rpr

I've seen a ton of great recommendations for Graupner Micro Magic as a first RC sailboat... also for small ponds.

I'm in Connecticut. I googled for suppliers in USA or CA. The only one I found was [link=http://www.hobby-lobby.com]www.hobby-lobby.com[/link]. Anyone know if they're reliable/reputable? This would be a Xmas present so we'd need to have it within 2-3 weeks.

Also, I'm looking to minimize the build-time, and they sell a $218 bundle which includes 1) boat kit, 2) Hitec Ranger 2N with 2 HS-303 Servos, and 3) Glue (Uhu Hart adhesive, Stabilit Express cement, CA glues). Does that seem like all I need?

I see from reading this forum that some people recommend a better servo for trimming the sails in decent wind, but I think that given various factors I'd like to take a chance w/ the servos in this kit which I believe are just standard.

Finally, for someone who used to build plastic models when they were 10 years old, but has never done anything with servos/radios, do you think it will be reasonably easy to install the electrics into the boat?

Thanks in advance!

martno1fan

Hi the micro magic is a great little boat i know a few people who have them and they are exellent sailors.Having said that they are a little sensetive been small boats if this worries you for a first boat maybe look at the victoria or something of that size. They are very good boats and the price is pretty good also,one plus is they do not need a larger servo for the sail;s like most boats as they are much smaller.They do however sail in most conditions and are great fun,if you do get one maybe look for a rts one thats built and all electrics installed they are available.If you do get the kit you will save money and they arent too difficult to build ,i think 4 hrs work tops but leave the glue to dry over night before getting her wet .All things considered if you like the looks of her id say yes buy one and enjoy it,you wont need to dismantle anything to fit it in a normal familly car either but dont be put off by the small size because this boat is a performer.They are the fastest growing boat class here in the uk at the moment and im sure everyone will be catching on to these little boats before long if they havent allready.Heres a link to a UK site about the micro magic ,check out the international site links too for some great info on these boats.good choice by the way im sure you will be happy if you do buy one.Im thinking of getting one myself and lots of very experienced sailors have them just for the sheer fun factor.[link]http://www.microyachts.co.uk/news.php[/link]

rpr

Thanks for the advice. Yes the Victoria is about half the price of the Micro Magic. Does it definitely have servo for trimming sails? I couldn't tell from the websites I saw.

Otherwise, the other factor for me is that the main pond that I think I'd use (in backyard) is quite small and has a bit of grass, near the somewhat shallow edges. So I was thinking of going for a smaller boat. Victoria is 30" long and Micro Magic is 22". I'm also assuming that the Victoria would have more draft to the bottom of the keel/bulb which might get hung up in my pond more. Any thoughts on this?

The first boat I saw and consdered was the AquaCraft Paradise, also pretty cheap but it got mediocre ratings on this forum and everyone said "go for the Micro Magic" instead. If the MM is a little sensitive/jumpy to control I guess that comes from it's small size?

Based on what you said I guess I'll decide between MM & Victoria.

Anyone else know anything about hobby-lobby.com as a supplier?

Thanks again.

rpr

[quote]ORIGINAL: rpr


OK, I think I answered my own question about the Victoria by seeing this video...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejnhu...elated&search=
Looks like it has sail/trim control, but it looks like it doesn't handle wind so well. Is that the boat or the sailor? It seemed to get knocked over pretty easily compared to the other boat. Hmm...

martno1fan

hi again the victoria does have sail trim as do most sail boats,the victoria will need a sail arm servo also but the micro magic will be ok with a normal servo.you can buy them allready installed you will need to shop arround for them i cant help you on that one.from the video i saw im not sure if that was a victoria or not or the girls name lol?.she seemed to sail well enough to me im not sure what you expect from a sail boat? they do heel over quite a bit when the wind blows so long as she doesnt blow flat on her side your fine but that can happen to any size boat depending on conditions.i dont know where you are seeing victorias for half the price of the magic mate they are about the same here you can get both boats either as a kit or rtr with radio gear .obviously the bigger the boat the deeper the keel on the victoria im not sure exactly how deep but id say at a guess arround 12" or so so how deep is the water round the edges of the pond? is it full of weed? all these things come into it.the magic will be shallower than the victoria i guess .heres a video of my scratch built boat shes 34 " long mast stands 4 ft from the deck.this was my first boat and these videos are of the first and second outings so dont expect too much [link]http://www.youtube.com/my_videos[/link]

Guiri

Obviously, there's a certain preference for tower hobby on RCU, but over on rcgroups hobby lobby occupies the same spot. From all tha I've heard they're both reputable and servive orientated.
Btw, for a Victoria, you'll need a servo with a torque rating of at least 120 oz/inch for the sail control. Another popular beginners boat on that side of the pond seems to be the Victor V32.

rpr

I found this Victoria for $99 but on 2nd glance that seems to be without electrics
[link=http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKF85&P=M]http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXKF85&P=M[/link]

The price for Micro Magic at www.hobby-lobby.com is $169 without electrics. ($218 with the full bundle mentioned in my first post)

So at least from these two sources, the Victoria seems considerably cheaper though I haven't yet found a place in USA/CAN that sells a full kit with electrics, and since I'm new to this and not really so interested in the building (I'd rather just do the sailing) whatever I get I want to try to get it all together I think.

Maybe I should make a new post called "Victoria vs. Micro Magic" to see what the consensus is? At this point, I'm thinking the pluses are: Victoria is cheaper, Micro Magic is smaller/shallower and gets many good reviews for it's "sailability."

martno1fan

i think maybe the reason the magic is higher in price is they are german made so they are imported to the US?.the victoria from all accounts is a very good boat,if you go for a almost rtr boat the building may be minimal its not so hard to be honest even for a beginer.the instructions are there for you to help also.have you thought about joining a club? maybe they can help someone might be willing to build it for you or help. who knows they may have a second hand boat to sell you.im not sure how popular the magic is over your side of the pond but in europe and the uk they are very popular indeed.most model shops if you have one local to you will provide a build service if you want to pay for one to be fitted with radio equipment and servos etc.then the cost goes up,is there a reason you dont want to install this yourself? its not that difficult and im sure lots of people on here would help out if you wanted to start a build thread.whatever you decide good luck.by the way that site i linked has them rts fitted with servos ,im sure someone over your side will do them like that if not the magic im sure the victoria or a similar size boat should be available rts.

martno1fan

i just looked on that site and the nirvanaII is also a decent boat by all accounts if you do a search on here for one there should be something about the boat.i have to say having seen a magic though the quality is good and they sail in fairly rough conditions too so for the size they are great boats.confused yet? i bet you are sorry but just take your time find one you like and feel free to ask on here and someone will help you out before you comit to buy .try ebay also you might find something on there i allways use ebay shops and you sometimes find a bargain without the risk.

rpr

Thanks, that gives me the impression that both Tower Hobby & Hobby Lobby are OK to deal with.

As for the servos, I have heard a lot about getting one strong enough for the sails in decent wind. But I'm new to the whole RC thing and not knowledgable about servos. I was hoping to find an RTS or nearly-RTS kit, with good enough servos.

Micro Magic: Tower Hobby has a bundle I mentioned at top which I guess has standard servos (HS-303) and one of my initial questions was whether that bundle seemed adequate. (I'm a beginner and not expecting to do big wind, at least not initially)

Victoria: I couldn't find a USA website that sold a bundle with servos and since I don't know how hard it is to pick my own servos and get them to fit into the boat properly, I was hesitant to go that way. However the Victoria is the cheapest of the 3 boats I was considering so I haven't ruled it out entirely.

Nirvana: I believe they generally come from factory with servos installed, but many of the postings I saw about the Nirvana said that the sail servo was too weak. So that made me hesitate. I do see that what's available now is the Nirvana II and I wonder if anyone knows if the II has a stronger sail servo?

Anyway, as you can see from my other posts, I'm leaning towards the Micro Magic, partly because of its smaller size, which might be better for my small pond with shallow grassy edges. The only two hesitations I have about MM are it's higher price than the other two, and whether the Tower Hobby servo is adequate for the sails.

javelin

Take a look at this site www.ca.micromagic.info they are based in Canada.
It may be worth contacting the webmaster their to see if he has any other suppliers on your bit of the world.

Even though I totally agree re the great performance of the MM, it means nothing if everyone else is sailing something else.
The great thing in Europe about the MM is the low price. £89 or $180

We save because if four or five all decide to go with the MM's it reduces the delivery cost by half plus we get an instant fleet killing two birds with one stone.
In Austraila they are doing the same as I know ten boats were shipped down under in the last couple of weeks, as they are in Turkey, Portugal, Spain etc etc

A UK Club has been in touch with me recently, who are considering getting a fleet of 6 MMs because during the summer the water level is too low to sail IOM's Marbleheads and the like. The reason I point this out is that if experienced Model yacht sailors are considering the MM then they must be impressed by its sailing performance.
I sail it because its small, neat, easy, my other big boat mates have one and over here at least its dirt cheap.

Our web site is www.magicmicro.org (micromagic having been taken) or www.sailuk.org

Cheers
Mike

rpr

Oops, sorry I got my vendors mixed up. It's Hobby Lobby which is the only USA distributor of Micro Magic that I could find. It's they who have the bundle with the HiTec HS-303's.

Guiri

For the boats mentioned other than the MM, the most economical servo with muscle enough for the sails is the GWS S04, although it only has 90º of movement. The Hitec HS815BB is a lot better, as it should be at twice the price. On the other hand, it's likely to be overkill on these smallish boats.

martno1fan

Mike i agree with what you are saying but i think if he does get the magic his mates would soon want one when they see the quality of the boat compaired to many other rtr boats.maybe he should order two and give one to his mate brother dad? then he will have a friend to race.by the way rpr standard servos are fine for the magic if you want to run in strong winds id say upgrade to a sail servo which shouldnt be a problem also the gws one as mentioned by guiri sounds like a good idea for a cheap upgrade.especially as you say you wont be using the boat in very strong winds.i say go for it and get the magic .

rpr

Thank you everyone for all your advice!