Conference vmszoo::rc

    Hi Dave,
    don't know much about sailboats but I sugust you take a gander at
    note 11.15 if you haven't already. Note 11.15 list all the notes
    that have the keyword boats associated with them. Some people don't
    get into the file that often so you might want to send mail to one
    of the admitted boaters and see if they can help with your questions.
    
    Almost forgot. I think I added the keyword boats to a couple of
    new notes today. You may want to do a DIRECTORY/KEYWORD=BOATS to
    see the most complete listing. I probably won't update note 11 again
    till this weekend.
                                                                         
    Dan Eaton

	Hi,

	I saw a note in RC # 225.1 which might gather some additional
information from someone who seems to know something about sailboats.
According the the note he has one for "SAIL" (excuse the pun).	Sailboats
are fun and relaxing. Make sure you investigate the hobby oriented sailboats
vs. the toy boats if you are serious about getting an RC sailboat. I also would
consider an electric inboard motor for mild days i had a glass one a few 
years ago and enjoyed it very much.

Happy Sailing,

Andy Bernier

    My first RC model was a Dumas STAR 45 (wood) boat.  Still have it
    sitting in the corner of my model room.  Every few years I take it out
    for a spin to remind myself how boring it is in comparison to flying!
    
    Honestly though...  I think that it would have been much more fun had I
    found a group of people to race with, but I never had a group, so it
    gets tedious quickly.  Now, to try to answer some of your questions...
    
    Size - I got the 45" boat because when I built it, sail winches were
    used and the 45 has enough room for it, the 30 was just too small. 
    Also, the 45 (with 9lbs of keel weight) can be used in quite a bit of
    wind whereas a smaller boat may not be as flexible..  If you want to
    take it along camping, the 45 is NOT the choice, as the mast/sail alone 
    is about 48", and there is no disassembly possible..  
    
    The boats do move pretty well across the water.  However, size is not
    the gating factor for speed.  Sail area, hull design and a variety of
    other factors determine the "hull speed", the fastest the boat will go.
    Sailboats in general will only move at 7-8 knots, on a good day.
    
    Winch versus servo....  I like the winch and I have faith in it.  It
    will pull the sail in in any kind of wind.  I can't really see how you
    would use a "normal" servo to act as a winch, but I have not been
    following the sailing world at all.
    
    I think it all comes down to the old adage, you get what you pay for.
    Small boats (like small R/C planes) are going to be limited.  You need
    to decide how important cost, size, time and all of the other factors
    are. 
    
    To be honest though, if you wanted something to play with when the
    fishing is lousy on cmaping trips, an off-road car/truck might be the
    answer, or an electric powered boat.  Both take up considerably less
    space than a sailboat, they are a little to a lot faster and overall a
    little more versatile..  
    
    Hope this helps,
    jeff