I am working to create a comprehensive buyers guide to help especially the beginners to buy the right boat.

Some of the tips I collected so far e.g. check out your local club, decide on scale vs. fast/competition boat, decide on budget and size etc.

What other buying tips do you have?

Click here to share your rc sailboat buyers tips

And for all the beginners, let me know what your most important question for buying a rc sailboat is. Click here

Almost without exception the uninitiated spectator who has been watching a model out sailing and then sees it being brought ashore will express great surprise at how big it is. That little model you see out on the pond can be eight feet long and weigh up to eighty pounds. Unless you sail in a swimming pool, the rule of thumb is: the larger the model, the easier to sail. And one of the most important considerations in selecting a model is its size, all other things being equal. If you cannot see the boat well enough to distinguish wind changes on the sails and reaction to the controls, you will be unable to operate it among a fleet of models sailing offshore. The distance to which we can sail our model yacht is limited not by range of the radio transmitter and receiver in the control system but by the capability of the human eye. Beyond a certain point we cannot see the boat well enough to set the sails properly. Visibility is crucial for setting sail trim and course – and also for avoiding collisions.

From a practical standpoint, the minimum overall length is 36 inches if you plan to sail with other larger models. The large “J” boats and “A” Class boats measuring eight feet in length represent the upper limit. Thirty nine to sixty inches constitute the most common hull lengths. In selecting your model size consider: where you will store the model when not in use; how you will transport it to the water’s edge; what is involved in your launching it (depth of water required, weight of model, bulk of model, etc.). At the time of purchase you will need to consider the cost of having the model kit delivered to you. Generally, models up to 50 or 60 inches can be packed to ship by mail or United Parcel. Models which cannot be packed within UPS size and weight limitations must either be picked up personally at the shop or be shipped by truck. The same considerations must be given to the spars for your model. A tall one-piece mast may be very expensive to have shipped. If you overlook the shipping costs, you may find the shipping more costly than the model itself, unfortunate but sometimes true.

Sailing model weights range from five pounds to over 80 pounds. Fifty inch models will range from ten to 30 pounds, which is within the launching ability of most adults. The larger boats require a cart or two persons for launching.

While a child’s toy boat can be launched from the edge of the pond, the size of the R/C models requires a launching area with water deep enough to allow for the depth of the model keel. The typical 50/800 Marblehead draws 15 to 18 inches. You may need to wade out into the water to launch and recover your model. At facilities for full-size boats, there is usually big-boat activity which wipes out model activity – model boats sail best undisturbed by powerboat wakes and water skiers! The Parks and Recreation Department in your town may be willing to follow the lead of the Town of Needham, Massachusetts, in providing model-boat facilities, particularly at ponds where other public access is restricted. Consider too the possible need to launch a small boat to recover a disabled R/C model.

The sails on the modern model racing yacht are left attached to the spars rather than furled or stowed as they would be on a big boat. In the normal home it may be hard to find space to stow away a ten-foot mast with sails attached.

Look here for more RC Sailboat Beginner Tips

Firstly – It’s relaxing:
As long as you don’t have a phobia against water, standing and watching over a nice lake or the sea is just wonderful. And compared to a loud RC motorboat, where you constantly need to exchange batteries or fuel up, a RC Sailboat lets you enjoy the atmosphere and you even get the time to watch what else is going on around the lake.

Model Sailboat - Art you can play with

Secondly – Boat Building
If you are in to working with your hands and create beautiful things, then a Model Sailboat should be high on your list. Somebody called it – Art you can play with and that describes it perfectly.

Thirdly – Learn to sail
Honestly, what do you think is more fun? Learning from books or buy playing with a RC Sailboat? Obviously model sailing is especially a good way of teaching sailing fundamentals to children, but also grownups enjoy this hobby where you don’t need to get your feet wet.

Fourthly – Competition RC Sailing
The racing fever will quickly infect you as soon as another RC Sailboat crosses your path. And it is a lot of fun chasing each other of the water, seeing your model sailboat fly across the water just powered by the wind and your skills (Actually check out my review of the Nirvana II to see you don’t really need much skills to get started)

If all this didn’t convince you to start with model sailing as a hobby, than I don’t know what.

So I started to look up all kinds of RC Sailboat buyer guides and different product reviews. And somehow the Megatech Nirvana II came up again and again with really good ratings. Once I reviewed the feature list I knew I had found just what I wanted. My RC Sailboat had to be easy to use (I was a beginner), easy to assemble (I am not that good with fine handy work), fun and fast and very important not some crappy plastic thing that breaks after a few times using it and you can never sale again for a decent price in case you don’t like the hobby. Oh and one more thing: Easy to transport (I don’t want to fold my back seats every time as if I would transport a fridge)! Well, the Nirvana II is exactly that:

• Build up time between 10min – 30min for most beginners and no glue or other fancy stuff which needs more than a normal screwdriver. (That’s fast – setting up and configuring my DVD player nearly took that long)
• Easy to use. I’ll quote one of the product reviewers on Amazon: Joseph Blaton “My 13 year old son who is a beginning sailor was able to operate this sailboat.”
• Fun and Fast. Oh yeah, this thing fly’s over the water, does quick turns and you don’t need to be a pro to sail like a pro.
• Good quality, low cost and keeps in value. People don’t rave about this boat for nothing. It really is well build, doesn’t leak and people have fun with it for years. And I can easily resell it for a good price as it is quite in demand.
• Removable keel and quick release of mast to easily transport to the lake and later stow it at home.

View this boat in action:

Key Features:

• 32”overall length low-drag composite hull
• Carbon fiber mast with competition mylar sails withstand up to 15 MPH wind conditions
• Removable racing keel with ballast bulb for ease of transportation
• Trimable Sail for any wind condition
• 95% ready to sails, simple assembly in minutes(needs a pack of batteries)

Quotes from people who own a Megatech Nirvana II:

“I was really surprised, thinking previously that one really needed a 36″ boat or a 1 meter boat to get realistic sailing. But no, the NIRVANA II sailed well, upwind and downwind.” J. Rockafellow ‘busyjr’

“Having zero experience sailing model boats, I was very satisfied with the boats performance and ease of use, and anxiously look forward to the next time out. Tons of fun.” Thomas Gearrhart

“it’s a pleasure to sail this boat. In fact i’m getting a second one to race with friends.” flimflam man ‘filmfan’

More customer reviews on the Nirvana II here

Where to get it: I did some research on the prices and surprisingly Amazon is by far the lowest (+ the good reputation on delivery). Click here to get the  Megatech Nirvana II

I wish you a lot of fun with the Nirvana II because I know firsthand you will. It’s an awesome boat. Go, ride the wind! PS: If you want more information check out this good Megatech Nirvana review by Jeff Troy

This quick guide will give you 2 Key Questions to get started.

Question of Purpose:Do I want something to race with the wind or a majestic boat of art?

Race RC sailboats are designed and built solely for high-speed racing. Most are extremely light, with slim hulls, long keels and tall, carbon-fiber masts. The slightest wind will send them of flying across the water and they are very responsive to rudder and sail trim. With lots of wind or while running downwind, they can be a handful. They sure are a lot of fun while speeding across the water, fighting inch for inch to beat another sailboat. But don’t expect bells and whistles and perfectly scaled image to an original.

If you are more in to a beautiful scaled remote control model sailing boats then you can choose from easily assemble able semi scale kits or build a boat from scratch. These boats are a work of art and you will find yourself changing and reworking little bits like brass fittings, a detailed rig or a teak- or mahogany-planked deck.
If you are an absolute beginner and not much of a handcraft person who likes to work on flimsy things and has patience to re-measure and rework the smallest details, than I recommend you to take a semi scale nearly ready to run kit or go for a less artful race boat. To go the full detailed way look around and you will find a large number of build plans available in shops and even for free online.

Question of Size: Or what kind of car are you driving?

All RC sailboats might look awesome on pictures on the package but once you put it together it might be a huge monster that will never fit in your car. I strongly recommend you check out the size of your trunk before you buy the boat.

As smaller sized RC sailboat with 32” – 40” might weight around 6 – 8 pounds and can fit with some arranging in to your trunk or back seat space. But a 72” model sailing boat can easily way 30 pounds and will require a pickup truck or a large van (and lots of patience packing).
An easily removable keel or mast can definitely help, so look for those features.
(See the recommended Megatech Nirvana II with a removable racing keel)

Another thing to look out for:
Also check out where you want to go sailing. If you only have a small pond with lots of seaweed then you want as little keel as possible. But if your pool of water has lots of wind then a little bit more keel is what you want.

I hope this got you started and I will soon post another article on the different features of RC Sailboats to look out for when shopping.

RC Sailboats use the power of wind acting on their sails to propel the boat forward and are typically controlled by a radio transmitter. By manipulating the joysticks on the radio transmitter, radio signals are sent out and then received by the radio receiver on the boat. The receiver interprets the signals and controls accordingly the so called servos on the RC Sailboat. Those servos are battery powered electric motors which change the position of the rudder (steering the direction of the boat) and the position of the sails (allowing trimming the sails to the best location for the given direction the wind is blowing unto the RC Sailboat). In a very broad sense the operator can control through the radio transmitter the direction (via the rudder) and the speed (via the sails and strongly depending on the strength of wind) of the RC sailboat.

Types of RC Sailboats:

RC Sailboat Toys
These model sailboats are mainly made for kids. They are very easy to operate and usually control the sailboat only via a little propeller and not actually via the sail and rudder position. Their advantage is their simplicity and that they don’t rely on the wind (which means you don’t need to get your feet wet to get it back to shore or the edge of the pool. These RC Sailboats are good fun for the pool or a small pond. Example:

Dickie Spelzeug RC Sailboat

RC Model Sailboat
A Model sailboat or so called scaled model boat is a RC Sailboat made to the image of a particular sailboat type. Examples range from the great multi mast Schooners, Historic sailboats (see the Santa Maria) to models of the latest America cup race yachts or even a complete fantasy boat. The effort and pride of a model ship builder is to create a sailboat with the finest details matching the original boat or boat type they had in mind and make it look like a smaller version of the original. When saying “small” – these boats can be anything from a few inches to multiple feet long and include a whole range of features such as lights, sounds and even mini canon’s. There is a limitation to size vs. original measurements as RC Sailboats often have to deal with stronger winds and waves in ratio to their size compared to a full sized vessel, which can require changes to the hull, keel or the rigging of the sails.

AMYA RC Sailboat Schooners

Racing RC Sailboat
Racing RC Sailboats are made for one thing – speed. These sailboats are made from wood to high-tech material such as carbon fiber for masts. They range from just for fun RC Sailboats to specified classes defined by ISAF or individual RC Sailboat clubs. Well known classes are the International One Meter, RC Laser, Seawind or the Nirvana II. Example:

Megatech Nirvana II

RC Bottle Boat
Bottle Boats are the low cost and not so serious alternative in RC sailing. These RC Sailboats are mostly constructed from all kind of waste items such as plastic bottles for the hull and bin bags for sails.

British Model Yachting Association RC Bottleboat Race

I hope I could give you a broad understanding of what a RC Sailboat / RC Yacht is.

Go, get yourself a RC Sailboat and fly with the wind!