spitflyer-RCU

I've just ordered my first R/C sailboat, a Kyosho Fairwind 900. Does anyone have any advise or suggestions re assembly or sailing? Any advise will be appreciated.

RobStagis

Keep asking questions. Do you have a sail servo yet? That'll be the only expense after the boat itself.

Building? Questions? Here's the only site you'll need, but there's caveats: http://fairwind.datsol.com/

The caveats:

Built as per the kit, it's a nice-sailing semi-scale boat. It looks good in the water, it's sort of competitive if you find somebody else with one (my kit-stock, though stripped of scale details, Fairwind took 3rd in our recent club regatta). Its quality is good (WAY above the Victoria's quality), it's easy to maintain with that huge hatch and as you learn to sail better, the rig is nicely adjustable to get it to sail better - mine's absolutely neutral in the water...no bad tendencies at all.

While looking at the site, keep this in mind: The site, and the linked building site, were put together by Fairwind enthusiasts, and they basically open the box and start throwing things out. They then replace lots of stuff and go race. Nothing wrong with that, but built per the kit, it's still a decent-sailing boat, and the stuff they replace? Is all replaceable later on, too.....don't be scared.

Just build it and go play

My third-place finish? I had to concentrate like I've never concentrated before to keep up with the modified boats - but keep up I did . Next time I"ll have a better set of sails...and the time after that I'll have a lighter, scratch-built set of wooden spars.

The only thing I'd do right off the bat is to NOT slip the bottom (foot) of the mainsail into the slotted boom. It destroys the curve of the sail and slows the boat immensely. Instead, there's a loop at the back corner of the sail (clew). Tie a loop of string around it and slip that loop around the boom. That'll keep the sail down on the boom. Nothing else changes.

There - you made your first racing modification

spitflyer-RCU

Thanks for the reply Rob. I've ordered the sail servo. It's coming with the boat. Are shotgun pellets suitable for ballast? I used to sail a Grampian 26 footer for years. I'm looking forward to trying my skills at a slightly smaller size. I can't use CA...have a very bad allergy to it. Will epoxy be ok in its place?

RobStagis

Yep, lead works just fine, and I think the instructions say how to get it in there.... You can buy it at a gun shop, I forget the size...#8? Epoxy works just fine for the lead and pretty much everywhere else on the boat, too.....

There isn't much glueing, now that I think abou5t it. It's mostly screwed together... The radio iws box - epoxy, obviously, works fine - but slather on whatever you're gonna use for waterproofing. The wood will eventually give up. Mine just did, though a pond-side repair with thin CA has keep it going for the remainder of the season.

My buddy just ripped into his Fairwind, taking out everything removable and building it in a simpler fashion.....

Fairwind

This is a great boat and a challenge for all levels.

We have one group that sails out of the box stock and others that have carbon fiber everything.

For the sail servo many of the guys racing are using a Futaba 3801 about $55. Some are going with the less expensive Hitec 715bb for a mail sail servo $30. With the 715 they are adding a couple of resistors 2.2k to the potentiometer to get more turn out of the sail arm. The resistors are .99 at radio shack.

The Fairwind web site was built so that folks could see what others were doing with the boat.

The Fairwind web page has moved from fairwind.datsol.com to

[link=http://fairwind900.home.comcast.net/]http://fairwind900.home.comcast.net/[/link]


Rick

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

Go to www.AMYA.org and scroll to the Fairwind class site. There are lots of good suggestions and a list of all the "go fasts" that the class allows. The building part of the site is by Dennis DuProis and has some good hints. If you truly want a competitive yacht put a double arm servo on the sheets. Move the jib club swivel 1.5" aft of the bow instead as shown on the kit. Move the backstay mounting to the transom. Make a new mast crane to the 3" allowed by the class. Install a topping lift for the jib club. Go for a loose footed main and put the sheet at the fore and aft center of the main boom. Carefully weigh your ballast and fittings to keep the weight at the 8# minimum. Mine weighs 8# 2oz. After your ballast is installed you will have room in the keel trunk to mount your ship's battery. Forget the equipment mounting that comes with the kit and put hardwood or plywood cross pieces in with epoxy so you can mount the double arm sail servo on the center line. All the above if you want to have a truly competitive yacht. If it's just for day sailing build it as shown on the plans. Forget all the hand railing, fake tiller wheels and keep a clean deck no matter what.

PaulWR

I am completing a Fairwind 900. I would appreciate advice on two items.
1 - Does the hull need to be painted? It looks pretty good as is and I wondered about just putting a coat of boat hull wax on it and buffing it. I'm not particularly worried about weight as I am interested mainly in fun sailing.

2 - I am using a Hitec HS-715BB servo for the sails. Would you have a diagram showing the value and where the two resistors go that will give the servo arm an extened travell? Also does installing the resistors have any detrimental affect - ie. current drain etc.?
Thanks very much for any advice in this area.
PaulWR

RobStagis

We've got everything from unpainted to automotive finishes - the hull works just fine as is.

I ain't the electronics guy, though. Sorry.

PaulWR

Thanks for the quick reply.
Sounds like it comes down to a 'personal choice' thing. I will probably try going the 'wax and buff' direction.
Thanks
PaulWR

LtDoc

Paul,
If you aren't interested in speed, the finish is more or less 'personal choice', as you suggested. If you can thing of, or know of a particular paint scheme that you like, why not give it a shot. Nothing says you can't change it later...
- 'Doc

PaulWR

Doc,
Thanks for your suggestion.
Do you ever use Polyurethane paint (ie Top Flight or Krylon)? Or , is there a better paint for the plastic hull?
From reading a couple of your suggestions I understand it would be advisable to prepare the hull surface by using a fine grit sand paper. Also would a primer be necessary before applying a particular paint?
Paul

LtDoc

Paul,
Priming isn't always necessary, but, shouldn't hurt in any case. Preparing the hull is necessary for a good paint job. That preparation may only mean giving the hull a good bath, or it may mean a light sanding with very fine sandpaper. Doing both is another one of those 'shouldn't hurt' things.
I've used 'Krylon' successfully. There's one by 'Krylon' made specifically for plastic, sorry, can't remember the name (C.R.S. is getting worse, it seems), that works very well. One of the "biggies" is to spray the boat ~lightly~ for each coat! The first coat or two, you should be able to 'see' through. A number of light coats is always better than one heavy one, cuts down on the amount of paint 'runs' you have (unless you ~like~ sanding paint runs). Pick a time when the humidity isn't very high (if you can). Different colors behaive differently, some 'run' faster than others and dry faster than others (and I wish I could tell you which are which, but I can't). Following the recomendations on the can is a pretty good idea. Spray paints do a thing called 'flash'. That means the paint has 'sort of' dried, not tacky to the touch. You want to wait till the paint flashes before adding another coat. It's a good idea to do your touching to see if the paint has flashed by NOT touching the hull! If you used tape, touch the paint on the tape instead. (Although, your finger print on the boat is a pretty good way to identify it, if you ever have to. Naah, touch the tape!)
If you're a real glutton for punishment, you can always hand paint the boat. Sand it down. Repeat a ridiculous number of times till it looks 'right'...
- 'Doc

PaulWR

Doc,
Thanks again for your advice. I have just begun putting the F. W. together so I will have time to decide what I'm going to do as far as whether to paint or not. The paint scheme I like is a traditional off white with a brown or gold stripe along the hull. Thats one reason why I wondered whether to go to the trouble of painting or not.
Paul

Fairwind

Hi,

If you are going to paint, we have found that Krylon Fusion paint is the way to go. It is made for plastic and produces a fine mist that makes painting a snap.

If your going to modify the a servo to 180 degrees then check out AMYA's web page http://www.amya.org/us1mpt4.pdf we have been using 1/4 watt 2.2 k-ohm resistors they can be found at radio shack four to a package cheap.

Rick

PaulWR

Thanks Rick for the info re my Fair Wind.
I finally painted it with 21st Century paint. That went on very smoothly and posed no problems at all. I also went with a Hitech standard sail servo and installed it exactly (with one exception - a miniture single block at the stern). Before I sailed the FW I had my doubts as to the success I would have. However, I was pleasantly suprised that everything worked very well.
I have sailed large sailboats all my life and it was enjoyable to see that I had to sail the FW with the same and exact techniques as with the full sized boats
Thanks also for the info on the servo modification. I'm not sure at this point whether I will need to do the mod or not. I will wait until I have some more exoerience under my belt -next season (2006).
Paul

pompebled

Hi Paul,

The "Wax & Buff" is about the worst thing you can do to a model sailboat... , the water will stick to the hull, creating drag, slowing the boat down to such an extend that with very little wind, your boat will hardly move, while others sail past you.

I sand my hulls dull, with 600 waterproof, this creates a waterfilm on the hull and the boatspeed increases.

Regards, Jan.

PaulWR

Hi Jan.

PaulWR

Hi Jan, Thanks for the info re "wax & buff". I never would have thought that waxing a 'model' boat hull would impead the sailing performance (speed). I have been sailing full size sail boats for years and was always carefull to do a good wax and buff job at the beginning of each season, mainly, however, to help protect the finish against the eliments for the season.
Luckily I decided to paint the hull of my FW. I did sand the hull with a fine waterproof paper before painting as you have suggested. I guess I made the right decision??
Paul

Focal Point

Hello Paul,
here you can see some photos of my Fairwind assembly.

[link=http://www.ptnauticmodel.net/fotos/thumbnails.php?album=15]http://www.ptnauticmodel.net/fotos/thumbnails.php?album=15[/link]

And here you can see all (104) the Fairwinds Photos and videos in my album.

[link=http://www.ptnauticmodel.net/fotos/thumbnails.php?album=search&type=full&search=Fairwind]http://www.ptnauticmodel.net/fotos/thumbnails.php?album=search&type=full&search=Fairwind[/link]

Regards,
Paulo

PaulWR

[E:\Documents and Settings\Paul\My Documents\My Pictures\05-26-05Fairwind\Photo 14W2.jpgimage]

PaulWR

Hello Paulo, Thank you for yor reply. The photos are great.
I have several photos of my Fairwind under sail. I will try to post them soon.
Paul

PaulWR

Hello Paulo,, Another photo of my Fairwind. All details installed except the wheel. Paul