wildman51

hey guys happy 4th of july hope we all get fat ...........................er on pork and good food .....LOL just thought Id start a thread on rio upgrades and tips lets hear it guys Im upgrading and will share when Im finished with my upgrades so if you want to share heres your chance .............thanks guys........wild

Dreamin Hemi

Ok, I'm in......

1. Ditch the Fugi! Duh
2. Replace the steering servo (at least) and install heavier duty ball links
3. Replace the strut with heavier duty unit.
4. Ditch the stock exhaust system....header to stinger

There are many things I've done to mine, but these listed were my initial "fixes". Later on I completely replaced the radio with FASST.

planebasher

What did you keep from the original??

Dreamin Hemi

lol....not much. Still have the stock radio box, fuel tank, rudder and turn fins. Everything else failed and was replaced with aftermarket.

goodson

so far on mine: zenoah/clutch in place of fuji, proboat water pump, dual inlet rudder, new steering servo, new exhaust complete. still have the original strut, tabs and fins for now. i'll probably update at least the strut before summers over. over the winter its getting new paint.

Giorgos_cupra

I'll add something too...

Re-tighten and re-seal everything in the back.
Change servo battery to 6 volts.
Replace gas tank with IV bag and place it back of the engine to achieve a better c.o.g.


PS:Wildman i owe you an exhaust pic.You'll get it tomorrow.I hope you aren't mad

wildman51

no not mad just waiting for the pic have you ran it yet bet it sounds sweet.....later...........wild

cuda_tmaxx

My Feedback: (2)

Here is my list of tips

1.) Buy Rio for really cheap during Towerhobbies clearance
2.) Use Rio a few times and realize it isn't what you want
3.) Sell on ebay for twice what you paid for it.
4.) Buy a boat from WHH.

goodson

lol. i would be money ahead and have had an easier time if i woulda just bought an enforcer. i guess thats the learning experience i was after though. my next boat will definately be an easier project. i'm starting from scratch!

black talon

My Feedback: (5)

HALF THE FUN IN A BOAT IS UPGRADING IT. thats where i find my happy place. if it were already done i would buy scratch built.

planebasher

From what I have read; If I really liked and wanted the RIO; I would just buy the Hull from AQ; and the other components from some decent sources and build a decent boat.


Geez; you spend the money for the Rio and then have to replace everything; you could buy a top of the line RTR for less; Unless, you just like to tinker and the aggravation.

I dont think I have read one review where someone bought one; prepared it and ran it without a major problem.

Dreamin Hemi

Possibly one of the reasons they discontinued it. It really is a nice hull, stable and fun to drive around. Just that @%*! engine! If I were looking for a mono, I woulden't hesitate to wait for Tower to give one of their "scratch and dent" deals and grab that. Bought mine when they first were introduced couple years ago and paid $600 out the door at Aeromarine Laminates.....yes, they did carry ONE! lol. Remy told me they bought it to see what kind of upgrades they could manufacturer as aftermarket. Still eventually replaced just about everything eventually and was and still am very pleased with the hull.

Giorgos_cupra

Right now i;m modding the **** out of a zenoah pull starter...I'm trying to make it work...When it does i will post a sound clip.Oh,here is the pipe mate

DIABLOTAC78

looks great cupra it just need some polishing

planebasher

I had rather be running the boat than working on it trying to make a new boat run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfMUdCGHMus

wildman51

hey cupra looks good and thanks hope you get your Rio back up and running got my WHH zen with m 5 upgrade and clutch with waterpump with the pro wet pipe having a hard time beefing up the stringers any of you guys got any tips on this thanks .wild

Dreamin Hemi

What are you trying to accomplish with your stringers? If you're just attempting to "bulk" them up, than just use basic 6oz fiberglass cloth strips or 2" cloth tape. Mix your resin and using a disposable brush, saturate the strip while in place and tool it around the sides of your stringers. Make sure your surface area has been cleaned with acetone and scuffed with a heavy grit sand paper.

wildman51

Im trying install a zen with a clutch and the stringers arent tall enough the back mounts will work if I drill new holes but the front stringers are not tall enough as the engine is moved foward and the zen mounts are beefer I was gonna add to the stringers to accomadate the taller front mounts thanks Dreamin for the quick reply.......wild

goodson

instead of modifying the stringers, why not modify the mounts themselves? i made my own L brackets for the front and so far they work great. two through-bolts, washers on each side, and my Zen/clutch are in there!

wildman51

hey goodson when you put the zen and clutch in did it change the CG? ran mine today and it ran good seems to be cavatating alot more than the fugi mybe due to the weight in the front of the boat also seemed to cut out at full throttle might need to tune Ive got the zen 260 EZ25 with m5 upgrade and clutch with water pump ... from WHH started on the 3rd pull idled like a champ and cut out at full throttle. any thoughts .thanks ...wild

goodson

honestly, i dont know if it changed to CG. my boat came engineless. i mounted it where i thought it fit best and hoped for a decent running boat. i'll have to measure my CG and get back to you on what it is. after today, i'm gone for the weekend with my brother racing. bringing the boat for some bashing between races.

let me know what your CG is so i know im in the right ballpark.

Little-Twinny

Hi all.

I bought my Rio 1 year ago. I've managed to drive it about 2 hours with the stock Fuji engine. It's my first boat and I love the Rio to bits. Because I'm new to this hobby, I didn't know how the boats vere built. But, after serveral emails with Tony at WHH I got it just about right.

What I've done is pretty easy... I didn't know it would be this easy. I'm not very good at working with my fingers, but everyday I get better. [8D]

Zenoah 231 modified B.H.Hanson (Was to buy the M5 upgrade at WHH, but a friend of mine had this engine and no boat
Tony's T- bar
Pro Wet exhaust system
And some other small things, like fuel filter, locknuts and so on...
Also installed voltspy, fail safe and a battery pack 6V... All neatly installed in the original radio box.

Becase I'm not fitting a cluch, and the Zen with it's aeromarine mounts was really low and much nearer the transom of the boat, I changed the place for the gas tank. I made longer stingers to fit the tank.

I'll attach some pictures.. Hope you all like it.
You may all say that this is expencive, bla bla bla, buy another boat... but... at the end. I've learned so much, and the fun I get after the build and that the boat has run flawlessly afterwards just makes me feel good.

Dreamin Hemi

Nice job, however I have to ask...what's up with that throttle linkage?  Does not  appear to be very accurate as I'm sure flexes quite a bit with all the bends and the tape???  May want to re-think that setup.  I'd suggest at least a cable or bellcrank style setup.

twindaddy66

Where to start....

CY26 (SIKK) with stock AQ pipe, so far
O'Neil Brothers clutch
shaft saver
STOCK running gear, sharpened and tuned
Water pump from WHH
Aluminum 2 blade prop from WHH
Aluminum 3 blade prop from WHH
1000ml IV bag fuel cell
changed out all tubing to 5/8ths
Traxxas E-Revo receiver box (waterproof)
Traxxas E-Revo servos (waterproof/digital)
throttle linkage
autobailer Aeromarine (which worked like a charm)
changed to rechargeable 6v receiver battery pack
quick fuel attachments and pump
relocated receiver antenna to the hull
quick detatch cowl locks from Aeromarine
homemade muffler, which also worked better than expected (yay me!)
Futaba 3PK 2.4ghz FASST system which is freakin awesome!
ferrite magnets to cut glitching, which do work BTW
bow mounted picture hanger for tennis ball retreival method
got rid of the factory decals, added my own plus pinstripes

probaby more stuff, just loosing track of it all. Yeah I could have bought a RTR, and almost did. But the money I saved on the Rio allowed me to make it the way I WANTED it to be, and I am still several hundred clams under a reputable RTR (not counting the Futaba radio). Besides, building (and when required rebuilding) is part of the hobby. It sure has made me appreciate what goes into one of these boats, and of course, what makes 'em tick.

Always looking for something else to hop up....
T-Daddy

Little-Twinny

Hi Dreamin.

Well it looks odd... Now I've modified it, but still use the same type. I've glued it together instead of using tape. I'll probably swap it with another solution, but I'll have to find something that looks better, that's all. With the carb link I'm pushing it for opening the throttle and the spring on the carb helps the link back...

It's a rudder linkage from an rc plane. I've bent it and fitted it as in the picture. I don't want to many holes in the radio box, so I use the same hole.. I tried with a wire but that didn't work... With this linkage it flexes a bit wich is great since the throttle servo can "push" longer than the carburetor opening. Only thing that happends is that it flexes a bit. I've had no problem so far, and it works great.

Also the boat is now full of Pool Noodles.