RC Sailboat & Model Sailing Guide

The 35th Annual Wooden Boat Show in North Carolina Maritime Museum is starting this weekend.

Shown is also a range of boat models and historic vessels. Click here get all the details.

After a number of requests on Model Sailboat Plans I thought I go out and see what RC Sailboat Plans I can find for free or at least for a very low budget.

Free Model Plans Site
A top site you need to know is the Free Model Plans Site.
They bring out regularly free boat plans, which are either vintage plans and free for the public domain or plans by owners which give them out for free

Free RC Sailboat Plan “Santa Maria”
I guess most of us have heard of the Santa Maria, as the legendary flagship sailed by Christopher Columbus on his discovery of America. Originally a small carrack (or called nao), roughly 70 feet long carrying 40 men.
The sailboat model plan is actually a whole pack with 10 different pictures / parts of the plan with measurements etc. Here the Santa Maria Sailboat Plan

Wikipedia recommends this book for more details:
The Ships of Christopher Columbus by Xavier Pastor

Free Ships Plans Blog
Another tip is this free model ship plans blog by Emrak. 
A rough plan of this really nice looking racing rc yacht

I will keep this topic as a regular topic and post RC Sailboat plans as I go. If you got any free model sailboat plans or site with plans please contact me.

If you seriously look for more plans read my review on this model ship plans dvd.

How I discovered my 1st RC Sailboat – Megatech Nirvana II I had my 3rd powerboat and they are fun. But I had seen some RC Sailboats on the water and there just is this magic you can’t get away from. Seeing them gliding through the water silently, you start to dream about sailing in to the sunset, that really struck a core in me (I guess you too otherwise you wouldn’t be reading ).

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

Recently I found this nifty little guide, while shopping around for some good RC Sailboat ‘How to’ books. This little book, 46 pages long, is packed with 250 selected tips of the best submitted by modelers to ‘Radio Control Boat Modeler’s Magazine’ Marine Tips Section.

Time and money saving tips on creating and modifying tools, workshop set-up, building, electrical systems, painting and detailing, engines, radios etc. for the price of a magazine sounds good to me. Admittedly I added some other good books I wanted on top to get myself prepared for another sailing season. Hope to post some more book reviews as soon as the book package arrives (don’t you just love this anticipation to put your nose into some good books?).

If you have any RC Sailboat books you recommend contact me