The Traxxas Nitro Vee was my first nitro boat.  I chose it because of it's innovative "Return To Shore" (RTS) system that uses a small electric motor to power the main prop if the nitro motor dies.   It also features an electric starter.  Both of these features work great although they may not be needed very much because the motor also works very well.  It has proven to be very easy to start and hardly ever dies.  If you get the impression that I love the hardware on this boat, then you are right.

One thing that I hate about this boat is the hull itself or more specifically, it's durability.  After running about a gallon of fuel, which admittedly is a lot of runs, the hull shows sever signs of breaking apart.  There are cracks all over the place.  They were so bad that at one point I had to retire the boat.  This is a real shame since the drive system seems to have a ton of life left in it.

Traxxas does sell replacement hulls but it would have cost me $105!  That's way to much for an ABS hull.  Shame on Traxxas.   I did end of repairing the hull using some carbon fiber strands and some epoxy to try to give it a second life.  I still have not tested it so I don't know if I was successful yet. 

I wish the hull didn't crack like it did.  I personally find this unacceptable and would not buy this boat again even though I have had a lot of fun with it.  Maybe if I put the carbon fiber in when it was new the cracks would never have formed.  Oh well, if my repairs do not work, I will look for another boat to put the drive system in.

Be sure to see the Petro Boats website for more info on this boat!