nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

i recently got a nirvana II pro and have been trying to find info on how to tune it and stuff. i am hoping this thread will provide everyone with a place to post their setups and modifications for their nirvana. does anyone know how to seal the radio box better? i think water is getting in through the hole where the lines come out. Any ideas? also i have heard of people rerouting their sheets through one pully instead of two. can anyone post some info or pics on how to do this? thanks

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

The "nirvana II pro" designation sounds like one of the options available at http://sailrcnirvana.com/Nirvana_Store.html If so, the "Tips and Tricks" at http://sailrcnirvana.com/Nirvana_T_T.html should be available to you and might help. Putting a cut piece of spounge under the sheet hole you mentioned should absorb most water that may enter.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

T&G: I don't really feel it is necessary to go the "one pulley instead of two" route. What you should do is inspect the sheets (lines going into the electronics compartment) to make sure they run cleanly and in parallel to each other. In other words, that the factory workers didn't install them so that they are crossed over and create undo friction. That happened on my Nirvana and once it was straightened out the sheets run clean and no problem with the dual pulley arrangement.

I might add that having the second pulley insures that the sheet to the main boom runs true to the deck fitting guiding the line to the hole in the boom and zig fitting.

The placement of the single pulley is a problem..too far forward and you are going to be creating friction from the angle of the sheet coming from the electronics compartent...too far aft and this becomes true for the deck fitting to the boom that the sheet runs through. Look at your boat and visualize it and you will see what I mean...where do you put the darn thing?

That's why I like the two pulley placement.

See the previous posters info regarding Steve Lang's "Sail RC" website. The bad news (if you have not purchased your boat from him) you have to join "Club Nirvana" to get access to his "Tips and Tricks" section and this will set you back $25.00.

However...I feel it is worth it! No way I could have learned as much about rigging this little boat for light air, race tuning, particular indosynchracies of this boat and improving watertight integrity without his tips.

In general, in light winds (5mph) you want to move the O-ring connectors on the outhauls (boom fittings) more inward to put more curve (I believe it's called camber) in the sails. About a quarter inch or a wee bit more if the wind is really light. Keep the boom vang tight in light air. Leave a light tension on the backstay...you want the mast as straight up and down as possible on the Nirvana.

I have rigged and adjustable jib pivot with O-ring connector to the jib boom so that I can slide her back in light winds to move the boats center of effort more astern.

In medium to heavy winds do the opposite to varying degrees. Ex: In 10-15mph winds I leave hardly any slack in the sails...pull the outhauls back near the end of the boom.

Hope this helps and good sailing. ~TC

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

sweet, thanks for the tips. i was thinking about joining sail rc but i dont want to spend $25. i tryed the sponge trick before but water still get in once the sponge gets full. im gonna try putting in a bigger sponge and maybe making a thin rubber skirt for the sheet hole. cant wait to get my hs-645mg in!

lets see if we can keep this thread going and build a "guide" kinda thing here

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

We have a whole fleet of the Nirvana IIs. Going to be 58 in about a week.

Check out:[link=http://www.fleetracing.net/index.cfm?fleet_id=19]ABYC RC non-Fleet[/link]

Later,
Dan

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

I HAVE A BIG PROBLEM!!! i dont think water is coming in from just the hole where the sheets go out, i think it maybe leaking in from the lid too. i just lost my steering servo and my power switch. any ideas? i was thinking about making a gasket of some sort to put around the lip of the radio compartment and then maybe making a lid out of a flat peice of lexan and securing it with screws or somthing. please help!

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

I lost my switch a couple of timesdue to water getting in it. I sail in saltwater and that is really bad for electronics. I am still trying to figure out the best thng to do for that. One of my thoughts is you have a magnetic reed switch that can be turned on when a magnet is removed and off when the magnet is present. Then seal off the top with something that adheres to the top under the tupperware like lid. For now I am trying a toggle switch with a screw on rubber cover to keep the water out. The other thing you could do is treat the switch with some dielectric oil or grease. It is a silicone based oil that repels water.

To seal the lid a bit better take some vinyl electrical tape and run it on the out side of the lip where the top is supposed to seal on. Try just one layer I think you will get a very tight seal.

Later,
Dan

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Dandelave: Looks like a great club! I especially like the photo of the two Nirvana's about to meet nose to nose...makes me wince...looks like some paint chipping in progress there. :-)

In writing to Mr. Lang he thinks we will be an AMYA sanctioned boat sometime soon...the AMYA knows we are coming and is planning to feature the Nirvana in one of the 2008 issues of "Model Yachting" magazine.

I plan to sail the "Alcyon" (my Nirvana II) this afternoon...some light wind sailing about 4-8mph winds predicted. Wish I could post a photo of her but I am on an MSNTV computer. It's kind of the "Edsel" of computers and can't do a lot of the things that a real computer can. I can send photos in e-mail but can't link to post here.

Good luck with your thriving club and really enjoyed the website. ~TC

AMYA #14983
Sail #78

P.S. I would encourage all Nirava owners to join the AMYA and reister their boat...she deserves to be in a sanctioned one design class.

Note: DO NOT put petroleum based products (like Vaseline etc.) on the soft hatch cover of the Nirvana for waterproofing...it will cause the soft platic to warp and make the problem worse.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

i fixed it! i took some glad press and seal arond the top hatch and secured it even more with a rubber band and then put the plastic hatch on top of that. then i took wax (ie:gear grease, petroleum jelly, hair wax .....) around the exit hole for the sheets and packed the rubber boot with it too. no water got in at all. and some sponges soaked up any little bit of moisture that got in.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Touch N' Go: Congrats! I guess I am just lucky. I have never had any problem with water getting in on the port side (with switch), only on the starboard side where the sheets come in..and even then only in the fiercest blows when one is sailing more horizontal than vertical. :)

What water does get in the "sponge trick" handles well..I have never got to the point where the sponge was saturated enough to start leaking water even after hours on the pond with the strongest winds.

I would caution everyone once again to NOT get petroleum jelly on the soft hatch cover..it will cause it to wharp!

I coat the sheets with bees wax (comes in a tube from "Burt's Bees" company) to lessen friction on light wind days and use petroleum jelly to lube the rudder post and carbon fiber gooseneck where the main boom swivels on the mast...but keep p.j. away from the soft plastic. ~TC

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Nirvana II sheet tip:
I noticed the sheets were becoming frayed where they pass through the holes in the booms. The holes have sharp edges and it's probably just a matter of time before the sheets break. I sanded the hole edges and protected the lines with some tape where they pass through the holes.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

JP: Am I glad I read your post. I hadn't even thought about that and went to check the suspect area.

I've had my Nirvana since August last year and sail her two or three times a week for 2-3 hours average and the sheet running through the boom was so frayed it's a wonder it had not broken already!

The jib sheet was frayed also; not as bad as the boom but still enough that it would cause a problem down the road.

Careful to preserve the bend in the sheet where it runs off the boom to the zig fitting I used a few drops of Super Jet medium CA glue. It's good stuff..dries hard as steel! Did the same thing to the frayed area on the jib sheet as well.

I think it should work but I will keep an eye on this area in the future and keep your idea in mind as well.

A craft store near me sells glass and plastic beads. If you could find one the right diameter to fit the boom and jib holes one could CA glue them in place and have a good smooth surface for the sheets to run though.

I've read on this forum about some skippers using these for fairleads etc.

Sanding would also be an excellent idea and simpler.

I've read many people rig their boats with high quality fishing line. I don't want to go that route unless I have to. Fishing knots can be hard to tie and the line is thin and hard to work with for me.

I don't relish the idea of having to re-rig the whole sheeting system!

Thanks for the tip! ~TC

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

TC , glad that tip helped. I just noticed the fraying problem a few days ago after about 15 hours of sailing, much in windy conditions.
Jack

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

ive only sailed mine about 10 times and im already noticing the fraying. im gonna try this tip after im done painting it

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

We now have 64 boats at our club [link=http://www.fleetracing.net/index.cfm?fleet_id=19]ABYC.ORG (fleets)[/link]. It is quite an experience trying to keep up with the problems. We are doing everything wrong, sailing in salt water may be the main one. You could ask what has failed...my response is what has not? Switches went out early. Many people are now just soldered around the switch and turn the boat of by taking batteries out. Servos twitching because of receiver or servo circuit board. losing hatches because they fly off if someone has not secured them someway. I have just replaced my sheets with spectra fishing leader, it is strong and runs through everything nicely. Make sure your antenna does not even rub up against any metal. Many people fixed some of their problems that way. If you are in doubt about electronics on the boat try brand new batteries first, they do not last 6 hours in the boat.

I am now on the lookout for a 2.4 Ghz system because we are about 4 boats on each channel overlapped and having some issues on Friday evening sails. There are at less 10 people that would buy them now. Does anyone know if a 2.4 Ghz is the same for air or ground? It would be nice for one to do all. The AMYA mentions that any and all 2.4 Ghz radios are okay for boat use.

Later,
Dan

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Dan, you may have already done this but I suggest you ask Steve Lang at http://sailrc.com/ about 2.4 GHZ for Nirvana. He optionally provides it with his RC Lasers. 2.4 GHZ capability would cost more than the Nirvana and it would depend on whether the receiver would fit in the boat.
As I understand it from his website, the standard Nirvana radio has 18 different frequencies. Lang's optional AM Nirvana electronics upgrade package provides 36 frequencies. Perhaps installing the upgrade on some of your fleet would help with frequencies and maybe some of the servo and switch problems.
Jack

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Jack:

I did get a reply from Steve Lang. I buy the boats through him. I was looking at the DX-6 with the receiver but that is around the $200 range and most of the participants at the club did not even pay that much for the whole setup including the radio. We only sail in a small area so the range is not a problem. I have ordered more crystals from Steve and we are waiting for those. I have already taken many of the receivers apart so changing the crystals will be no problem once we get them. If we could fill out the 36 channels and use the 2.4 Ghz (80/2 = 40) that would give us the capability of about 75 boats that would not have frequency problems. Way too many for the area we sail in. That would be like the old bumper cars from the carnivals. I should insist that each boat has a bow bumper but we do not. Knock on wood, nobody has been sunk yet.

Later,
Dan

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

I went out this weekend in a 5+ acre pond with my Nirvana II. The weather report said the wind was up to 14 mph. The "chop" was up to six inches. After a little less than two hours in the water, my Nirvana II had water inside the hull. I believe it came in through the screw attachment of the port shroud. When I tipped the boat this way, water ran out of the hull but noe significant amount escaped anywhere else. Anyone have a fix for this?

Also, when running with the wind, the wind was so strong it was pushing my bow in below the water causing me to submarine a little. Is this an indication the wind is too strong for my Nirvana? Should I get out on those days?

Thanks for all the help here, guys. I'm doing my best to promote the Nirvana and R/C sailing in general. - Dinosaur

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

If its feasible with the radio layout, it can be a good idea to move the battery pack rearwards in high winds.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

I think that the Nirvana II can sail in up to 20 but it is a wet ride with issues. Best is 15 and less. In the big wind going downwind there will be some submarine tendencies. Not to worry if you have a nice seal on the lid.

If you are getting water in the bilge and not just in the radio compartment it is probably the screw on fittings. You could take them off then dab some silicone sealer before reinstalling.

If you are getting water in the bilge you may need to drill a small hole in the hull to drain it. Make sure you know what you are going to plug it with before you start.

Dan

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Dino: I would use medium to slow setting CA glue to seal the shroud fitting. Don't use the thin kind..it does not have good gap filling properties and that is what you desire in this case.

I am used medium Jet (a brand name) CA to seal the brass rudder post tube on my V-32 build and it made a great watertight seal.

I've stopped working for now on the V-32..summer is here and it's just too much fun to be out sailing Miss NIrvana. I'm saving the rest of that project for colder winter days.

~TC

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

One other tip that I highly recommend for Nirvana II owners involves the electronics compartment.

When the sheets in the e.c. go slack there is a good chance that at some point they will snag on either the rudder servo linkage (that "Z" shaped fitting that points upwards at the end) or on the battery holder itself when you try to sheet in. This could possibly strip out a servo and at the very least cause loss of control of the boat.

It is a cheap and easy thing to prevent.

I took a small piece of plastic..in my case the kind that is used in office file folders..and sized it to shape and fit the e.c. I cut out a small section at the top port side to enable easy access to the on-off switch. Also you trim it with scissors so that it will accomodate the sail servo. Slide it under the sail servo arm and over the top of the battery holder and rudder servo. Note that this doesn't have to be rigid plastic like plexiglass etc. although I'm sure that would work as well. It just has to give the sheets a surface to lay on when they are slack.

This has the added advantage of baffling any water that comes in from the sheets to the sides of the e.c. where it will run down the side. Because all of the electronics are by design suspended about 2-3cm above the bottom of the e.c. this small amount of water that could get in is likely to cause no problem.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

My Nirvana II is being shipped. My first RC boat.
What about batteries? It seems like it would be a good idea to get nicads or NiMetalHydrids and a charger, rather than running through a zillion alkalines. Any good ideas or sources? Also, if buying batteries, what power rating? Nicads are usually 700 - 1000 mAps while NiM sometimes go up to 2000 or 2500 for AAs.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

NiCd's are being phased out. NiMH are far superior anyway in terms of capacity and no memory effect. But they do have the disadvantage of only being rated at 1.2 V each, which means your 4 cells only put out 4.8 V instead of the 6.0 V for 4 alkaline cells, which lessens both the speed and the torque of the servo. The problem can be solved by making up a 5 cell pack, but this does need a dedicated charger. However, a freshly charged 5 x 2,500 mAh pack should last you nearly all day.

RE: nirvana II tips and tuning guide
 

Thanks for the information. I had forgotten the voltage differences between Nicad and NiMh. I assume many people just use the latter and accept the lower voltage, which might not make that much difference in this application (no brushless outrunner motor soaking up power here).