RE: Sailboat steering
Tower Hobbies is now selling the Nirvana without electronics. The empty boat runs about $100 less than the kit boat.
If you go for the Nirvana, buy the shell then add quality stuff like Hitec or Futaba.
You'll end up with a nice sailing boat that is relatively easy to transport.
The electronics that come with the Nirvana are junk. The sail winch is not powerful enough to sheet in and will self-destruct after only a few hours of use. The rudder servo will do the same almost as quickly.
You can get a Futaba (27 or 75mHz) transmitter, receiver, battery holder, switch and two S3003 rudder servos for less than $60 from Tower Hobbies. A Hitec HS645 sail servo runs an additional $40, but it has twice the power of the stock Megatech winch and drops into the existing servo well perfectly.
If you go this route, be sure that Tower Hobbies includes the stock sail arm with the kit as a substitute that fits in the restrictive electronics tub is hard to find.
I recently purchased a Laser "Boat-in-a-Bag" setup and am extremely satisfied. The whole rig fits in the back seat of my car and provides room for passengers or my other RC sailboats (SeaWind & Nirvana).
Bill