Radio Controlled Boats |

Before buying a rc model boat realize they come with different assembly requirements. Builders’ kits are for the serious hobbyist, while the almost ready and ready to run kits, require only basic tools and skills.

You’ll find the lower priced plastic models, such as the Traxxas Blast, only require installing the radio receiver batteries. Other than that these rc boats are ready to run right out of the box.

For the grease monkey types, who are more into engines than boat building, there are the ready to go gas and nitro, radio contcontrolled boats to consider. Just waiting to be modified.

So that you can get an idea of the assembly required for a typical hobby grade gas rc boat, the following is a description of what I had to do in order to get my new boat ready for action.

The company I got my gas rc boat from, shipped from the factory in China. Yes the Chinese actually make really good rc boats. This one called, the Osprey, is 48″ and goes 50 mph as is. But here’s where it’s good to have a little handyman in you. The directions are like the Japanese ones…not very good.

If I would of had good directions the assembly would have been about 20 minutes max, but since it was my very first serious rc boat, it took me more like an hour. It didn’t help that after laying out all the parts, I was missing one of the two included allen wrenches.  

The hardware, (propeller and rudder) looked like they were going to be a challenge to attach, but they were really no problem at all . The radio box and the servos were already installed and ready. The antenna had to be set up, 6 AA’s for the receiver and the Osprey was ready to be gassed up.

Just like a car engine, some of these rc boat engines require a little breaking-in before the first time out. I found out by going online, that the Zenoah had been broken-in at the factory. My boat was now ready and I must say, worked perfectly all day as well as being wicked fast.

So you are never going to get a “ready to run” boat in the strict sense of the word.. There will be some assembly require, but it’s real basic (sometimes only installing the batteries) and usually takes under an hour.

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