Im thinking of getting my Dad an RC sail boat for his birthday. He has always enjoyed watching the yatchs on Mote Park lake and used to fly RC planes many years ago (so should have the aptitude for model boats?)

...I didnt want to get one for hundreds of pounds as he might not take to the hobby, but I also dont want to put him right off the hobby by buying a piece of junk that will break every time he sails it.

I have found this which looks ok, but wondered if it looked ok to you guys with a bit more knowledge than me?

http://aabt.co.uk/prd346-boats-5312.htm

...is this suitable for a beginner? Is it similar size to the average sailing yatch or is it just a childs toy?


Thanks

David Bevan
http://www.davidbevan.co.uk

David,
Looks about average for a 'RTR' sailboat. No idea what the radio system's range is so that could be a potential problem (not saying it would be though!). I can see a few things that might could be done a little 'better', but that's true about almost any boat, so no biggy. At that price, it's probably close to a bargain? It's also a chance for the 'old guy' to try his hand at tinkering too, so that might be a plus. One thing to remember is that any 'Ready To Run' boat is going to be a compromise, never the absolute most 'bestest' you can have, sail, scale, or go-fast.
- 'Doc

PS - Sailing, just like flying is sort of addictive. By the next birthday/Christmas/whatever, you may be in a lot of trouble!

i think the best cheap sailboat is the nirvana pro racing series. Its not rtr, but it's really easy to put in the electronics. its really great at sailing and it's got such a sleek hull. ANd it has good components like a corbon fiber mast and mylar sails. I just got one a few days ago it's amazing.

Links for the stuff you'll need:

boat:
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFGA1&P=0

Radio 1 (if you want a sail servo that needs modifications to fit in the mount) <----i highly recommend this, it isn't hard to modify the servo mount for the sail servo
http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXGRM9**&P=0

Radio 2 (if you dont want to modify anything, but suffer a great loss of sheeting power)
| Radio: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...I=LXGRM7**&P=0
| Sail servo: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXDTB3&P=0

$2 Radio Ratcehet conversion (so then the left stick ((the sail control)) doesnt center itself, but ratchets)
|the ratchet arm: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXH435&P=M
|the screw: http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXH436&P=M

whew, that took a long time to find those lnis, well... enjoy!

I have an old sea lite and its the exact same thing as that. It stinks!

Thanks, could you be more specific than 'it stinks' - eg does it sink/is it really slow etc?

Im trying to get a feel for what makes a good/bad boat.

Thanks

David Bevan

Thanks, the Nirvana Pro looks very nice indeed - unfortunately Tower Hobbies want > $100 to ship it to the UK.

...does anyone know of a UK (or even a European) importer of these boats?

Thanks

David Bevan

hi mate that boat is a cheap kids toy stay away from it any wind and it will blow over trust me its junk as allready said.if you want a decent rtf boat get a kit you can pick them up on ebay for arround £75 to £100.i presume he will have radio gear so hes half way there.or try this one its not a bad boat for the money!![link]http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=19613[/link] theres a few more on there too but that ones a good price and its a propper boat not a cheap toy.also this is a good boat maybe better than the last one and theres lots on this site about it too.[link]http://www.sussex-model-centre.co.uk/shopexd.asp?id=488[/link] a good boat for the price.and will handle wind and chop unlike the toy you were looking at and all for £30 more

Hi David,

Like the others already mentioned, this is a toy.

The only boat in this size that will sail wel out of the box, is the Graupner Micro Magic.
It comes as a kit that can be assembled over a long weekend.

It comes without radio and servo's.

If small and fiddly isn't to your liking, I'd go for the Sea Queen, (known in Europe as the T2M Sea Cret), which sails more like the real thing, and is nearly RTR.

Regards, Jan.

http://www.rchobby.co.uk/land_yacht_..._remote_m.html

there is a good range fo yachts from RTS through beginer to somethings more tasty, and it is a UK company, so no shipping probs.

I have never used them, but have often visited the site to compare things I am thinking of buying.

dont use rchobby they are a terible company ive had bad dealings with them in the past!!no ones ever available when you have a complaint buttheyre more than happy to over charge you for theyre products etc.go with the boats i mentioned the company i gave the link to are very good and helpfull too.

David,
You might try asking here;

http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/Forum.htm

Not that you aren't getting good advice here, but since that site is in the UK, they ought to be able to make recomendations on what's available there. (not to mention as many translation problems? - lol)
Good luck!
- 'Doc

Thanks, that second one looks very impressive indeed!

He has got an old TX but its 35MHz so is no good. I know 2ch radio isnt that expensive, but im not sure what servos I might need. Am I right to assume that the rudder servo is just a normal servo? Where can I get a sail winch? (I assume this is a special servo?)

Thanks

David Bevan

hi mate any normal servo will do for the rudder,all his plane ones will work ,just buy a new radio and a receiver for it,you can pick them up for £15 on ebay second hand and new for not much more.for a sail winch try these i got a sail arm servo from them and it came next day and they are exellent.[link]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HITEC-785-Sail-Winch-Servo-NEW_W0QQitemZ180014396065QQihZ008QQcategoryZ2564QQ ssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem[/link] these are good strong servos which you need for a boat this size as the normal servos arent near strong enough.you can get gws sail winch servos but they arent strong enough either these hi tech ones have 11 to 13 kg of torque(pulling power).glad you like the look of the victoria i was considering one myself but im now building one from scratch called the luna rosa.[img][/img]heres a pic of how she will look when finnished barring colour scheme!.also the century boat is a good boat too and has all servos fitted so for a 1st boat its a good option too.if he enjoys sailing her he can allways build himself one from scratch like me,if he can build planes a boat should be a doddle.i got the plans for free and its cost me £40 so far including the servo for sails and the hulls built sails made,hull glassed and im ready to install the radio gear so with paint i reckon its cost me £50 to build including sail arm servo and the quallity is better than most rtf boats.

I would say to get him the Fairwind 900. it is a very complete boat with nice hardware you will not have to buy anything else to upgrade this boat. It has aluminum mast and booms a very nice set of sails and the rig is easy to take up and down for transportation also all the line to control the sails are under the deck. The boat is a nice size sails great and I know your dad will love it
Scott