JJRC S5 Baby Shark: Remote-controlled boat for $15.99

The JJRC S5 Baby Shark in racing boat design is the little brother of the JJRC S4 Spectre and JJRC S1 Pentium RC boots. Is it also a lot of fun for adults or something for the little ones? That’s what we found out in our test!

• JJRC S5 Baby Shark RC Boat
  • at GearBest for $15.99 (Coupon:GBJJRCS5) | Geekbuying for $19.99

Packaging and scope of delivery

The JJRC S5 Baby Shark boat, which we got from GearBest, has survived the journey from China unharmed. On the box, on which both the red and the blue version are shown, there is the boat itself, the remote control, the battery, a USB charger and a manual.

Two AA batteries for the remote control are unfortunately not included and must be purchased separately.

Design & workmanship

The JJRC S5 Baby Shark RC-Boat is with the dimensions of 22 x 7.4 x 5 cm much smaller than the models S4 Spectre or S1 Pentium, which we have already tested. It is available in two colours. Red and blue are available, we got the blue version.

The small boat looks, with streamlined racing boat design, clearly faster than it actually is. But I personally like it a lot. A few details have been printed on and on the windscreen (printed in black) you can see windscreen wipers.

Personally, I would have been happy about a few more details, but well, it’s a toy and not a model. There’s nothing to complain about when it comes to the workmanship. The plastic moulds are cleanly cast and the individual plastic parts fit well together. Furthermore, it doesn’t smell unpleasant in any way.

Driving behaviour on the water

Due to the smaller size and speed, we tested the JJRC S5 Baby Shark in our home inflatable pool with a diameter of 3.5m. Of course it can also be used in a (bathing) lake.

After a few minutes of driving pleasure, however, you soon realize that the JJRC S5 Baby Shark RC-Boat is more of a children’s toy. If you’ve ever driven a JJRC S1 at 25 km/h, around 10 km/h is pretty slow.

https://youtu.be/Y3oqS182p5Q

However, a pool of this size is sufficient to do a few laps with the small RC boat. If you have such a pool, it is also suitable for home use and you don’t have to drive to a lake with the children.

In the stern of the RC boat there are two small motors, if you want to steer, one of the motors switches off and the boat turns. A movable rudder, like the JJRC S1 Pentium or S4 Spectre, does not exist here. I also think it’s a pity that there is no reverse gear – a disadvantage if you get caught.

In the test, while submerging or throwing into the water, some water penetrated into the boat, which does not influence the functionality in any way.

Practical experience has shown that the JJRC S5 Baby Shark RC-Boat unfortunately does not bring the hoped for driving fun for adults. For children, according to the packaging from the age of 14, it can be a lot of fun! In my opinion, 14 years is almost a little too old.

Long battery life

Inside the Mini RC-Boots works a 3.7 v battery with 650 mAh battery. Charging with the included USB charger took about 90 minutes in the test – a solid value.

Afterwards the battery, with short interruptions, lasted for about 30 minutes of driving fun. In my opinion a very good value, which even exceeds the manufacturer’s specification of 20 minutes. In comparison, the battery of the JJRC S1 or S4 lasted about 10 minutes.

Conclusion

The JJRC S5 Baby Shark RC-Boat is a round thing all in all, but in the long run it is probably only fun for children. It’s quite nice that it can also be ridden in the pool at home due to its size and speed. I think it’s a shame that reversing is not possible.

In the area of processing & design there is actually nothing to criticize. It could be a little more detailed, but since it is to be evaluated as a children’s toy, one cannot expect more in my opinion.

I really like the battery life of about ~30 minutes and with a charging time of only 90 minutes you can drive it several times a day.