Should I return this boat?

[trevorla]

I am having serious concerns after purchasing this boat last sunday.I havent opened the box yet due to frozen water.The overheating issue may have me going back to my LHS soon.Is anyone out there happy with your purchase???

[djmaincheese]

I'm very happy after now after changing out the motor and esc :) Everyone that has made the changes seems to be a lot happier and they didn't have to return the boat to Traxxas and have to wait another 3 weeks to get it back..

If you watch all the videos and the steps you should take to keep it running cooler you should be fine. Bigger Aluminum Cooling Jacket, Open up the Rudder pickup and bigger water lines that will help a lot. Unfortunately there is no getting around running the stock setup on 6S if you don't make the necessary changes.
Now if you want to run say 4S you will be good to go....but who wants to do 30 when the boat is supposed to do 50!!

Good luck with your boat.........now go rip that box open and get her ready for spring :)

[trevorla]

Thanks for your response.
I guess it bothers me that as some of you have put it,that initial buyers are in reality "beta testers" left to six sigma all the problems that were not ironed out in testing.

[dag-nabit]

As DJ mentioned, the boat will require some modifications to run 6S.

It is also pretty much a given now, based on the experience of owners, that a different prop will be required to acheive, or at least get close to, the elusive 50 MPH barrier.

It really depends on your tolerance for putting a little extra cash and time into your new boat to get it running reliably.

If you are not going to be pleased with out of box performance, then obviously you should return it before opening the box.

Kevin

[Freelanceshots]

Yes I would return it immediately. No one should have to automatically have to spend more money to get thier new rc boat to run properly. That is stupid that you should have to go in and replace the motor or esc. If I would have received this boat after spending 400 plus dollars and I had taken it out of the box and ran it with the issues it would be going back for a full refund plus shipping costs. For a company to release a product that does not work properly as specified that is a huge disappointment! There are to many other boats out on the market that run just fine in stock form. Traxxas also thinks that they can monitor this form and keep all the things off it that they don't like or are not positive about their products and this will be Traxxas's downfall. They will surely delete my post because I spoke my mind and that is why I most likely will never buy another of their products. I would have even gone to the extent of driving to Plano, Tx and dropping it off at their doorstep because I would have been so disappointed. I am sooooo glad that I was not one of the people that spent their hard earned money after a long wait to find out that not all the bugs where worked out.

Notice my little infractions indicator to the left. I have never said anything outlandish or abusive to get banned from a freaking forum! I would delete my account but I don't see an option to do this.

[Champy]

Freelanceshots, are you a member on the Offshore Electronics Forum? Looks like there is plenty of talk going on there about this boat and it's shortcomings. I just signed up! Looks like several Traxxas members are there looking for solutions to the overheating issue.

[wilsta67]

The simple fact of the mater is who buys a rc boat and leaves it stock STD
I have 4 boats 2 petrol and 2 electric and all of them have been changed or modified in some way.
That's part of the hobby. If your not happy with a purchase send it back or put up with it and fix it yourself
Like most of us have. The only thing I have had to do to the boat to get it running is drill out the water pick up n bigger hose and water jacket. Cost me 30$.

[filmmaker]

The simple fact of the mater is who buys a rc boat and leaves it stock STD
I have 4 boats 2 petrol and 2 electric and all of them have been changed or modified in some way.
That's part of the hobby. If your not happy with a purchase send it back or put up with it and fix it yourself
Like most of us have. The only thing I have had to do to the boat to get it running is drill out the water pick up n bigger hose and water jacket. Cost me 30$.

I would be one of hundreds that do
I own several boats including a couple SV27's and a UL-1 that have the stock electronics and cooling system in place
I've never had any heat issues at all with them, in fact I run one of my SV's on 5s that gets me into the 50's and that's stock everything ;)

[RGrew176]

If the Spartan is supposed to be a ready to run boat then it should be ready to run right out of the box. Mods should come later. Mods should not be the normal part of the start up of a RTR boat.

[filmmaker]

if the spartan is supposed to be a ready to run boat then it should be ready to run right out of the box. Mods should come later. Mods should not be the normal part of the start up of a rtr boat.

... Bingo! ...

[Ronkat]

After six months finally got the Spartan today,(didn't come with a icebreaker attachment)as this is our first boat the grandsons and I are quite happy to enjoy it right out of the box.Maybe down the road with all the info on this forum we will be able to do some of the mods ,I'm sure the young fellas will feel the need for speed.Great forum keep the info coming for some of us rookies.

[Freelanceshots]

exactly......RTR stands for Ready to Run where most of Traxxas's RC vehicles are meant to be easy to use and reliable. If I choose to make it faster or more extreme then that's my choice and I can do it if I want and when I want. After dropping 400 bucks on a new boat that states it can run on 6S batteries and hit 50 in stock form that is misleading. Does it say on the box that it will only run for a couple of minutes? Not everyone has a dremel and the bits to message the water inlet on the rudder along with the other mods. I have a dremel and I enjoy that stuff but it should not be up to my mechanical skills to get an already built boat to run properly. I'm still upset that Traxxas did not chime in sooner and admit that there is a problem and tell the owners that already bought the boat that they will be taken care of. I'm also upset that Traxxas has the time to monitor the posts and forum for anything that they don't want written but when it comes time for trying to find a solution to fix an error they say its most likely because the prop shaft isn't lubed properly. I can go out and buy a kick butt hull and top shelf electronics and build a boat myself and stay in a similar price range but that's not as easy as buying a put together boat for say like a father and son. Not everyone wants to tinker with things so thats why Traxxas coined the term RTR. I for one am someone who would add all the typical performance parts down the road but I don't want to have to do it before I've even gotten to enjoy the boat.

I have a slash 4x4 and its a rock solid performer and I'm glad to own it. If it only ran for a few minutes on 3S like its advertised on the box then I would not own it.

[GeoVW72]

The boat is RTR, with the packs out of the box so far as I have heard there have been few issues with the stock nimh. Going to lipo is a modification, not to say that these issues should have occurred, but there are always issues with the newest (http://www.proboatmodels.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=PRB4100) thing. however, I do not agree with traxxas's hands off approach to these widely known issues

[AndrewP]

I have to agree.
Traxxas needs to own up to the fact that there are problems with this boat.
They should come up with something other than the "make sure the prop shaft is properly lubed" excuse for overheating.
And, plastering "50+mph" on the box is B S.
I've done most of the mods to mine, except for the aluminum water jacket (out of stock). Only cost me a few bucks and a little time.
But I shouldn't have to do that on a new model.

[Nitro Chicken]

Hello Guys, Our engineers are looking into the reported issues and are certainly aware of your concerns. Reporting the issues you are having is one thing and there is nowhere on this board that says you cannot do so. Many people have already posted their boat issues and have had no problem with the Mods or management for doing so. Bashing Traxxas is a different issue altogether and if you cannot state your vehicle problems without flaming us then it is better that you do not post at all because I can assure you that we do have an issue with that. This is clearly stated, yet again, so I expect no surprise from anybody who receives infractions for flaming or Traxxas bashing.