Marshallese Outrigger in full speed

Majuro, capital of the Republic of Marshall Island, rests on the tip of a 10,000 feet tall limestone spire of a reef caused by some volcanic eruption thousands of years ago. In one of its windward bays is home to famous sailing competitions for model Marshallese Outriggers or what locals refer to as “rewuits”. Annual races are held for these model sailboats that are fashioned after the traditional Marshallese Outrigger.

Their unique architecture includes an asymmetrical hull that allows the sailboat to sail right into the direction of the wind. It outrigger is a shock absorption system which improves the boat’s glide and efficiency and at the same time, maximizes the strength that can be taken from a gust of wind. On an ideal day for sailing when the tide is high and winds are stronger, locals and even government leaders enjoy an afternoon of sailing with their rewuits by the bay. When properly set up, these rewuits sail on a straight line relative to the wind. It is self steering in a sense that when waves hit or knock it, it instantly corrects course. No matter the enormous speeds that these rewuits display, they still stay on the course as provided by the hull and outrigger innovation that balances the sailboat no matter the direction of the wind.

This impressive sailboat design was fashioned by early Marshall Islanders for easy and fast navigation in the atoll thousands of years ago. They were made in such precision that a small canoe seating a maximum of two people requires communal effort for 8 months.

Here is a site on the background of the Marshallese Outrigger and on the bottom a link to the free model sailboat plans with detailed description on the parts of the Winner of the ‘Marshall Islands Independence Day Race 2000’

Marshallese Outrigger Model Sailboat Plan

Duration : 0:3:10

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Gerald and his 2meter Trimaran for Sale

The builder Gerald is a fan of big RC Sailboats because: “I just like the challenge of building boats, and I have gotten away from small toy r/c boats to amazingly large boats. They are fun to sail also. Every time I sail the big boats a crowd gathers, to ask questions.”

He is selling this 2meter (6’6” hull / 6’wide  and 10’ mast ) to finance his next  boat project a AC Class boat.

RTS Trimaran in Action

The yellow 2 meter Trimaran comes with everything ready to sail:

• Very fast and stable 2 Meter Multihull (because it is a multihull it needs a less deep keel, allowing shallower water and less drag = more speed)
• Ready for immediate fun: Radio Control, extra large rudder servo, sail winch, etc.
• Good to transport for its size: Completely breaks down and can travel in a minivan or station wagon

Check out the video’s on his eBay offer. Very nice.
Click here for the eBay RC Trimaran Offer

I keep here a list of the latest eBay Offers, if a 2meter boat is a little bit to much for your pond

Model Boat Plans DVD

This Model Boat DVD Compilation has all together over 600 plans + a number of how to documents. It definitely could use a little bit better organizatio of all the pictures and plans provided.

But all in all it was worth it’s money, especially when you consider how much easier it is to browse through a DVD than dozends of different websites for days to find even half the plans you can find on this DVD. For anybody looking for plans I can recommed to check it out. Click here

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

For Footy Fans:

Footy rc sailboat going 5 laps around a 50 foot long course. Time 7min 17 seconds. For specifics see: http://www.rcsailing.net/forum1/showthread.php?t=4334

Video Duration : 0:9:37

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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

The concept came Johnn while working on his model rocket car (did I mention he is a RC genius)! After some discussions on the concept he wrote me a fantastic 6 page article explaining it in every detail including drawings. I want to thank him again and again for this.

I will post this article in parts as it is simply to long for one blog post. If you want to get the full article immediately or have any questions on the concept contact me

SEA SLIPPER high performance catamaran top view

The Concept in detail

Sea Slipper Control system Figure 1

The idea is simple as a concept, the ‘wings’ are used to create a counter force to the heeling motion imparted to the hull by the wind loading the sail/rigging and tilting the boat over.  This is usually countered by a deep bulb keel.  If you wanted to sail a RC boat, in say a shallow reflecting pond, the deep keel boats might not be able to pull it off.  To see how this works, let us look at the idea of a simple pendulum sensor to detect hull motion from side to side, but prevented from swinging fore and aft.

Sea Slipper Control system Figure 2

As the magnet swings over a hall-effect sensor, the magnetic field is detected, and a signal generated to tell the control circuit that a positional displacement has taken place.  This signal is used to create a positional displacement of the wing on a hull, to compensate for the roll effect.  A left leaning of the hull would cause the wing to create a right ‘lift’ to counter the displacement.  A harder lean would generate a harder countering force to the right to keep the hull as close to vertical as possible.  By how the sensors are located, and the number of ‘sensing’ steps used, a moderate heeling force would be allowed, and then a steady correction force can be generated to keep the hull firmly in control.

This same sensor system, using a pendulum fixed to swing only fore and aft, would adjust the wing sets to assist in smoothing the pitching motions of a small model in ‘non-scale’ waters (i.e. our world!)  Or if used on a full sized boat, it would aid in the ride of increasing wave action.  In this manner, 2-axis control would give the wings a dual action capability that would stabilize the craft and smooth the ride for better control (and for full-scale boats ease the motion for landlubbers like stabilizers on a cruise ship.)

As can been seen in the drawing of the model in Fig. 3, the craft has both a front and a rear set of split wings to give rapid easy control to sea conditions.  The split wing design allows half the wing to go up while the other goes down to create the anti-heel response with smaller wing movements.  Secondly, for a pitch correction (up or down) the wings will move together to counter pitch together as if a fixed wing. 

The next part discusses how this control system can be realised with a RC Sailboat. If you want the full article immediately or have any questions on the concept contact me

About the Author/Designer of the Sea Slipper Concept:

I’m a Mechanical Designer with an electronics background and degree, so I married my work and hobbies for increased fun and develop new ways to spend my money in strange ways (according to my wife!)
This is a winter project with an eye towards exploring electronic control to ease the job of the skipper (be it RC or full-sized), and give them a fast, better controlled boat.  The concept came to me as I developed a flap system for a model rocket car.  See Fig. 1 (to keep the dang thing on the ground, instead of becoming airborne so easy.  The last hit Mach 2 eighty feet off the ground!) 

Wonderful picture I of this radio-controlled Laser. Originally posted in April on the “Proper Course”, which is about full-size Laser sailing.

Hello! I am Cathy Landergan a high school teacher. I’m not a shop teacher, my background is CADD (AutoCAD) and I wanted to create a connection between the plans and building the boats. My pre-engineering students built the classic Marblehead pond model from the Madcap plans. They start the class by creating the templates using CADD.

We have a full woodshop including band saw etc. And the kids did do the fiber-glassing, and we started from the CADD plans.

I’m also inviting local companies when possible to come into the classroom. Doyle Sailmakers helped us create the sails and we did a field trip to see the sails being made etc.

Here are some pictures of the Marblehead’s from last year at various stages. We made 4 boats, 3 of which were finished except for the electronics because we ran out of time.

Students worked in teams of 2 or 3. We sold one of the boats, and it’s my hope that we will be able to fund the program from the sale of these boats. It’s a little sad that the kids can’t keep the boats but there’s no way to split up a boat between three kids. At least they have the knowledge to make their own.

Read here the full article

Click here to find Sailboat Plans for your own project