JCAustralia

Hi

I was just checking some boats available at Tower Hobbies and I'm surprised to see that the Aquacraft Rio 51 is discontinued.

Surely that can't be it 'cause I remember that the Rio 51 was recently released. Its probaby an error on Tower website.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXSRU5**&P=0


Has anybody heard anything?

JC

jacob711

well just the other day they were on sale on tower for $199

Dreamin Hemi

If it helps, I called tower myself and was told they sold out completely very fast and have no idea whether they will be back again. She also rubbed it in saying I missed out by less than an hour!!!

Just saw the 1'st one on Ebay starting at $199!

JCAustralia

Very strange.....

The V24 is still being sold and not the Rio 51. I would have thought that if one of the boat was to be discontinued then it would have been the V24 and not the Rio 51........[]. The Rio being a recent boat and the V24 being an older boat with a number of negative feedbacks......

It's a shame if the Rio is discontinued as it looks good and has a number of innovative features and is priced reasonably [&o]. The boat can be bought at some hobby shops for around AUD $1,000 in Australia.

JC

Dreamin Hemi

If it is true, at least I have my two here still! It's a really good design hull. One I have has been crushed a little, the other getting a re-paint

soundguykaraoke50

last thursday when i ordered some parts there were 3 of these up for sale.2 of them were without motors and one had some glass damage.the cheapes one was 189 without the motor and had some damage to the glass,plus the rudder was missing#2 was ok but no motor or radio,#3 was all there but had stress cracks in the top deck and box was messed up.i passed on all of these.i have way to many boats already.looking in my hose its like looking in a miniture boat yard,boats everywere.and i do meen everywere.

GRANT ED

Any hints from the Aquacraft boys???

RCTruckDaddy

I was thinking of getting one this spring. I like the idea of a gas engine. I love my Baja 5B SS. I hope they reconsider this and sell it again.[&o]

Dreamin Hemi

I asked that question to the sales staff yesterday, their answer was "Once it's discontinued, we will never offer that product again". Maybe that's just Tower, but perhaps going to another chain????

JCAustralia

It would be good if Aquacraft can confirm whether the Rio51 is discontinued......[]

It does not seem logical to discontinue since the Rio is less than 2 years old......

Besides Aquacraft have invested so much in research and development to create the boat. They probably need to sell a fair number of Rio51 and parts to cover their investment and start making a profit. This boat is just at the beginning of its product life cycle......

The financial crisis is definitely affecting the hobby big time, but surely that can't be enough to cause the Rio51 to be discontinued and not the V24.....

What's happening? Anybody knows?

JC

Dreamin Hemi

I can only guess, however being a Rio owner times 2 I would have to blame the engine choice that perhaps caused Tower to discontinue. Both engines failed along with headers leading to perhaps hundreds of warranty replacements.....that's what they did with mine. This was a problem with early models however I cannot comment on any newer releases after certain issues were addressed. I can say it was definitely not the actual design of the hull....that was too well thought out and a very sharp looker! Would be a shame to see it go completely. Perhaps Aquacraft would consider selling bare hulls?. The two I have are not in operating condition however after some work one of them may make a good plug!?!?![X(]. At least Tower is still offering all the parts to keep the ones out there still alive. Come on Grimracer, we are all waiting for your comments

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

I'll shoot Mike a PM as they debuted it last year as the first one that I saw was at the Toledo show shortly after they came out.

chummer

Hi Guys, I just picked one up last night for $399 CAN. from a canadian hobby shop. Not as good as $199 U.S. but still a great deal! They said they were being discontinued and that is why the price is so low. I have never played with boats yet so this is gonna be new to me and I can't wait for the ice to go so I can get this thing wet.

JCAustralia

At the end of the day it's probably for commercial reasons as to why Aquacraft discontinued the Rio51.

If there are so many warranty replacements that is surely eating on their profits and their reputation also.....

So far I have been very impressed by their customer service. They have been very prompt in replying to my emails and dealing with my issues. I can't say same about other big names.....

I hope they come up with some solution for the Rio51 and not just discontinue it. Its always good to have some healthy competition and alternatives for the growth of the hobby.

Fingers crossed.

JC

goodson

how about an Aquacraft cat? i know of at least two people that would be interested if the quality was better than the BJ55.

rcguy1411

discontinued mabe but there seems to be a new distributor theres between five and ten nib rio 51 on ebay tonight

SCALECRAFT

My Feedback: (13)

Im a warbird guy, but i just bought 2 from Ultimate hobbies for $249.99 ea.. Not perfect but, a lot of boat for the price really.

steve

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

I've been bugging Mike for a while that they really need to come out with a Cat but it either doesn't look like it's going to happen for a while or maybe they've got something going on at their Skunkworks and don't want it to leak out. I'll see him at the Toledo show but he'll probably be mum about things.
BTW, sent him a PM so just waiting for a reply right now.

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

OK, I found a PM from Mike tonight when I got home. Yes, the Rio 51 is no more. Parts will still be available for several more years as Aquacraft does this with all of their models.
Something must be up as I'm suspecting something bigger and better to be rolling out of Champaign soon to replace it. What? We'll have to wait and see.

chase4556

We got two in at my work...guess who got one???



MEEEEE

Ron Olson

My Feedback: (1)

Aw, you didn't give me a chance to guess! [sm=lol.gif]

soundguykaraoke50

its funny that they did this.but the v24 is still here.the rio was a nicer boat and everything but the motor was great from what i hear.they were headed in the right direction ,then poof gone,grim,whats your word on this,i am sure you are reading these posts,as your are an active member of this site,please chime in.if you go to aquacrafts site the boat is still there,maybe just tower was fedup with the returns.they cant make any money by having to return the cost of the boat to the public.??????

it would be nise to se this boat reisued with a zenoah or a sikk from the factory,it would be an instant hit the public would jump on,even if the price was another $100 or so for this upgrade,come on grim racer talk to us,let us know what the deal is???

martno1fan

Well i hate to say i told yaa so but the writing was on the wall from day one,with all the complaints about the fuji motor and the exhaust problems it was only a matter of time i feel.I said this from day one and got shot down by quite a few ,well i bet those same people are now singing a diffrent tune.Lets hope they now go with a zenoah setup for the next gas rtr boat they produce or i feel the same will happen yet again.Or even better go with the new rcmk motor same price but 5+ hp [X(].
Mart

Grimracer

Hi Guys,

Ron turned me on to this post and truth is i have not read it all..

To have me posting regarding this is kind of stuff never seems to go well. It would just bring up more questions.

Keep the faith racers.

RIO 51 ROCKS!

Grim

Dreamin Hemi

OK, here's my prediction after seeing the same thing happen with HPI.... the Rio will live, however with a new heartbeat....CY, Zen...whatever.
The NEW Rio 51 SS! lol....just a hope and dream for the record.