Rust isn't a problem with motors, a few motnths ago while in the rescue boat I fished out 2 of these rtr boats from the side of the water, caught in the wire mesh. one was a 'bat boat' and had a battery and 2 motors in it. The other had just a motor in. A bloke at the club took both home with him, soaked the motors in WD40 and they work, and the battery just needed a new connector and some cycling to get it into shape. He now uses the battery in his club 500. as for what Bill said, I totally agree with him, as i reckon if you go above 80 odd quid for a club 500 youve gone wrong somewhere.
Kit - £38
Radio - £5 2ch from Howes Models
ESC- £16 from time tunnel
RX - £5 from time tunnel
Servo - £6.50 from Mainly Models
Batteries -£6 apiece for 1400's
Total so far - £76.50. This is off the top of my head, and i could guarantee you I could get it down a long way if I shopped around.
And you know what, some of these simply rubbish rtr boats detract from the experience of rc boating with all of their problems such the radio cut outs, lack of speed, awful turning, lack of range etc. Like Bill says, we never see them again (the owners) because the boats are simply awful on the water. If you want a cheap boat, a club 500 is the way to go. They are relatively fast, turn well, last a long time, have almost unlimited range, are easy to build, easy to control, and so far in the 2 years i've been at the club, and doing the rescue boat, only one has ever been rescued due to someone crashing it into the side.
Also, on
http://www.astecmodels.co.uk/products.php?posted=1&selection=hulls, there is some really cheap hulls.
As for discouraging people, we just tell them to keep right into the side, and leave them to it. After a short trip in the rescue boat, I bring them their models back and we explain to the the faults of their boats. we have even in the past given the owners (always small children) ago with a club 500. I know that a few weeks ago one of these people's parents afterwards decided that they were going to buy their child a club 500, so we gave them the website to go to. we never discourage these people in boating, only the rtr boats.
Sorry if this seems a bit aggressive, but my dentist has just put me in excruciating pain and has subsequently paralysed my face, so I need to vent my anger