Ah. I had the volume really low last night as not to wake the wife. I also see that there is a blurry 3 seconds of spec in the very beginning. All really expensive stuff. I know my buddy won't want to put that $ amount into a weekender fun boat, but he does want it to be reliable. I do have the t180 on the way.

1521 1.5D motor....What KV? stock 1860kv or the competition wind: 2900kv or 3100kv?
55MM prop. What pitch?

Weight is immaterial because it is what it is I guess, It's hard to put a boat on a diet to lose pounds. Ounces maybe, not pounds.

I still have that question about amp draw: Add a cell (to 6 cell) with the same prop would reduce the amp draw? Drop a cell and prop up a bit reduces amp draw? Remember, you are conversing with an extreme NOOB here. What cheaper solutions are we looking at?