toy sailboats?
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Richard O'Brien
- Captain
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- Location: Lakewood, CO. Mercury 60hp bigfoot M0427B404
toy sailboats?
I know this is a little off topic for this board, but i'm thinking about toy boats to get my nephews and nieces interested in sailing. The only thing I've found was the nikko Sea Angel, with a google search. Where are all those boats you see in Central park films, or those patched sails you see in french films? what's the radio control do exactly? Do these things tack also, with self tending jibs? Do they have motors so they can't sail too far out on a lake. I suppose not , because then they'd be Macs, Eh? Anyway, if anyone knows about actual working models, please post a reply. Thanks
We race Victoria Class R/C boats. They are the "entry level" RC boat with a complete set including racing sails and new spars that don't break the bank. (200USD)
There is an entire world of RC boats that go from us (200$ to the thousands of dollars). You can use CF kite tubes for the spars and mylar for the sails. Brilliant tinkering fun for all ages. an International 1 metere is about 1500 USD. A couple of friends do IOM and make their own carbon fiber hulls etc.
http://www.amya.org is the site that can help direct you through the maze of fun sport toys.
The radio controls on the most basic boats are rigged with 2 servos.
1 servo handles the rudder
1 servo winch handles the jib and main on it's double reel
The fancier types include spinnakers and other fancy gadgetry.
To control distance.... you just have to use your noggin or go swimmin.
There is an entire world of RC boats that go from us (200$ to the thousands of dollars). You can use CF kite tubes for the spars and mylar for the sails. Brilliant tinkering fun for all ages. an International 1 metere is about 1500 USD. A couple of friends do IOM and make their own carbon fiber hulls etc.
http://www.amya.org is the site that can help direct you through the maze of fun sport toys.
The radio controls on the most basic boats are rigged with 2 servos.
1 servo handles the rudder
1 servo winch handles the jib and main on it's double reel
The fancier types include spinnakers and other fancy gadgetry.
To control distance.... you just have to use your noggin or go swimmin.
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kmclemore
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Hi, Rich... good qestion. When my dad retired I made him a sailboat from a kit so that he could get out and keep sailing even in the cooler days, and as a memento of all the days he and I had sailed together... he no longer is able to sail, but he keeps the sailboat on his desk as a wonderful memory of all those good times.
I used a kit by Sterling Models, Inc. (here in Philadelphia), called a "Sailfish". Not sure Sterling Models is still in business, but you often see the kits come up on eBay and they are fairly inexpensive. The kits are really great quality, with all the parts fitting very nicely... they have lead keels and proper galvanized steel rudders, too!
Actually, there are currently two Sterling Sailfish on eBay presently (a new kit here and a partially built one with some missing bits here). Sterling made several other models, too, and here is a link to some past auctions showing some of them.
As for control, you can easily get the 2 servos and the controller from any competent RC shop. I used a Futaba set and that brand seems to be the industry leader for the less expensive controllers. You'll need one for the mast/main and one for the rudder - see here for their "sail servos" about halfway down the page - the FUTM0039 would work well for both applications. As for the controller, even their least expensive controller would do the job because you only need to control two servos - something like the 2DR controller (here) would do the job.. note that this particular controller even comes with servos. The 2DR is discontinued, but many shops may still have them... either way, just get the least expensive model available.
You'll have a lot of fun building the models, and in the end you'll be giving something you've crafted with your own hands, so it will mean a lot to the boys for many, many years to come.
Of course, there are other options other than hand-building a Sterling, of course... here are links to a few other choices.. some are kits and some are pre-built: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
I used a kit by Sterling Models, Inc. (here in Philadelphia), called a "Sailfish". Not sure Sterling Models is still in business, but you often see the kits come up on eBay and they are fairly inexpensive. The kits are really great quality, with all the parts fitting very nicely... they have lead keels and proper galvanized steel rudders, too!
Actually, there are currently two Sterling Sailfish on eBay presently (a new kit here and a partially built one with some missing bits here). Sterling made several other models, too, and here is a link to some past auctions showing some of them.
As for control, you can easily get the 2 servos and the controller from any competent RC shop. I used a Futaba set and that brand seems to be the industry leader for the less expensive controllers. You'll need one for the mast/main and one for the rudder - see here for their "sail servos" about halfway down the page - the FUTM0039 would work well for both applications. As for the controller, even their least expensive controller would do the job because you only need to control two servos - something like the 2DR controller (here) would do the job.. note that this particular controller even comes with servos. The 2DR is discontinued, but many shops may still have them... either way, just get the least expensive model available.
You'll have a lot of fun building the models, and in the end you'll be giving something you've crafted with your own hands, so it will mean a lot to the boys for many, many years to come.
Of course, there are other options other than hand-building a Sterling, of course... here are links to a few other choices.. some are kits and some are pre-built: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
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Richard O'Brien
- Captain
- Posts: 653
- Joined: Fri May 14, 2004 8:20 am
- Location: Lakewood, CO. Mercury 60hp bigfoot M0427B404
In two weeks?
Thanks for the leads. I see that I should have searched for models instead of toys. Boy! these are serious people. I cant help but recall the image of that obsessive German model-maker from the original Flight of the Phoenix. I have to admit that there are few things humans have created that compare to Stunning grace of a sailboat, and I confess that this is moreso for the full keel models. I know were largely car, bike, and plane enthusiasts too, but sailboat images are especcially infectious, arent they?