Review of RC4WD’s Big Dog 1/10 Dual Axle Scale Boat Trailer

Haul your boat in style…
This article was originally published in RC Driver’s September 2015 issue.
Photos by Walter Sidas

There have always been boaters who have favored the scale side of the sport, building and replicating some of the most beautiful boats down to the minutest detail. But when their project is finished, it’s displayed, stored or toted to the pond on a few pieces of PVC pipe glued together. Really, people? Its time to show off that scale boat on a scale trailer and launch it in scale style! RC4WD a leader in scale trail trucks has just released the BigDog Dual Axle Boat Trailer for use with their trucks and it’s a beautiful scale trailer that will make many boats look great in storage or waterside. Let’s take a closer look at this new scale accessory.

THE GOODS

BigDog is a tough name for a trailer and how this unit is constructed backs up the name. The main frame of the trailer is steel channel that has been bent to form a standard boat A-frame style V-hull trailer. Spot welds on the frame supports keep the cross members secured in place. The entire frame is then black coated for a great looking while durable finish. Take a look at the detail photos for additional information on the trailer equipment.

THE WORKS

To try out the trailer I ordered up an RC4WD toe-hitch bumper and bolted it onto a RC4WD Cruiser I built for RC Driver. The bumper didn’t have the tail lights incorporated into it like the Cruiser bumper did as it was designed for their trucks the Trailfinder 2 and Gelande. But the bumper bolted up to the Cruiser and most importantly let me tote the trailer around at the nearby lake.

Maneuvering the trailer on a scale crawler with locked differentials was a bit challenging as the turning radius is a bit wider than a vehicle with active differentials. But nonetheless, the look of scale is all there. We had several boats on hand with us for testing on the lake that day, but all were over twenty four inches and looked a bit too long when positioned on the trailer. But once we slid a boat up on the nylon bunkers, we realized the trailer really needs some sort of straps to secure the boat for travel. Overall the trailer looks great in tow and the lights give the trailer scale looks, too. Just make sure when you are done using the lights to disconnect the battery. Even though we shut the switch off for the battery on our trailer, the battery was still draining and was actually very hot to the touch.

WRAP-UP

When putting together the ultimate scale RC experience, for those who enjoy cars and boats, adding RC4WD’s BigDog trailer is an excellent addition to the collection. At first we thought it was a little on the pricey side, but this handmade trailer is build with quality materials and is nearly all metal so the price is well worth it for what you get. It comes preassembled so you just have to add your boat and truck. The BigDog trailer will be great for display or ultimate scale adventures.

Links

RC4WD rc4wd.com