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I think a few loose ends of fibreglass matting *are* par for the course with RTR hulls that have gone down a production line yes. I wouldn't get too concerned about those. Really - stuff like that is just cosmetic. Hard to tell from the pics, but it seems you've even had extra matting laid where I did not. Cut em off with a hobby knife and sand back a little and you'll be fine. I did have a few loose bits of matting with mine but it was all very minor. The basic underlying glasswork was actually pretty good - except for the thin hull thickness in the sponsons. Still not sure of the real story there.
The stress cracks: I'd say Darin is right. If you try wieilding this hull around by grabbing it like that then it's gonna happen. So it probably *is* what happened at the factory perhaps. If it's cracked to the point of being more accurately described as damage then..... warranty. it it's just a few minor stress cracks then - yeah - annoying but not uncommon. Reinforce with some light matting on the inside and get busy with it.
The paintwork - again - annoying but I do agree it's a minor issue. Odd though - never saw anything like that. But if it's *not* minor for you - then all you can do is ask the question.
But What I will say though - is that around here this boat retails for $1600. I think for that price tag you can begin to ask a little more than classic RTR standards. The hardware in this boat *is* a cut above classic RTR for sure. No Doubt. The hull *is* actually better laid up than a great many I've seen. The V1 Zonda Hull I've got was frikkin eye opening. However - as the pre-strengthened hull in the Zelos 48 is supposedly a predominant feature of the boat..... Well Mine didn't turn out that way.
I think there *are* some Quality control issues, and maybe on a hull this big they are less easily hidden. People have to make their own decisions on that I think when buying stuff like this. For people that aren't veterans of the hobby though - I do understand worry around issues like these.
But look, some CF tape, West systems epoxy and additional matting of your choice to strengthen where you'd like, some epoxy in the tips and tunnel nose.... and Boom... you've got a well set up boat that you've strengthened to boot. To even get our hands on an FE boat like this before now would be several K's worth. What's good with this boat is that we've gotten 48inch hull for much less than that. My boat is definitely a little heavier than it was but not drastically so. Ran well on it's shakedown cruise I gotta say, though I didn't push it on those sessions.
For me the thrill is in the drive, not on the shelf.
The stress cracks: I'd say Darin is right. If you try wieilding this hull around by grabbing it like that then it's gonna happen. So it probably *is* what happened at the factory perhaps. If it's cracked to the point of being more accurately described as damage then..... warranty. it it's just a few minor stress cracks then - yeah - annoying but not uncommon. Reinforce with some light matting on the inside and get busy with it.
The paintwork - again - annoying but I do agree it's a minor issue. Odd though - never saw anything like that. But if it's *not* minor for you - then all you can do is ask the question.
But What I will say though - is that around here this boat retails for $1600. I think for that price tag you can begin to ask a little more than classic RTR standards. The hardware in this boat *is* a cut above classic RTR for sure. No Doubt. The hull *is* actually better laid up than a great many I've seen. The V1 Zonda Hull I've got was frikkin eye opening. However - as the pre-strengthened hull in the Zelos 48 is supposedly a predominant feature of the boat..... Well Mine didn't turn out that way.
I think there *are* some Quality control issues, and maybe on a hull this big they are less easily hidden. People have to make their own decisions on that I think when buying stuff like this. For people that aren't veterans of the hobby though - I do understand worry around issues like these.
But look, some CF tape, West systems epoxy and additional matting of your choice to strengthen where you'd like, some epoxy in the tips and tunnel nose.... and Boom... you've got a well set up boat that you've strengthened to boot. To even get our hands on an FE boat like this before now would be several K's worth. What's good with this boat is that we've gotten 48inch hull for much less than that. My boat is definitely a little heavier than it was but not drastically so. Ran well on it's shakedown cruise I gotta say, though I didn't push it on those sessions.
For me the thrill is in the drive, not on the shelf.
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