kam76

I am looking to buy my husband an RC sail boat for christmas this year, but have to say I'm a bit overwhelmed and not sure what to get. I was out shopping with him one day and he pointed one out to me commenting that it had a motor so you could get it back without relying on wind, which struck me as a good idea and he seemed keen on. However, when searching I've only managed to find one or two which have this, which seems to suggest it's not such a great idea. The ones I've seen are the Nikko 1:25 scale Allegro Boat and the Sea Lite Sailing Yacht. Both look a little tacky to me.

I am looking for something which satisfies the following criteria:

1. Ready or nearly ready to sail - my husband is not one for spending 20 hours building it, and he doesn't have the time anyway. I also don't want something that take ages each time to get seaworthy.

2. Suitable for a beginner - my husband has some real sailing experience so understands the principles but no experience with models.

3. Easy to move around - we don't have a car so it has to be able to be taken on trains and buses.

4. Under £150 (USD300).

5. Available for purchase online for delivery to the UK.

I'd be most grateful for any advice or tips anyone can provide.

Cheers,
Katie.

martno1fan

hi Katie you are correct in thinking those two boats are not a good idea they are cheap toys for kids.if you want a great boat for £180 have a look at the link ive put up its for the micro magic .its a great little boat that will fit in any car without the need to dismantle anything.it sails very well also and is one of the fastest growing types of boat in the country at the moment so wherever he sails someone will soon have one.for the size you will not get a better boat and they will sail in all types of wind.i hope this helps the site ive linked has lots of info and you can buy the boat direct from them.you will be hard pressed to find many boats rtr for under£150 to be honest although you could try ebay .good ones to look for apart from this one are the victoria sailboats asthey are also good boats.to be honest though £180 pounds will get you a great boat that will sail well and if he fancies racing them he will find more and more clubs starting to do this as they are growing in popularity becauase they are inexpensive but great sailboats as well.i hope this helps you out ,if you do look elsewhere feel free to post a link of the boat and we will try to offer our advice on the ones you choose just dont buy one lol were all here to help .ill have a look on ebay and see whats about for you and ill pm you if thats ok?.[link]http://www.microyachts.co.uk/news.php[/link]
martin

martno1fan

well i had a look on ebay i could only find two that look ok although they need rc equipment they wont take much putting together and look pretty decent though.
[link]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BLUE-MOON-Sailing-Yacht_W0QQitemZ290031558799QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1409 71QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem[/link]


.[link]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Brezza-Sailing-Yacht_W0QQitemZ290031670387QQihZ019QQcategoryZ1409 71QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem[/link]

heres the victoria without radio and servos but you can get those things for around another £50[link]http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=488[/link]
one tip if you get one get him a sail servo as normal servos arent strong enough for the sail controll.however if it were me id go for the micro magic rtr as it comes with everyting you need to sail it and he will love it.also as you dont drive id say the size wouldnt be a problem as they are quite small you can remove the mast and sails to transport in a few seconds too.

Guiri

Hello Katie, I'd go with what Martin has to say about the Micro Magic; it's a great little boat with a large following and beginning to take off in the UK as well. If I have any reservations, they'd be about its small size. It's an advantage transporting it and keeps the price of the radio equipment down (A two-channel radio with standard servos is enough) but it makes the performance a bit nervous and perhaps not ideal for a beginner. It also means that it makes sailing at any distance difficult as you can't tell the blunt end from the sharp end.
The Victoria that he mentioned is probably the better beginner's boat (you can see it at http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=488 ) It would need one larger servo to control the bigger sails, e.g., http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=880
Both boats have websites dedicated to them.
As for the motor, it sounds good on paper, but other than a totally flat calm, getting stranded in the middle of the pond should never be a real problem and, as you've already seen, the boats using them are a bit tacky. They also require a third channel on the radio to control the motor.
PS I notice Martin has added some of the info while I've been typing[sm=red_smile.gif]

martno1fan

i hope we didnt scare her off ,ps i wish my wife was as thoughtfull when it came to boats!!just in case she or santa are listening id like a bluenose schooner for christmas !!.

javelin

What can I say guys, 100% correct advice

Micro Magic is the way to go.
I know of five full size sailors who bought MM's in the last few days in the UK, four of those chose the ready to sail version.

The link for more information should be [link=http://www.sailuk.org]UK Micro Magic Association[/link]
and Micro yachts have changed their front page to www.microyachts.co.uk (without the news.php)

[8D]

martno1fan

i forgot to say if you buy the boat kit for i think £89? you could get a cheap tx for £40 like the one on the same site.so thats a bit of a saving there too.seems odd but if you buy the kit and the tx seperate you save £51 .you will have more building to do but not much !!.

javelin

The build cost is likely to come down as the through put of boats increases.
We have a few ideas that we'll try in the new year.

It is true to say that you can build the Micro Magic very quickly (around 4 hours)
The gluing of the keel box can be done very quickly but it is far better to use epoxy which adds to the build time.
The wood structure for the servos can be built and fitted very quickly but it is far better to build, seal and then coat with varnish or epoxy resin, again increasing build time.

If you want a ready built boat to a high standard, the more time = more money I'm afraid.

The price is fluctuating a little in the UK as the inport costs, euro/pound is constantly changing and we are trying to keep the cost as low as possible.
We're certainly not in this to make money, for example the main UK importer sells the kit for over £140 !

kam76

Thank you all - some great advice and food for thought.

many thanks,
K.

martno1fan

hi javelin can i ask what interest you have in the magic? are you an enthusiast or a supplier?.just wondered thats all!!.

javelin

I've ended up as a bit of both but mainly enthusiast.

I got really frustrated at the lack of guidance in RC yachting in UK, especially for people brand new to it.
A bunch of us big boat sailors get hold of them when we were intrduced to them by our Dutch and German mates, during a European Championship.
It sort of grew from there. As the major suppliers in the UK were selling them for silly money, we decided to try and bring them in for friends.
This then developed in me building a website (which is what I do) along the same lines as a Big boat class association and subsequently a little shop.
Very much geared to break even rather than make a profit which is why we are just looking at the Micro Magic.

Ultimatley when we turn up for a Joint Open with 505's, Fireballs, Ospreys and the like it would be great to get these little babies out and find out who really is the best without the cheque book and handicaps getting in the way [8D]

martno1fan

thanks for the reply mate its good to see someone putting something back into the sport i for one appreciate hoiw expensive it can be for a beginner i only started sailing this year.i couldnt afford what was available so i built my own from scratch,it was from plans off the net of the Luna Rosa i built her smaller than the plans which were for a one metre boat.mines 34 inches long and the mast measures around 4 ft from the deck.she sails well (better than me lol) and im having great fun learning on my own.ive heard good things about the micro magic and im tempted to get one myself as i like the idea of having one set up ready to throw in the lake .mind you i also fancy something bigger than the one i have also.maybe ill just get both or build a larger one and get the mm for some fun between building .

javelin

The main driver for me gatting into Micro Magics was the fact that I could do this as well as my other activities.
There was no barrier financially to getting a comptetitive boat as there is with the IOM, Marble head and even the Laser.
The kids love it as much as myself although they are happier just to yacht about rather than race.
The physical size means that it shares the back of the car with the rest of my sailing gear and as it stays rigged and all I have to do is plug in a battery pack and away we go.

For me it's ideal.

If and when I give up racing dinghies I may well be able to justify the cost for a competitive IOM or the like but I just cant justify the money needed given our other activities, and frankly I cant see how anyone can.
I heard the other day that top IOM's are changing hands for over £2000
I sold my last race boat a couple of years back immediatly after winning the UK season, 2nd in the Nationals and 3rd in the Europeans for £2000
Something is not quite right somewhere.

martno1fan

i guess another pluss is you could have one each and fit them all in the car and have friendly competition with the kids and the missus!!.

martno1fan

hi i dont know if youve seen this one yet on ebay have a look it seems ok comes complete with rc gear but needs building up but its not too hard to do ,looks like a nice kit.[link]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kyosho-Racing-Yatch-Seadolphin-770-1-32M-Height-NEW_W0QQitemZ130052373054QQihZ003QQcategoryZ140971 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/link]

javelin

I've a number of concerns with this ebay listed yacht.

The delivery cost,
Lack of info on radio gear/batterires - assume you have to supply this as well.
I hope it is not "scale" as they suggest, as we all know scale will not sail well.
Hell of a performance returning it if there is a problem.

martno1fan

hi mate by the looks of it its the sea dolphin by kyosho i beleive and it comes with radio gear looking at the pics its one standard and one sail arm servo.the delivery cost is about right as its coming from hong kong.heres a link to what looks like the same boat so if the one on ebay is the same it will be a good boat as the kyosho kits are very good.[link]http://www.hobbyhobby.com/boats/products/kyosho_boats/boats_es_kyo_seadolphin770.htm[/link]
heres another one same designer as the ebay one it is a kyosho this one has standard servos.
[link]http://seagifts.com/seadol770rem.html[/link]
i think for £80 or so its pretty good price wise as they retail at arround $200 .

martno1fan

heres the same one from a uk site without radio etc its £90 or so so i think the ebay one looks like a good buy to me.[link]http://www.alshobbies.com/shop/lookupstock.php?pc=5965&Desc=[/link]

Guiri

Mike, the term "scale" tends to be used fairly loosely in r/c sail and is usually limited to the deck and possibly the "look" of the hull form. Rigging, sail plan, keel and ballast are usually more functional than scale. Even the MM is often referred to as scale, either of an ocean racer or a half-size IOM (with a price of 1/20 scale)

martno1fan

i agree with that mate i think because the boat has the railings and the steering position they call it scale i doubt the hull is to scale whatsoever.guiri what you say about the MM been like a scaled down IOM do you think if i built a smaller version of the luna rosa or similar it would sail anything like the MM?.

123090

try is on ebay, they ship to UK.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...4590&rd=1&rd=1

Guiri

I'd just like to see what the third channel that the adveritse on all their sail boat is for. The transmitter looks like a classic 2 channel affair, with no sign even of a switchable third channel.
Their latest offering, the Mousoon, bears a passing resemblance to the Sea Queen and from the looks of it sailing, anything more than a breeze is likely to flatten it.
http://www.rc-zone.cn/index.php?page=mousoon-r-c-900

Guiri

The things that restrict the MM could be circumvented by scaling down an IOM: the hull could be built lighter; a narrower, thinner and deeper keel could be used; the bulb could be made longer and slimmer and possibly a wee bit heavier, taking advantage of the lower hull weight. This would translate into more sail area being able to be carried.
The Luna Rosa's hull form is somewat different from what I've seen in your photos. The narrower transom means that the MM would still be the better boat downwind but the LR should be better reaching.

martno1fan

hi mine iss different at the transome as i left it alone when she was built i never cut her down as in the plans i liked the look of the higher transome.i may build a smaller version and see how shes sails.i also lengthened my keel fin two inches to help in stronger winds and she sails well in strong wind even with the sails i have which arent really for strong wind.i didnt use the sails on the plans as they are obviously for lite wind which i never get here even in summer (summer whats that?). i still intend to make another set for the luna but this time they will be panneled sails stuck with double sided tape .hopefully this will improve her speed quite a bit having said that shes no slouch as she is.ive not had any problems with her at all even in storm conditions wind rain lightning thunder etc.scared the s*** out of me but she sailed on regardless i was drenched by the time i got her back to shore but she was almost bone dry inside exept for a teaspoon of water.