I received the HyperSport 48 last night... Biggest box related to RC boating that I've ever received, that's for sure...
Boat looks really good. Fiberglass work is solid for a RTR, and the hull bottom is nice a rigid; well braced with structure from the inside, and the edges are crisp.
The hardware is of a very good quality. Feels solid and is very smooth, with a gunmetal gray anodizing. No slop in the strut. Looks like they've done like they do it their other boats with the flex... they use a cone piece at the nose of the strut that is attached to the flex (with set screw), so to get the flex cable out, you have to undo the coupler, and I think the nose-cone, then it'll slide out. I'll check this out tonight when I get into it further, because when it arrived, the strut was unbolted. The instructions show that you have to take the entire strut off to lube the cable, so I could be mistaken about the set-screw on the nosecone. This is something I'd like to see changed, as once the strut is set, I hate to take it loose just to lube the cable.
Boat comes with an aluminum ProBoat prop with has the exact same specs as a Prather 270. I'll play with this prop a little to make sure it's balanced and sharpened and then run it and we'll see how she does. I don't own any big Gas boat props, so this one will have to do for now. Would like to get an ABC 2614/3 or 2714/3, but I'm not sure if these will work on a bone-stock Zen motor (any advice???).
The radio is AWESOME! Amazing that a RTR boat would come with a full-blown Spektrum 2.4 system but it does! DX3S with the new Marine MR3000 RX installed.
Radio box is easy to get to. Not sure I like having to undo all the screws to get to it, but I suppose you don't have to all that often.
I'll be picking up some 2-cycle synthetic tonight and will get some gas mixed up and then see about getting some test time.
My overall impression (and I'm fairly picky), is WOW! This is COOL! I think even the vetrans out there will appreciate the decent quality of this boat. My goal is to get through all the heats at the 2009 NAMBA Nats in a couple of weeks, finishing the best I can, and see if this would be a good option for someone starting out in Gas boat racing. Would be cool if, by upgrading the motor to full G1 specs, this boat could at least be competitive and provide someone the opportunity to race and be in the mix.
We'll see!
Pictures can be seen in my gallery:
http://www.intlwaters.com/index.php?app=gallery&module=user&user=1950&do=view_album&album=758
