Kit Contents

The Revolt 30, like all Aquacraft boats I've had, was packaged well with no damage present and no quality control issues to speak of; styrofoam and cardboard spacers are used to keep the hull protected during it's long journey from the factory to your doorstep. Upon removing the hull, I noticed the hatch was secured with an evil tape that left quite a bit of residue as I peeled it away. You'll need some Goof-Off or similar spot/stain remover to get this stuff off. Aquacraft has taken note of it with an updated addendum to the manual, but I'm hoping they can address this with the factory and use something similar to standard hatch/radio box tape.

The Revolt 30 is available in two offshore powerboat themes and two custom graphics themes.

This all-fiberglass hull is outfitted with some great looking hardware from GrimRacer. The strut, turn fins, trim tabs, and rudder are comparable to any aftermarket hardware currently available, and there is no need to "upgrade" anything. All the hardware is adjustable; you can raise and lower the turn fins, adjust the trim tabs up or down (both inboard and outboard tabs), and angle the rudder forward or back to maximize your turning.

GrimRacer hardware. This isn't the result of bad drilling; the strut is offset to counter the right-turning tendencies brought on by the turning prop and torque of the motor.   The aluminum trim tab mount and carbon fiber tab are mounted slightly higher than the radii at the bottom of the transom. This keeps the tab from dragging while still being effective. The carbon fiber trim tabs are easily adjustable and should be utilized when tuning the hull.   The turn fins were pretty sharp right out the box. They can be adjusted like the trim tabs, to help fine tune how the hull rides and reacts in turns. GrimRacer metal 42x55 prop   Two screws attach the rudder to the stand-off bracket. The bottom screw is brass and is designed to sheer off if the rudder strikes something, thus saving the transom. The rudder has a pickup that forces water over the motor and esc and expels it out the left side of the transom. The slot can be enlarged for better cooling, which will be covered later in the article.

Even though the hardware was setup somewhat neutral, you will need to do a few adjustments to get the hull to run straight and not chine walk or drag the right side. We'll go over that in the setup and running section below.

Under the Hatch

With the hatch off, we can see the layout leaves plenty of room for either a pair of 7.4v lipos, or a single 4s lipo. Aquacraft gives you the option to run 4200mAh packs for racing, or bigger 5000mAh packs for a bit more endurance.

Tactic TSX300 standard-size steering servo. Tactic TR324 2.4GHz 3-channel receiver (included in RTR version)   Watercooled 60 amp brushless esc The plywood transom provides a strong anchor for the Grimracer hardware.

Aquacraft has fitted the Revolt 30 with a 6-pole 1800kv brushless inrunner motor that's installed inside an aluminum watercooling jacket. The motor and esc are watercooled because the hatch is taped shut to prevent water from entering, thus eliminating the option of air cooling. This motor is pretty hot, but not the most aggressive choice; most P-Mono racing boats will utilize a 2200kv motor. Aquacraft wisely chose a slightly less-aggressive motor to appeal to sport boaters and provide run times longer than a short heat race.

The motor mount is attached to the hull through rubber grommets, which add a slight amount of shock and vibration damping. 6-pole 1800kv motor

The plastic battery tray has 3 hook-and-loop straps to keep the battery(s) secured. In most cases, the black foam strip should be removed. This allows the recommended 2s packs or 4s pack to be mounted lower in the tray for a better center-of-gravity. Make sure to add some hook-and-loop material to the bottom of the tray and the batteries as well. This will keep them from moving around.

The Revolt 30 comes prewired with Deans connectors for a pair of 7.4v 2s lipos in series (increased voltage). If you want to run a single 4s pack, you will either need to remove the series connector and solder on a single deans connector, or solder together an adapter. The latter solution will allow you to switch between 4s and a pair of 2s packs quickly. Since I will only be using a single 4s 4200mAh lipo, I chose to remove the series connector and solder on a single connector. Detailed instructions with photos are shown in the Revolt 30's manual. If you aren't handy with a soldering iron, I would recommend asking for help.

With regards to choosing your battery packs, Aquacraft gives you four options:

The 4200mAh packs are a bit lighter than the 5000mAh packs, so they are more suited for racing. The 5000mAh packs will give you longer run times and are more suited for sport boating. All packs are rated at 20c discharge rates. Whether you choose a pair of 7.4v packs or a single 14.8v pack is your personal preference. It should be noted that the hull will handle better with a single 14.8v pack that puts the cg low in the center of the boat.

Foam is permanently mounted in the front of the hull and serves as flotation incase it ever fills with water. A series harness with Deans connectors comes prewired. This is for running a pair of 7.4v 2s 4200mAh packs.   More foam for flotation purposes. I chose the GrimRacer 4s 4200mAh pack for the review.   Optional 45mm x 68mm lifter prop. This prop is takes the Revolt 30 from a fast sport-boat to a race-ready competitor, at the expense of run time and a little extra heat. The manual; it's well written and has a lot of information pertaining to setup and tuning.

The Revolt 30 comes as either a receiver-ready version requiring a transmitter and receiver, or a ready-to-run version complete with a Tactic 2.4GHz TTX240 radio system. Neither options come with batteries, which must be purchased separately. With the RTR setup, I was able to install 4 AA batteries in the transmitter, charge my lipos, adjust the hardware, and I was ready to hit the water.

The Tactic TTX240 radio system worked as expected, and had no problems with radio range. This is a base-level transmitter with trim knobs, reversing switches, and a steering rate knob only. For boating you really don't need much more, but I would prefer a battery pack instead of the four AA's if I were to use this for competition.

Tactic 2.4GHz TTX240 with Secure Link Technology (included in RTR version)