Good boat for a beginner

[dnlwthrn]

I have been into R/C for a little while, and I really want to get into boating. However, I'm not interested in gas or electric speed boats. Anyway, what would be a good sailboat kit for me to get.
What size should I start with, etc. I want a kit, and I want one that is easy to sail: you know a good starter boat. Also, price is very important.

Thanks!!

Dan

[RickE]

For a good medium-sized sailboat that's low in price, checkout the Northwind 28 on the Horizon Hobby Inc. website. It's small enough to fit in most cars and will sail in higher winds than some other yachts it's size. If you want something bigger for low bucks, check the Kyosho Seawind ad on this site's for sale section, it's a bigger sailboat kit than the Northwind 28 for under a hundred dollars.

RickE

[dnlwthrn]

how are the Victor boats? I saw someone selling a Blackhawk 24 in here, and checked out their website. They have 2 different 24" boats for about $60 each. But I guess my main question is this: Are larger boats easier to sail, or does it matter how big the boat is. I have checked out AMYA's web page, and they don't race anything smaller than the Victoria (approx. 30"). Why is this?
Right now my options are these:

Kyosho Seawind
Kyosho Fairwind 900
Victor Blackhawk 24
Thundertiger Victoria
Northwind 28
Northwind 36-600

What other boats are out there that I should look into? Any of these not worth the money?

Thanks for all the help!!

Dan

[Climate]

Have a look at the Panache II and the Elite from Climate Boatworks.
A few more dollars than the boats you listed, but will blow them all away on any race course in any conditions. Proven!
All have fiberglass hulls, (not cheap plastic ) and the Elite even includes a carbon/graphite composite rig with the kit.
The keel fins are aircraft aluminum (not flimsy plastic or wood)
Both kits build in just about the same time as it takes to figure out the instructions on the other kits.

Dont settle for less.

[RickE]

The likely reason you don't see any smallerboats on their 'site is because they can be limited in how much wind they can handle out on the water. Normally, the bigger the sailboat the more stout winds it'll take, and most 24-inch or shorter hulls will only like about 10-15 MPH winds-beyond that they get laid-over on their sides too much. The victor plastic boats are more labor-intensive that the Kyosho or Northwind yachts, but when built correctly they sail very well-you shound also consider their Soling one meter, it's the most popular sailboat they currently sell.You should have no trouble learning to sail with a one meter boat, they main thing is to just get out and learn the wind and how it reacts to your sailboat.

RickE

[dnlwthrn]

Which one is better in water? I'm assuming the fiberglass is better, but why and does it matter for me right now?
I'm leaning towards the Victor 24" boats, mainly because of the price. But that will probably just be a start. I don't even have a boat yet, and I'm hooked.

As far as radios go, I'm planning on sticking with Futaba, which I have used for cars. If I buy, for example, the 2VR, do I need the ratchet adaptor for it?

Also, what type of paint do you recommend for the hull?

Thanks!

Dan

[Climate]

Vacuumed formed plastic hulls are OK on the smaller 20"- 24" hulls as the material is thick enough after forming and the boat is small enough that it does not put a lot of stress on the hull.
I have seen some of the larger hulls that have parts so thin you could push a finger through it will almost no effort.
Fiberglass is easy to fix if you ever damage it. Plastic is not.
ABS must be painted to be UV resistant. There are some ABS hulls that are literally breaking in half due to UV degradation after 1-2 years.
Ultimately you have to decide what is right for you based on what you are going to do with the boat.
I would seriously suggest that you look at nothing under 30" unless you want to be very disappointed in the performance.

The Futaba radios are good systems. Removing the spring from the throttle stick is easy. Look on our website later this week for a "How to" article on how to set up a ratchet on the throttle stick.

Paint can be a simple as a $3.00 can of spray enamel from your local hardware store. Sand the hull slightly and wipe off any dust or oil with some thinner or alcohol and spray away.

[Killer87]

Originally posted by dnlwthrn
how are the Victor boats? I saw someone selling a Blackhawk 24 in here, and checked out their website. They have 2 different 24" boats for about $60 each.

Dan


Yeah I contacted the guy who is selling the Blackhawk 24 and told him to contact you. I didn't want to give out his e-mail. But I think hes selling it for $76 United States dollars SHIPPED and it includes 2 servos and a battery pack so all u would need would be the reciever and the transmitter.

[bambino55]

dnlwthrn,

From your list I'd say the Seawind would be your best bet. From other forums I gathered that Fairwinds are slow, Victorias are tender, Northwinds are mechanically challenged, i.e. booms are plastic and you'd have a hard time fitting larger servos.

The Seawind is 1 meter long and based on my experience with the Fortune 612 I'd say it's an EXCELLENT quality boat. Some owners are drafting a proposal for it to be a one-design AMYA class. Suggest that you visit seawindrc.com. I don't own a Seawind by the way.

One note on ABS plastic. It is a tough polymer used in traffic cones and other applications where weather-proofing is important. With that in mind I think the notion that it's a relatively "fragile" material is debatable.

[Climate]

One note on ABS plastic. It is a tough polymer used in traffic cones and other applications where weather-proofing is important. With that in mind I think the notion that it's a relatively "fragile" material is debatable.

The majority of modern traffic cones are made of PVC not ABS as stated by bambino55 above.
Poly-Vinyl-Chloride (PVC) is a tough material but probably not the best substance for making model boat hulls out of.

Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) has extremely limited weathering resistance and its mechanical properties tend to degrade rapidly with element exposure.
I don’t want to sound like a know it all, but I am a mechanical engineer with a specialty in polymers and composite plastics.
I can give you several hundred pages on the physical and mechanical properties of ABS and any other plastic.
I stand behind the original statement of raw ABS being a poor material for boat hulls, and am backing my statement up with a genuine education.

Your turn
;)

[dnlwthrn]

Climate,
Though I am not an engineer, I do work for an engineering firm, and I understand and agree with your assessment of ABS. This was already apparent to me, and if cost was not an issue, I would definitely be buying a fiberglass hulled boat. However, right now I have to convince the wife that this is not like every other hobby I have picked up, and that it is worth spending money on. Like I said before, I already have the radio gear, although it is about 10 yrs. old, so all I need is a boat. And if I can get one for under $100US, so much the better.

[Ward]

I have a Thunder Tiger Victoria, which i got as a birthday present about 5 years ago. I would have to say this is an overall decent beginners kit. I luckily had a friend at the time with muc hmore experience with R/C sailboats who noticed a few design flaws. The hull design and construction is good, and the sail/rigging is great as well. It is an ABS hull, but our local lake here is full of trees in it, some with stumps below the surface that are not visible. I have bumped into many of them without a scratch on the hull.

I do have a couple complaints, however. I have no idea if the Victoria kit has been updated at all since I bought mine, but mine had a couple design flaws. The biggest problem is the radio box. It is designed to accept a standard size servo for the sails. This would work fine in low winds, but I am sure it would perform horribly in stronger winds. My friend and I built a custom radio box to accept a much larger sail servo.

Also, I would recommend carefully gluing a small length of string along the entire leading edge of the jib (front) sail. This will greatly improve the shape of the sail when sailing, making it more efficient.

Overall, I love this boat, it is surprisingly fast for its size. Its easy to sail, weighted well which makes it forgiving, and I would feel comfortable racing it.