Pro Boat NEW PCF MkI Swift Boat Out of the Box Overview and Review

I get my Swift Boat out of the box and go over the details and a little of the history of this incredible scale remote control boat.
With the 1/25 scale PCF Mk I, Pro Boat honors the heroes who piloted Patrol Craft Fast (PCF) vessels on patrols during the Vietnam war. Veterans, their families, and history enthusiasts will all appreciate the depth and the accuracy of its detail. On the water, Pro Boat engineering delivers outstanding performance for all RC boat enthusiasts to admire!
The real PCF boats - also known as Swift Boats - were all-aluminum, 50-foot craft developed by request of the U.S. Navy specifically to combat insurgent activities. Initially used to patrol coastal areas, PCF missions later expanded to interior waterways where they carried Vietnamese forces, blocked enemy arms and munitions, and transported SEAL teams for counter-insurgency operations.
Though detailed enough to simply enjoy on display, the Pro Boat PCF Mk I is also equipped to execute daring missions at your local lake or pond. Two 390 brushed motors with aluminum heatsinks supply the muscle to move easily at scale speeds and maneuver with finesse. The included Spektrum SLT3 radio and 40-amp ESC/RX 2-in-1 provide dependable control of the on-board electronics - and let you operate the boat's LED lights right from the transmitter.
In addition to the lights, there are plenty more faithful scale features on the molded ABS hull. These include a .50 caliber gun on the bow, M60 machine guns, and a .50mm gun on the transom, plus life rings, docking tires, light pods, antennas, rail chains, and a flag. Eager to take its accuracy to an even higher level? The PCF Mk I comes ready to upgrade for an optional rotating machine gun turret (SMPSX108 Micro servo and SPMA3008 Y-harness attached to the steering channel required).
Out of the box, the Pro Boat PCF Mk I arrives expertly painted and finished with an accurate military trim scheme that enhances the boat's scale realism and its ready-to-run ease. Just add your choice of 3S LiPo battery and charger and you're ready for patrol!

[@oxman1834]

I have always loved scale rc boats!! I own many proboat models all of them are sweet!! I just purchased this one tonight. Very excited to open and use it before the water freezes in the north east!

[@BRGT350]

Congrats on the Swift Boat! It was my first ProBoat and so much nicer than the old Traxxas Blast I bought about 15 years ago. The Swift Boat is more like a scale model that you can take out in the water, which is what I love. The lake I use mine on won't freeze over until next month or possibly later, but it is too cold and windy to get out and enjoy being by the water driving the boat around. All of my airplanes and my boat are waiting until spring.

[@mustangcircut]

Nice vid. I just ordered one last week. Excited to get her soon. You are right about the speed boats. I have the traxxas spartan tracxas m41 and the blackjack42. I find the most relaxing is the horizon tug retriever. The kids can use it and when the water guns come on it’s like celebration mode!!!! Being a collector of post war model trains to it gets expensive but the kids enjoy it. Like anything else you can’t take it when you leave so try to enjoy it while you can. You work for it you deserve it. Plus it’s a total conversation starter when people see these!

[@BRGT350]

Thank you and congrats on ordering your Swift Boat. I really love mine and have been sailing it around the pond quite often this summer. I do like the tug boat as well. As I move away from go-fast RC stuff, I enjoy the slower more scale products. The Swift Boat gives me the scale look, a comfortable speed, and has a lot of military history along with it. I have started to look into getting a helicopter so I can eventually pair my Swift Boat with a Huey. My dad used to have a big collection of post-war trains and one steam engine that was pre-WW2. He recently sold his house in Michigan to move to Florida and sadly had to reduce his train collection and Mustang collection.

[@mustangcircut]

That’s sad to hear. I can imagine letting that go and sell had to be hard. I swore I’d never get a drone but I have one now lol. I have. A buddy that’s into copters and planes. I am just to nervous to fly those as I know I’d crash and they would wind up being a show piece in my man cave🤣 like a lot of the trains. At least the drone is fool proof to a degree and I have it on slowest setting too!!! Wish I knew what he might have wanted to sell because I am looking as of today and always🧐. I know people who just buy and sell. I buy and clean restore as best oem and enjoy. They are meant to run but when my kids come downstairs and my parents we reminisce when I was younger and lived at home with them and had the setup in basement. Those are the memories that are worth more than money.

[@BRGT350]

Thankfully my dad stopped selling his car collection after letting 2 go and he did keep some of his trains. RC flying is an awesome hobby to get into! I have had mediocre luck with helicopters, so been sticking to regular planes for now. Perhaps next year I will step into helicopters again. With the new technology in trainer aircraft, it is much easier to learn to fly today than even ten years ago. I am teaching my nephew on the Hobbyzone AeroScout, another on the Hobbyzone Carbon Cub, and my oldest nephew learned to fly on the E-flite Habu jet. Kids sure pick the stuff up quick! I am glad to hear you are into restoration and keeping your trains running. Trains are a fun hobby and I still remember running my HO set when I was a kid. I set it up at my grandparents house on the same table my dad had his O on when he was a kid. My one nephew is really getting interested in trains so we take him to the hobby shop quite often so he can look at the sets they have there.

[@craigeberstein-hv8xl]

Very interesting watching your videos and learning the history has taken my rc to the next level thank you

[@BRGT350]

Thanks!! I try to learn more about each the RC products and then share that history with others. Most don't care, but it is nice when I do find those that are indeed interested in the history of the models. I started doing this with my aircraft and decided to try it on the Swift Boat.

[@poruko641]

紹介ありがとうございます 私も欲しくなりました😃

[@stevesemrinec8829]

Great video Bryan and very informative. I love your appreciation for history and I always learn something from your videos!

[@BRGT350]

Thanks Steve. It is fun having the boat as it gives me something to do when the weather isn't great for flying. The history of the Swift Boats is really interesting and not something widely covered. I learned at the MKG air show that there is a Navy PBR (Patrol Boat River) that is based out of the Muskegon dock near the LST.

[@ThomasMartin-kj9hi]

The radio was not in the pilot house. I was a radioman on PCF 54. Enjoyed your video.

[@BRGT350]

Thanks and thank you for your service! Where was the radio at? The book I read wasn't very clear, but it sounded like it was in the pilot house.

[@ThomasMartin-kj9hi]

@@BRGT350 it was located in the main cabin, starboard side, next to the bulkhead of the pilot house.

[@BRGT350]

got it, thanks!

[@joeblow593]

Excellent video. Looking forward to some patrolling action. The brown water navy. A few a good documentaries on utube. It would look even better with some scale navy guys on board. 😃

[@BRGT350]

Thanks! Yes, I have been looking online for a 1/24 or 1/25 scale crew for the boat. I agree it needs them. I need to get out and film some patrol footage and show the difference between the 50/75/100% settings. I find 75% is my favorite to use.

[@prestonrobert2625]

Got a dear friend named Slick who served on these often. Described his duties and how I should shoot on Orders and where.. You know my fellow Americans know this he as killed by the jab. Yeah we served funny how that oath never dies.

[@BRGT350]

The history of the brown water navy is one that isn't well know, which is very sad considering the dangerous missions they were on and the important contribution they made to the overall war effort. Their service shouldn't be forgotten.

[@jonmandelbaum5395]

Great assessment. I’ve had my eye on one since they came out. In the 2000’s I had a proboat PT109 which was garbage quality. Then in 2019 I managed to get a proboat riverine command boat right after it went OOP. It came out the same time the PBR did but was less popular. I haven’t gotten it running yet. I’ve head the jet manifolds need better waterproofing where they meet the floor of the hull. One thing I prefer about it vs the above is actually the hatches are proportionally bigger and better located vs whet needs to be maintained. The boat is not without drawbacks but so is everything. What actually got me excited for the swift boat was an old warhammer 40k conversion of a 1/35 or smaller swift boat display model. However the details on this one are so good might not want to make it like that Would you be willing to do a video about maintenance?

[@BRGT350]

I haven't done any maintenance to it yet. I give it a solid inspection after each run to see if there is any water getting into the hull, remove anything that is caught on the props or rudders, and dry it off. I have had far less things to do it vs an older Traxxas Blast that always seemed to need work. The motors were always burning out, the linkage for the prop and rudder needed continual lubrication, and it never seemed to just work. The Swift Boat has been trouble free by comparison. It is a pretty simple layout with the rudders being separate from the props and none of the jet components like the PBR. I really want to get a PBR as there is one locally that is restored. It also suffers from jet pump issues, so the full scale and RC have that similarity. For me, the Swift Boat has been 100% awesome. I love how it performs, how it looks, all the scale details, the lights, the run time, everything about it. There are so many speed boats out there and I had no interest in something like that, but when the Swift Boat was announced last year, I jumped on it!

[@sinkinpat]

I just wish they made it in 1/18 to match the Proboat PBR.

[@BRGT350]

yeah, and I wish I could still get the PBR. I would love to have both of them. Of course then I would need to get a RC UH-1 as well.

[@darrellgomes1981]

If you live or visit the Washington, DC area, the Washington Navy Yard has a museum and an actual “Swift” Boat and a PBR. I was a member of the Washington Navy Yard Model Boaters at least a decade or so ago. We primarily built fully operational subs, but I still built surface naval boats too! I’ve been out of RC for years, but I became very impressed with ProBoat’s Swift boat. Do you know the scale of this model? If I were to purchase this boat, I would gear the motors, maybe 2:1, and refit to independent throttles for each motor. This means I’d be using a dual stick transmitter.

[@BRGT350]

I have yet to go to DC, but on my list of places I want to visit. Way too much history there to miss out on. The Pro Boat PCF MkI Swift Boat scales at 1/25. I have been running mine quite a bit this summer and I have found it to be the most enjoyable RC boats I have ever used or owned. I love using it at dusk as the sun sets and I can flip on the navigation lights. With my low throttle setting and patrolling around the lake, I can get 30 minutes out of a single 2200 3S battery. So much better than the few minutes of run time in a fast speed boat. I am working on trying to find a Pro Boat PBR model next, but those have proven difficult to find at a reasonable price.