I’m Looking To Buy A Radio Controlled Gas Boat… Does RTR(Ready To Run) Really Mean No Assembly Required?
Radio Controlled boats come in many shapes and sizes. They also come in various stages of assembly. From builders kits, almost ready, to ready to run, it can take months or it can be no more than a few minutes, to get your new rc boat ready for action.
If you don’t count the fact that all rc boats need to have batteries installed, the electric lower priced model boats, are ready to go. Something like the Traxxas 28″ plastic molded electric boat is an excellent choice for kids.
For the grease monkey types, who are more into engines than boat building, there are the ready to go gas and nitro, radio controlled boats to consider. Just waiting to be modified.
Just so you can get an idea of what to expect as far as assembly goes, what follows is what I had to do to get my first gas rtr rc boat ready for the water. This is a hobby grade boat that will go 50mph with no modifications.The assembly required is pretty typical for this kind of boat.
The boat I had ordered was a 48″ fiberglass gas boat called an Osprey. It came with a 26cc Zenoah engine and can go 50 mph. Like a lot of rc boats, mine was made in China. The directions did help a little but there’s a lot lost in the translation. The Futaba transmitter’s directions where all in Chinese.
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 directions made it sound as if I would have to glue the radio box in place, but it was already glued and the servos installed and hooked up. The rudder and the propeller where real easy to attach. that just left the batteries (6 AA’s) for the receiver and setting up the antenna.
At this point you are either ready for the lake or depending on what type of engine you’re using, there might be a recommended breaking-in procedure. Go online and find out what’s the best way to accomplish this. In my case the Zenoah did not need to be broken-in, it had been done at the factory. My first day at the lake was a total success.
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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