reduce the risk of a barrel roll, which must be avoided considering this boat does not self-right.



Trim tabs are also incorporated to the fixed turn fins. In practice, I didn't find any reason to want to adjust their positioning. For the RTR power system, the boat is essentially trimmed out-of-the-box. For a non-professional raceboat for people getting into the hobby, I appreciate the fixed hardware, which eliminates the potential complexities with adjustable mechanisms.



A robust all-metal rudder assembly keeps the Bancroft Swordfish tracking exactly where you point it. I have dug into a few of the reeds hiding under the waterline near my racing pond, and I'm glad the metal rudder shrugged off forces that may have broken a weaker rudder at high speeds. Although the Swordfish RTR includes a basic display stand, at the shoreline I'm confident enough in the metal rudder to simply rest the boat on it and keep the prop clear of the shoreline rocks.



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The convenience of a hobby-grade RC boat in this compact package opens up the world for new boaters. I've broken my share of toy-grade RC boats, with thin plastic hulls, poor waterproofing, fragile drive systems, or sub-standard electronics. The Bancroft 423mm Swordfish Mini Deep V rides heads above other boats its size, bringing a hobby-grade approach to the inexpensive "first boat" category.

I'm partial to the dazzling blue on this 423mm Swordfish Mini, and drive the red-orange on my larger 675mm Swordfish. Whichever size you choose, in whichever color, the Swordfish series offers high value in well balanced machines for entry-level and mid-level budgets.

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What's the actual speed of this model?