sidv13

anyone ever heard of this boat it is called the surmount 800? I think it is made in china and I was wondering if it was even halfway decent? I found it on Ebay and wanted some opinions on it. here is the link to it on ebay for more info

http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-SailBoat-Surm...QQcmdZViewItem

also possibly interested in this boat from the same company?

http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-Sailboat-Mons...QQcmdZViewItem


I would appreciate any info you can give me on this.

sidv13

could someone atleast tell me if it looks any good from the pictures of it??

Thai-fly

The boat looks OK. If you are just going to be doing some casual lazy sailing it will be quite adequate and you will have heaps of fun.

sidv13

well I will be TRYING to do some lazy fun sailing but I am not what you would call an accomplished sailor by any means. lol

but thank you for the info

Sidv13

pompebled

Hi Sid,

There's a large thread on the subject here:

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=677484

Read all about it!

Regards, Jan.

sidv13

thank you for the post, it was very informative but then again it wasnt. I guess I will wait till someone does a review of the boat and go from there. but I am still interested in this boat. I have sailed a paradise but was looking for somthing close to the 1 meter size that will sail at least as good as the paradise. but I am still learning to sail and want somthing that I can learn more with as the paradise can not handle as much wind as the bigger boats will.

somali

hi sidv, not sure if you already saw the surmount. just thought this could help [link=http://www.twift.com/RC%20Toys%20&%20Hobby/Surmount%20800%20RC%20Sailboat%20(Shunbo).html]Surmount ARTS[/link] and [link=http://www.twift.com/RC%20Toys%20&%20Hobby/Surmount%20800%20RC%20Sailboat%20RTS%20Kit%20(Shun bo).html]Surmount 800 RTS[/link]

brainox

not a lot of people has sailed the Surmount. hard to find info and details about it at sail. but just incase you really wanna go for it. go get the RTS!

larrykin

Hi SIDV13,

from all the reading I have done, plus owning 2 of these brand kit boats I would recommend you NOT buy one. Photos look OK but... if you read more about these boats it's always the same basic problem. They are cheap, poor quality boats that have major flaws when you -
A) Try to assemble. With Chinenglish instructions.
B) Components and rigging which are a joke.
C) Boats that have been called RTS i.e. Ready To Sink.

As a novice who wants to learn to sail you will be giving yourself a huge handicap by beginning with a boat which is almost guaranteed to cause you grief. Be it the boat floods with water, mast snaps, you discover it's too light to sail in winds above 2kts, the rudder connector snaps off, the rigging sheets are no better than cotton thread, spreaders snap sheets, all deck fittings rust in days of getting wet...... the list goes on. And this is just some of the stuff that has happened to me!
I suggest you save some heartache and buy a quality boat. You can still find some on evilbay. Just not a chinese boat. Or better yet - build your own from scratch.
See my USOM Mistral video I'm posting today and do a search on RCGroups .

Larry L.

brainox

hi larry,

which are the ones that you have again? is it the monsoon?
err. new account?

somali

just found out on the other thread about the Hurricane 1000. the guy said it sails better than century 750  and Monsoon , probably the surmount as well since Monsoons a better runner.

larrykin

<span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">DONOTBUYAHURRICANE1000. </span>I bought a Century 750 and a Hurricane 1000. They are Some of my problems - boat wont sail in winds above 2kts. It's too light. Gets knocked over. Boat leaks. Hatch cover is useless. Keel is made of hollow plastic. Leave boat in sun on side for ten minutes the keel bends. Two piece mast bends at connector. Try to tighten sidestays and the mast kinks at connector. Can't have tight lines. All the deck fittings rusted within 2 days. The snap connectors are junk. Unsnap and bend. All sheets are sewing grade cotton. The ballast bulb is way too light. Plastic rudder clevis breaks after an hour. Rudder post too big. Rudder wobbles. Radio keeps cutting out. Sails are light poorly fitting. Winch despools as no elastic tensioner in line. The list goes on. In fact there's not one item on the boat, apart from the hull, which are well made. If they only sold the hull I would buy one; for ~$20. But this boat and the Century 750 are S**T!!!!!
I've spent a year off and on trying to get the Hurricane to sail. I have three other boats. Last time out wind of ~3mph boat gets knocked over. Mast buckles. Boat fills with water. I tried to give it away to onlookers - no takers! Managed to sail this boat only twice where nothing broke. That's in over twenty attempts. Both time in the lightest wind. If you buy one of these suggest you throw away everything but the hull; and maybe the jib.

Larry L.

brainox

woo. now that's something to watch out for.

eaglenine

I would just like to mention that I bought a century 750 over eighteen months ago from soldsmart , it had carbon fittings including mast and boom and plastic sails I did change the rigging to plastic coated fishing line , as I wasnt happy about the twine they used.
Everything else so far is good fingers crossed , oh the hatch I put a stronger elastic band on it this kept everyting drier and kept the batteries in plastic bags to stop corrosion of the points.
I can honestly say I haven't had the trouble you have had .
Although I may be about to find out if it is eBAY purchase that may be the problem?
I have just purchased another one whether it will be as good as the first I dont know I will let you all know when it arrives it was also a lot cheaper from eBAY by some
$70 cost was $149 with free shipping,where the Soldsmart item was around $199 plus $20 shipping.
I know this doesnt help but you may have been the purchaser of a copycat and I could be another recipitent of the same folly as the second one is coming from eBAY.

REGARDS

larrykin

Being cynical I am not sure if you are a real post. "It had carbon fittings"..... "plastic sails"........ "Stronger elastic band". The boat sells in China for $US30. It's a toy. Read the umpteen threads that say the same thing.

I doubt your post due to the poor grammar and use of English. Boats are all built by same Chinese company.

Track my reputation anywhere here or on RCGroups.com

Saying I had a "copycat brand". Life is too short. Other readers please judge. Unless EAGLENINE is sailing in magic water.

************************************************** *********************

patti66

look at this http://www.aliexpress.com/fm-store/2...3/RC-Boat.html much sailboat

alex252

Hey guys thanks for this post. I was searching for boats to buy and i found this forum. But i need to know that is this boat really good? Is it made in china? I want to buy it . ... where to buy it? Will they provide on direct bargains?

Could anyone provide me its full detail, and also its price ?

thank u ..<br type="_moz" />

boomer1

My Feedback: (1)

sidv13, alex252

<div>The boats under discussion Surmount, Monsoon, Legend, Phantom etc. are made in China by Shunbo. A company called Hobbyking.com sells most of them, although there are other on line sellers. Prices are all over the place on E-bay some beyond ridiculous!

Larry published a build report on his Monsoon some years back in which he documented the pros and cons he discovered during the process. The Monsoon can be purchased from Hobbyking for about $90 USD plus shipping. The fiberglass hull's are generally speaking sound and the best part of the boat. Keel ballast size is too small to get an adequate amount of weight in it, the mast has to be strengthened at the joint and the hatch will leak unless is sealed properly. The fasteners will rust and the lines are cotton string and should be replaced.</div><div></div><div>The Surmount has similar issues as do all of this group of boats. The boats are not designed to sail in heavy conditions, but will survive if you address the known issues - (which are well reported on these forums.)</div><div>I had a Monsoon, fixed it and had fun with it. For the price, if you don't like it - give it to some one or throw it away.</div><div></div><div>There are so many other boats you can consider that will provide a higher level of performance. The question of which boat brings lots of opinions that can be shared. If yougo to rcgroups.com to the sailing section and do a search forwhat boat to choose you will get alot of great ideas. RCgroups is a much more active forum on sailing - check it out. Just about every boat you can think of is discussed there.</div><div></div><div>Consider: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1732250link to the<span class="nav-last"> Tippecanoe Boats Thread</span></div><div>http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1838428link to RG65 thread.

Here is a link to a forum that has some comments on the Surmount http://www.modelboatmayhem.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=40476.0</div><div></div><div>Consider Victor Models- here is a link to their web site: lhttp://www.victor-model.com/</div><div></div><div></div><div>Kits are fun - not expensive and will yield a superior boat for those that take that step.</div><div></div><div>Best of luck in your new adventure.

Boomer</div><div>
Just for fun Photos: Dragon Force RG65, Tippecanoe, Victor V 32, Victoria and a Nirvana ll</div>

Kitsapian

I am a rank newbie; I saw RC sailboats years ago and thought them lovely, but at the time had an ill wife and could not afford one. Now a widower and looking for toys, I got this one from Amazon, where I reviewed it at:
http://www.amazon.com/Shunbo-Surmoun...rmount+monsoon

I have another problem apart from the documentation, though. The boat is equipped with a Fly Sky FS-TB4 RC unit. I cannot get it to do anything, and about the only test I can perform is to is that power is reaching the Tx (by the indicator light) and the Rx (by volt meter). the Tx has a port on the back for old style keyboard Female to Male USB, but no cable came with the unit. I see simulators advertised that come with cable and software: are these a next step? Is there a simple test to see whether the Tx is outputting signal?

Comments and suggestions appreciated.

boomer1

My Feedback: (1)

Very sorry for your loss! If you read this post from the begining you should have picked up some information on this boat and a few of it's cousins.
There are lots of posts on this boat and it's relatives so re-posting them here would not serve any purpose.
If you address the known short comings of these boats, you can have a decent or perhaps "fair" starter oat. It will never be a high end yacht. The boats made by this manufacturer are basically sold on price and eye catching graphics, not on their quality. If you really want one they are the cheapest at Hobbyking.com today's price of $69.99 USD plus shipping costs
http://hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store...ail_Boats.html
There are so many better choices - take some time to do some reseach to find out about the other choices out there.
Consider RG 65 here is a link to a thread on these very popular boats http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showt...38428&page=107, Other choices might be a Victoria, or a Seawind RTR, or take a look at some of the kit boats check out this link for some ideas on kit boats: http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=767639

There are many choices out there with wide range of prices - so doing a little homework will pay off in the long run.
Boomer

Kitsapian

Not to worry--my biggest problem with the boat is the useless instructions that accompany it (for a sample, see my review on Amazon.com); it may be no more than a beginning boat, but then I am a beginning sailor, and should I convert it to a beginning wreck, I can afford the loss. Once I can use the wind to circle my local pond somewhat smoothly, I shall be worthy of a better model. I have learned a great deal here and appreciate it. Thanks!

Tony abram

Hi got a volantex racent compass it sails reasonably well and can pick one up for less than £150 all in

AEK42

Check boats listed at AMYA site. They are all raced by many people and are proven designs. Any of them will be good. If your boat is not included, there probably is a reason, it's junk.