Check out this Hydro.

[nate]

I made that mistake starting the PTSS21, It won't happen again.. Very costly.

[Gerwin Brommer]

Huh ? What on earth is wrong with a Phill Thomas 21 ??????
You only have to buy a bare hull and buy the right ingredients, that's all !!!!!

[domwilson]

So the first buy becomes a kind of waste money.

Not really. As the first buy, you gain knowledge and the confidence to move up to something better.

[domwilson]

Dang, I can't seem to get that quote thing right!!!

[Diegoboy]

[ quote ] [ /quote ]
That's all!

[Gerwin Brommer]

Okay okay.

My advice to Nate :

Buy that boat. Hull only.
Buy a seperate flexcable/stuffing tube/slightly hotter motor/offset rudder, and you'll be a happy man.

[Diegoboy]

Hull only. That's how I bought my Fastech, then made it a Jet drive!
That's how I bought my Chinese Mini Bud, etc...

[785boats]

R2 hobbies offer the hull only with this one for $83.00.
We suggested to them some time ago that they offer hull only options to some of their boats so that people could put their own hardware in them. This one they did it with.

http://www.r2hobbies.com/proddetail.php?prod=rcbt0027_hull

[nate]

Okay okay.

My advice to Nate :

Buy that boat. Hull only.
Buy a seperate flexcable/stuffing tube/slightly hotter motor/offset rudder, and you'll be a happy man.

This guy obviously hasn't been reading up on my Phil Thomas build..

Dude.. wake up man, I have the boat .. and all the hardware to build it...

I was stating that it is very very exspensive to build a fast Race spec hydro...

Iv got over $2000.00 In mine already, Thats why I like to buy cheap boats for the fun, and do alittle work of my own to it..

No big deal here..

How do my threads end up like this lol

[nate]

Okay okay.

My advice to Nate :

Buy that boat. Hull only.
Buy a seperate flexcable/stuffing tube/slightly hotter motor/offset rudder, and you'll be a happy man.

So yes Iv got everything to build the cheap hull.. thats kinnda what I wanted to do..haha

[Flying Scotsman]

Not really. As the first buy, you gain knowledge and the confidence to move up to something better.

Dom, very true but many are disappointed with the performance of their first RTR. I know I was ..a Kyosho Atlantic. It was tossed after 2 runs. I still have it and if you want it send me a pm and it is yours, if you pay the shipping. The RTR boats today are much improved over the old stuff, as far as speed goes but the quality??
Gerwin's point about doing research prior to buying an RTR is very valid. There are members who offer an ability to build a boat for you and I think that is a better choice. My, 2.5 Canadian cents

Douggie

[Meniscus]

...I know I was ..a Kyosho Atlantic. It was tossed after 2 runs...

You mean to tell me it didn't become a rescue boat? Maybe you had the wrong prop LOL

[Flying Scotsman]

You mean to tell me it didn't become a rescue boat? Maybe you had the wrong prop LOL

That is funny. That wee motor and prop not a chance as far as a rescue boat

[properchopper]

but many are disappointed with the performance of their first RTR.
Douggie

Very true, Douggie , and I don't disagree - my first RTR was a Twinstorm. But if we view this issue from the perspective of the entry-level boater [ who we strongly need to expand the hobby], there has to be a starting point. Fortunately, in a perverse sense, most RTR's are RTM's {Ready to Modify}. This is where the learning and yearning starts and the spark can, hopefully, become a flame of enthusiasm. When I encounter a RTR boater at the lake, the first thing I do is direct them to this forum, where the mentoring is freely given and the learning curve begins. Remember too, the progression from "box art boats" to scratch built can take a intermediate step by buying a more suitable project boat from the swap shops. Advice that I frequently offer and take advantage of myself. Keep in mind, as well, that the few manufacturers that are bold enough to introduce a higher level of RTR's are caught between manufacturing costs/implications and beginner-accessable retail pricing. Sometime they hit, and obviously, sometimes they miss ! Bottom line, It's all good, and personally, I highly value the trials and errors I encountered getting the Twinnie up to speed, and am grateful for the mentoring I got and still get.

Tony

[old yeller]

had to jump in

Call me peculiar (maybe the Belgian heritage), but I enjoy the 'building' part of this sport as much as anything.
I will freely admit that I am a better "builder" than a "driver"
My first boat was a Graupner HydroSpeed – a kit.
Originally fitted with a 7-cell NiCad, Graupner Hydro-Drive, and 500 motor ...
a 12-pack & Kyosho 360pt reduced the Graupner plastic gear drive housing to a melted mess in short order.
The alloy one that I made to replace the plastic lump never failed. So it began.
"...the enjoyment of designing and handcrafting, and then putting the result into action, is lost on many American's"
– guess I don't fit the profile. I'd find more satisfaction with a mediocre boat that I built than a faster RTR or the fastest custom boat built by someone else.

But Darin does make a valid point: "...RTRs are a great way to pull people out of the woodwork and get them invovled..."

Who here still owns their "first buy" unmodified boat – and no other ?
Whether it is a hull & hardware, a kit, or an RTR that initiates folks into the sport, if the interest is pursued, the quest for 'a bit more speed' and a better quality model is very likely to follow.
Consequently, the statement: "So the first buy becomes a kind of waste money." can be said to be true not only for the RTR, but for virtually any 'first buy' –
but if and only if learning, experience, and enjoyment have no value.
The point being that an RTR does have the ability to attract many to the sport who might not otherwise get involved ...

Having said that, Gerwin, it seems that I often do find that 'the best designed, engineered, and detailed' boat builds come from "across the pond" – and I aspire to that quality of craftsmanship.
Now... if only I had the FUNDS and TIME to focus ...