Here’s how to shorten your servo leads in a neat fashion.  Sometimes they’re just a little too long for your application so you want to shorten them up a little bit so they’re not hanging all over the place.

First thing you want to do is cut a small section of any fitting off or or other plastic tube, so you can use it to wrap around your wire.  You only need to cut about 2 sections of the plastic tube; each about 1/8” wide.  Then, you slide your section of fuel tubing over a pair of needle-nose pliers.  Take your servo wire and fold it to shorten it’s length.  Now use the pair of needle-nose pliers to stretch the fuel fitting over your wire.

And that’s it.  Nice and neat and ready to go in your RC Sailboat.

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

What are you looking for on RC Sailboats today? -> Answer this quick survey so I can provide you with better articles on this site. Click here for the survey

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

\\\”This article appeared in the Fall 1999 issue of Epoxyworks, published by Gougeon Brothers, manufacturers of the West System epoxies.\\\” Brian Knight thanks Gougeon for permission to publish this in the December 1999 Falco Builders Letter. \\\”

Here are key excerpts for your review and discussion:

\\\”With wood, the best method of thinning epoxy with heat is to warm the wood and have the resin and hardener at room temperature. Mix the components and apply the mixture to the warm wood surface. Remove the heat source just before the epoxy is applied. When the epoxy mixture comes in contact with the warm wood, it gets warm and its viscosity becomes lower. As the temperature of the wood falls, the thin epoxy is drawn in deeply before it begins to gel. By heating the substrate instead of the components, you get the best of both worlds-low viscosity epoxy on the work surface and longer working time in the mixing pot.\\\”

Thinning epoxy with solvent
Adding solvent is a quick, simple method of thinning epoxy, but unlike using heat to thin it, the strength and moisture resistance of the cured epoxy are drastically affected. Below are some of the effects adding solvent has on West System epoxy. While there are a large number of chemicals available to thin epoxy, we selected acetone, lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol for this discussion because they are commonly available and do a good job of reducing viscosity. Additionally, these solvents evaporate quickly and are less likely to be trapped in the cured epoxy-an important characteristic. For a variety of reasons, fast evaporating lacquer thinner appears to be more appropriate for thinning purposes than acetone or alcohol.

This guy build his own RC Dutch Barge and I have to say it looks quite nice.

Here is a link to the article of Ravishal playing with his virtual boat and where you can even buy the boat (if you are in Second Life). Also has another picture of the barge under full sail.

Second Life RC Sailboat

Alternative recommendation – click here to see my review on the eBay Model Boat Plans DVD

You basically write a product reviews for them and then you can keep the product (e.g new RC Sailboat). So for all who like the latest stuff, this is a good position for you.

You need to be:
1) Must be 18 or older
2) Good writing and communication skills
3) Must be able to meet strict deadlines
4) Must be able to submit your review using your html editor of choice (Frontpage, Dreamweaver, etc.) and RCUs template
5) Must possess SLR digital camera and be capable of taking quality action photos
6) Must possess digital mini dv camera, have help to take video of product in action
7) Must be able to render video footage for web and edit. final format will be wmv ready to play on web

Here is the link to the RC Universe Magazine Writer Position

Good luck and let me know if you managed to get the position.

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.