Nothing has been changed, it not so much the Height. your only at 9 mm diff. its the WIDTH and LENGTH together that does it in this boat. A 168x69x26 is a lot bigger together than 144x51xx27 . You can squeeze in anything you like but keep in mind the power going to the esc and motor. I like to stick with the manufacturers recommendations. Some 3s batteries are diff. specs but I found on this boat you really need to be close for the room.