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antipodi
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Sun Feb 05, 2006 11:03 am
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 A beginners guide to RC Sailing
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LET THE WIND DRIVE YOU!
Do you want to get into RG sailboating and become a hot-dog boat skipper? Do you prefer building fantasy boats that have been created using only your imagination? Are you an armchair builder of sweetly lined yawls and sloops that may never see water? If you've
ever, thought about getting into this wide-ranging and exciting sect of RC boating, this article is just the thing for you!
CHOSING THE RIGHT SAILBOAT
It seems RC sailing has been a real secret and many are only finding out about this hobby just now. Here is some hopefully helpful advice..
You can pick and choose from a bewildering array of sailboats in all sizes and shapes. At the simplest level, there are two types of sailboats: scale and non-scale. Non-scale boats-designed and built solely for high-speed racing-are, for the most part, extremely light with slim, eggshell hulls that sport deep-fin keels and tall, carbon-fiber masts. They quickly accelerate in the slightest breeze and are ultraresponsive to rudder and sail-trim commands. But in a stiff breeze, or while running downwind, they can be a real handful. If you want the fastest boats, these are for you.
In One-Design classes, all the boats come either completely assembled or in kit form and are made by a single manufacturer. Many of these One-Design classes are not lightweight, so they are better suited to those who prefer their racing on a more genteel level.
If you're inclined to scale modeling, there are again many choices, ranging from semi-scale, easily assembled kits from Kyosho* and other companies to completely scratch-built brigantines, schooners, barks, yawls, ketches and the like. Many of these boats are works of art with teak- or mahogany-planked decks, gleaming brass fittings and varnished brightwork. Do their builders/owners care that these boats are slower and maybe not as responsive as their racing cousins? No. I still get shivers when I watch my John Alden-designed Malabar Jr., clawing its way across the pond on a sun-dappled day, or when I see a fleet of magnificent schooners.
THE QUESTION OF SIZE
How much does a sailboat weigh? Will it fit in your car? Among the smaller classes, the 36/600 with a 36-inch LOA hull and 600 square inches of jib and main sail weighs in at 6 to 7 pounds. Its overall height from keel bulb to mast top is 70 to 75 inches. At the other end of the size spectrum, an America's Cup boat with a 72-inch hull weighs in at 30 pounds and measures 9 1/2 feet high. A 7-foot, LOA, Jclass boat weighs in at 60 to 70 pounds! Unless you have a large van or a pickup truck with a covered bed, you'll need to remove the mast and sails on these behemoths before you can take your boat to the pond. I drive a '9 7 Ford Taurus sedan with fold-down rear seats that open up into the trunk. I can fit a fully assembled U.S. One Meter boat or a disassembled AC class boat into my trunk and back seat space. It can be done.
The larger classes have continued to grow in popularity. Like giant-scale RC airplanes, larger RC sailboats tend to sail much like their full-size counterparts; they're smooth and easy to handle. You can hear and almost feel a big sailboat as it makes its way across the pond. These boats are as easy to manage as their smaller sisters, and they turn as readily when maneuvering in close quarters. The big boats are truly majestic in the water, and they can be sailed in much rougher water than what a 36/600 or U.S. One Meter can handle. I've raced my AC boat in whitecap conditions. Instead of laying over and rounding up into the wind as you would with a smaller boat, you can keep the AC boat driving. It'll simply lower its lee shoulder and drive even harder to windward. What a thrill it is to sail with a mist of rain hitting my face! It makes me feel like I'm at the helm of Shamrock, the ultimate J-class boat!
SCRATCH-BUILT? KIT? TURN-KEY?
The answer to this question depends on your building skill, available time and personal inclinations. I enjoy researching, drafting up and constructing scratch-built boats. I don't profess to know enough about hull design to develop a fast racing hull and sail plan, but if you're into these things, there are software applications available to help you. I have focused much of my time on drafting and building scale sailboats. I typically work from reduced copies of the original designers' lofted lines. There are thousands of scale boats you can build. WoodenBoat magazine has boat-plan catalogs that are an excellent start. Some of the most beautiful full-size wooden boats in the world can be found within the pages of WoodenBoat.
From any number of outlets, you can find an array of ready-to-sail boats complete with radios and sails. Some of these are expensive; high-tech, super-fast lightweights can go for thousands of dollars. On the other hand, you can find boats for a few hundred bucks.
Other than buying a turn-key boat with its radio already installed, kits are the quickest way to get a new boat into the water. Kits are available from many manufacturers, including Kyosho, Victor* and George Ribeiro Products*. Many cottage-industry companies produce fast racing hulls and components. Most kits include molded-plastic or carbon-fiber hulls that are reinforced with fiberglass as well as decks and partially built keel fins and spars. These kits can be assembled in a few weekends. When finished, they are very fast and very responsive to rudder input. Some new builders feel they have to reinforce the interior structure of their kit beyond the kit designer's specifications. Please don't; all you'll do is add unnecessary weight. Keep your boat on a strict diet of lightweight components.
Consider this: regardless of what you buy, your new boat will never crash and bum. Old sailboats never die, they just slow down and sail on. Skippers in my club are still sailing boats they built 10 years ago. Upgraded with state-of-the-art sails and faster sail winches, these boats are still threats at our bi-weekly regattas.
RADIO GEAR AND CONTROL SYSTEM
The radio system transforms your boat from a free sailer to a boat you can skipper anywhere on the pond. Radio installation isn't difficult; it's usually covered in the instructions, including the installation of the radio receiver, battery pack, sail winch and rudder servo. George Ribeiro Products, with the help of Joe Dioso, has come out with truly comprehensive assembly manuals. These superbly illustrated manuals cover every aspect of construction. I also like Victor's kit instructions. They are well illustrated for the neophyte skipper. Radio installation is critical to the performance and balance of your boat. I salute those manufacturers who take the time to effectively instruct beginners.
* Range. The question of range often comes up when discussing RC. I usually tell people that with a good radio, they'll lose sight of their boat before they lose control, If you can't see your boat, you might as well unlimber the dinghy and start rowing. The good news is that if you do lose control of your boat, and it sails off into the sunset, you don't have much of a problem. Uncontrolled boats tend to circle aimlessly and eventually run aground on the lee shore.
* Number of channels. A radio allows the skipper to control his boat exactly as he or she would its full-size counterpart. It's akin to having one hand on the tiller and the other on the main and jib sheets; rudder and sails are controlled independently. The most common installation is a 2-channel transmitter and receiver as well as a rudder and sail servo. You can use up to seven channels, which gives you separate control of jib and main sails, jib twitching, backstay tension, main sail downhaul, clew outhaul and other esoteric functions, but the beginner should stick to two channels until he or she is completely comfortable with RC sailing.
* Frequency. Today's low-cost, 2-channel AM radios are very reliable and quite immune to interference. At our club regattas, the skippers mostly use inexpensive, Futaba* 2-channel radios and stand within a few feet of one another with their boats in close quarters 100 yards from shore. Some even have their receiver antennas buried in the hulls, and we have never had an interference problem that could be duplicated after the race. A few of us use FM radios. Use 'em if you have 'em. just be sure you're on a ground (car and boat) frequencynot one intended for airplanes. You don't want to shoot down one of your flying brethren, not to mention break a federal law.
Before you buy your radio, check with your local club about open channels. This will ensure that you don't buy a radio with a frequency that another skipper is already using.
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