I know nothing about the boat you have but the transmitter to receiver problem I can suggest two things.
Make sure the servo (s) is plugged into the correct socket in the receiver.

Try the transmitter on another receiver with the same frequency. If it a known good receiver and you get no response then Id' suspect the transmitter is bad. If you do get response, then your receiver is bad. The servos will always "jump" when powered up but that doesn't mean the receiver is working. Could be a bad crystal in the transmitter but it could also be a bad crystal in the receiver.
There should be a warranty on the radio if it's new. Send the system back and have it repaired.

One last thought; has the boat been in the water? Many new boaters don't pay enough attention to making sure the radio box is water proof. If there is water in the receiver it will not function properly.