ICE929RR

Hi all,

Can you tell me what radios do you use for RC sailboats ?

I'm a newbie to this and I want to buy a good radio control.

By the way, the sticks on the control stay in place or do they return back ?

How long do the bateries on the boat run out ? What kind of bateries do you use ?

Soz for the newbie questions, but bare with me ... LOL

Best regards,

LuĂ*s
Lisbon - Portugal

LtDoc

Luis, Welcome.
For most boating a two channel radio (rudder/motor or rudder/sail control) is the minimum. Of course, having more channels is very handy in case you want to add additional functions to your boat (remotely controled sound, lights, etc.). The particular brand of radio system is sort of a personal choice, most brands are very competative, usually have the same basic abilities. I would suggest getting a brand of radio that is fairly common where you live, that 'feels' good in your hands, and that satisfies your other requirements.
Most 'stick' radios have 'self-returning' sticks. They can be modified so that the stay in the last position they are put in, not a very difficult modification.

The length of time a battery powered boat will run depends entirely on the capacity of the battery and how 'hard' the boat is run. The 'fast electric' boats may only run for several minutes, while slower boats may run for an hour(s). A typical sailboat with average sized servos and a typical battery arrangement can/may run for days at a time. The larger the sail area, the larger the servo required to control the sail, and the more current required from the battery, so shorter run times. (The batteries in my sailboat are usually good for two or three sailing sessions. I get tired before the batteries do! - lol) The type of battery used doesn't make a lot of difference except in recharging/replaceing them. Considering how long they last in my boat, I think that nonrechargable batteries are less expensive than the rechargable ones (BUT, that's strictly a personal opinion!).
- 'Doc

PS - Luis, enjoy the 'newby' stage, it's probably the most enjoyable/suprizing part of boating. The time when the "!!!!"s seem to appear almost daily, and when the "Oh, s****!"s happen the most. LOL

J3FAN

Friend ICE in Portugal
Lt.DOC is a leader in this FORUM and has given you excellent,perfect advice.
To expand a bit on what is available out there I will add some information for you.
ACE produces a special BOAT RADIO which they call NAUTICAL COMMANDER.
You can see the transmitter set up on top of my sailboat the FAIRWIND by KYOSHO
Using this radio I am able to connect each sail ( main + jib ) to one individual & separate
servo and this permits me to sail operating the sheets individually which is the way one would do it sailing in a real boat in real time.
This radio system is still available. It is a bit expensive, but I found the high cost to be worth it.
with a 2 channel radio you would connect the rudder to one servo and BOTH sails to the other servo which then plays out the line for both giving a paralled motion. Last time I checked the NAUTICAL COMMANDER now sells from ACE directly for $ 267.00 ( US dollars)
Look at the "stick" configuration in the transmitter. The stick on the right side is for the rudder. It does return to "center" and the trim slider is directly underneath. On the left you see two "sticks" they are used for the sails....both stick do not center and I have them set up for sail pulled IN when the sticks are lowered to the bottom.
There are two more channels available on demand and that could be used for further SCALE functions : boat with 2 ENGINES or MOTORS, horns, etc
I wrote all this just so you can have a better idea what is available.
Maybe in Europe, GRAUPNER or similar may have somehting like the NAUTICAL COMMANDER
Best regards
RICK

ICE929RR

First of all, I wish to thank you guys for the speedy reply.

I'm looking at the Seawind for my first sailboat.

It looks really good (I downloaded a couple of videos from the net) and I already have a paint job in my mind, something like the ORACLE BMW sailboat.

Is this sailboat suited for me or should i buy a smaller boat ?

Many tks from Portugal....

Best regards,

ICE aka LuĂ*s

Pecos45

Greetings Ice and welcome to the sport. Although I've sailed a few boats and fiddled with a few radios, I am still most certainly a newby myself, but I'll share some of what I've learned.

1. Most boat classes only allow two channels for the boats. This brings up some issues you must decide. I went cheap the first radio and got a Futaba 2 Channel Attack radio with a SAIL SERVO. Getting a good strong sail servo is very important as radios normally come with weak servos that won't pull your sails in during a good wind...which makes the regular servos useless for sailing. So my attack 2 channel was a good deal at under $100. But you must modify the sail control so it isn't self centering and this requires about $2 worth of extra parts but taking the radio apart is a bit tedious. Next, I found I had to have a battery charger for the Ni-cad batteries pack I used in the boat. I like rechargable batteries as it can get expensive if you sail much.

2. My second radio was a Futaba 6 channel Skysport and I got it for $150. This radio comes with 4 standard servos. Why get a 6 channel when I could have gotten another 2 channel for less? Well, it's just a much better built radio. The sail control is already modified so it doesn't self-center, plus the radio comes with neck strap, power meters so you can SEE how your batteries are doing and you also get nicad battery packs for both the radio and the receiver.......PLUS a charger for both. My point is that although my second radio looks a lot more expensive, it's really not. The ONLY thing I'm missing is a strong sail servo with it.

And if you ever get a boat that allows other channels, you will already have them in your radio. The danger with the lesser radios is not that they won't do the job...but that you will outgrow them.

But what most guys do is they have a different radio for each boat, usually on different frequencies.

Now, is the Seawind a good first boat? Everyone asks this and there is no pat answer. It's a pretty expensive 1st boat compared to several others. And their are easier boats to build. It's a pretty boat and a fast boat. The question is how sure are you that you want to dive into RC sailing? If you want to dive in headfirst and can afford it, a Seawind is fine. If you just want to see what the sport is like and get a good understanding. Get a Victoria by Thunder Tiger. It costs almost a 3rd what a Seawind costs and it's an AMYA recognized class that you can race in club regattas. The Fairwind costs less and is a recognized class as well.

My suggestion is while you are looking at all the boats and radios and trying to decide which you want, you should ALSO be looking for other sailors and especially sailboat clubs. Find the nearest club to you and ask what they are sailing. Not every club can support or race every class of boat...so most clubs have 3 or 4 class boats that everyone gets and sails together. It's fun to join guys with like boats. They can help you a lot because they will have experience on the same boat you have.

But don't be dazzled by the selection. Ask LOTS of questions and don't believe the first answer you hear. Study. Think it out. But do come join us. It's a quiet, happy sport...beautiful to watch. And spectators will drive you crazy talking to you about your boat!
Enjoy

Jim in Texas

ICE929RR

Hi Pecos45,

Your was right "on the spot"

The problem is, here in Portugal the most active clubs are about 300 km from my home and here in Lisbon, there aren't any clubs around.

About the radio, it's true... maybe I will go for a Heli Radio (6ch) but with a Futaba s3801 sail servo.

I will look at the Fairwind prices and will get back to you guys in a while...

Best regards,

ICE

Pecos45

Ice, you might consider the Futabe 3802 as sail servo. It is strong enough for many boats and cheaper. Since you live so far away from other organized clubs, this in a way frees you up to get more what strikes your fancy...although I still hate to suggest people get a boat that does not fit some recognized class. You mentioned the Seawind, and in your case that may be a good choice. It's a challenging boat with a lot of potential. All boats take considerable sailing to get the best out of them and the Seawind is for sure no exception. Wismerhell, I believe is a great Seawind lover with many good comments about this boat.

I hope you have a good sailing place picked out with dependable winds....lots of 5-15 mph stuff would be great. Join the fun!
Jim

DONS BOAT WORKS

My Feedback: (3)

I purchased a Sanibel 36/600 from Pro Boat; the boat looks nice and sails well. I like that fact that it has a fiberglass hull and servo winch. The keel is long and gives the boat great stability in big wind. The JR Beat Gear radio is excellent. The HiTec sail winch is very strong. I drilled out the original rudder shaft and epoxied a 1/8” brass tube into the rudder shaft. I think it’s stronger than new. I sailed it on the pond today I really like it!!

Mpotr6

Pecos45

Mpot - You're lucky...you actually had a little wind to sail in yesterday. If you looked at the pictures of my boat, you can see I had to move it around with "thought control."

Hydro Junkie

Ice, you had better check on the local laws regarding radio frequencies before you order a helicopter radio. Here in the US, helicopter radios only come tuned to an aircraft frequency(72MHz) from the factory. To be used for cars and boats, a radio must be on a surface(75MHz) or shared(27MHz) frequency. Just a word of caution before you spend any money

Pecos45

Wow, I overlooked that entirely, Hydro.[X(] He is correct, Ice. Be sure your radio is for a SURFACE frequency and not an AIR freq.

ICE929RR

Hi Guys,

Just bought a FUTABA Attack 2DR-AM 27MHz

Simple and cheap (50 Euro)

More news soon...



Best regards,

ICE

Pecos45

Great, Ice! Now you will need two servos, probably the Futaba 3003 and the 3002...if they didn't come with your boat. And you will also need to get the optional Futaba ratchet plate and screw for this radio. These two parts will cost about $2 but what they do is convert your sail servo to ratchet action. This means it won't self center so you can set your sails where you want them and leave it until necessary for you to move them again.

You're half way there! Next you need to figure out which boat you want and get it.

Ask questions if you have them. Everyone will be happy to help any way we can.

jim

ICE929RR

Hi Pecos45,

Ok, here's the situation.

On the 16 of April, I will have to travel 300 km's to get my first sailboat, a MRP Voyager in second hand (180 Euros with servos - Sail and rudder).

I think it's best to get a second hand boat, just to see if like it...

If I do, then I will go for a better or faster sailboat.

The person that is going to sell me the boat is very friendly and he's going to show me the basics of model sailing.

Here's the link for the boat.

http://yateclubeamarante.no.sapo.pt/compravenda.htm

I asked him that I wanted to change the sails, red is not my colour... LOL

He told me that I can make my own, but I will try and buy some new ones...

I don't even know the measurements of the sails :0

LOL

Take a look plz...

Best regards,

ICE

PS: What kind of charger to you guys use ?

ICE929RR

? What ? Who ?

LOL I don't know what it is...

Can you show me some pics ? Link ? Where can I buy it ?

Tks in advance

ICE

PS: Soz for the trouble....

Pecos45

Ice, take this link to Tower Hobbies. Down in the "Other Items of Interest" you will see the ratchet plate and I think they also list the futaba screw that holds this plate on. http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXGRN0**&P=7

You will also note this link talks about the 3801 sail servo...which hopefully you will not need with the boat you are getting.

I mention the ratchet plate and screw because I am assuming your radio controls are self centering. You need to put the ratchet plate on the left control arm....the sail control. Otherwise it will drive you crazy trying to adjust your sails for you. The other control is for you rudder and you WANT it to always center and return to neutral by itself. So leave this one alone.

towerhobbies.com is a great company and will ship to you, but of course you may know of good hobby companies of your own.

Good luck with your new boat.

The member Pompebled has a boat like yours and can give you much valuable information.

ICE929RR

Hi Pecos45,

Last minute changes....

I'm going to change the FUTABA Attack with the FUTABA 4YF

Some money just droped on my account (weeeeeeeeeeee)

120 Euros with no servos...

More news soon...

Best regards

ICE

pompebled

Hi ICE,

I stumbled across this post and saw you're getting a second hand Voyager!

Good for you and reasonably priced, as it has been modified by the previous owner.

I have one aswell and she sails very good.

Never mind if red is not your colour, it's no that hard to make sails yourself, I'm on my third set for my Voyager.

Keep us posted and let us know if you have anymore questions.

Regards, Jan.

Larry Ludwig

Hi Ice, welcome to R/C Sailing! Glad to hear you are getting in the water.

Saw the 929RR as well, I have a 954RR (2003) but it was the 929 that sold me, just didn't get around to it
for a couple of years.

Larry

ICE929RR

Hi Larry,

Nice to hear from a fellow biker.

Yep, the nick comes from ICEMAN (Top Gun movie) and my old bike, the Honda Fireblade 929.
But, I don't have that bike anymore, I now own a GSXR1000

Send me an e-mail and I will send you a nice link of mine.... (do these names ring a bell ? Rossi, Edwards, Toseland, Capirossi, Checa ????)

Ok, back to sailboats...

Tks pompebled for the reply and an e-mail was sent



Tks all for the great help !!

[[]]

ICE aka LuĂ*s