Radio-Controlled Sailboat Racing

By Donald W. Hain

Tell someone you like to race radio-controlled model sailboats, and you might get a raised eyebrow or the usual question, is it propelled with a motor?

But those folks have no clue what fun they are missing: This underappreciated sport can be enjoyed by the young and the old, the day sailor or the racer, the experienced sailor or the beginner.

Donald W. Hain, who has skippered various types of sailboats, has been participating in the sport for years, and while this book focuses primarily on racing, it also contains useful information for the day sailor as well.

Model sailing includes many subcategories of hobbies, so individuals can enjoy the parts of the sport that interest them the most. Whether you like building models at a workbench or kitchen table, designing sails, or the thrill of the actual race, the sport can be tremendously satisfying.

This book guides you through every aspect of starting and excelling in radio-controlled sailboat racing, and whether you're a beginner or an experienced racer, you'll gain practical knowledge to boost your enjoyment of the sport.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: May 28, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480873087

Donald W. Hain

Donald W. Hain has skippered sailboats from eight feet up to a converted twelve meter. In college, he taught junior sailing for several summers and built half-model boat trophies for junior sailors. He discovered radio-controlled sailing the year he retired from teaching and noticed the sport lacked books to help him progress from learning to winning races. He wrote this book to share what he's learned about the sport.

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Copyright © 2019 Donald W. Hain.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Archway Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.archwaypublishing.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Photos of author and cover photo by Mary Hain.

Photos and figures by Donald W. Hain.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7309-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7310-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-7308-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018914729

Archway Publishing rev. date: 5/23/2019

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DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my parents Emory and Catherine Hain, who introduced me to boating at an early age. It is also dedicated to all of the boaters who graciously shared their knowledge and to all of the competitors who forced me to learn more. It is also dedicated to all who helped me enjoy boating, both full scale and R/C. Most importantly, it is dedicated to, Barbara, my beloved-late wife, best friend, first mate and soulmate of forty-three years.

THANK YOU

To Mary for editing.

Mary Hain, Esq. Sailor, boater, windsurfer, and now R/C Sailor

To Doug for editing, his technical writing advice, sharing his R/C knowledge, and his AMYA expertise.

Doug Hemmingway,

2008 AMYA Hall of Fame Inductee

AMYA Executive Secretary

The author can be contacted at:

[e-mail]

FOREWORD

Jack Ward, Esq.

US12 National Class Secretary

Soling 1M National Champion 2013 and 2014

US12 National Champion 2008, 2014, and 2015

Director, Sun Coast Model Sailing Club

Past Commodore, Sun Coast Model Sailing Club, Punta Gorda, FL

Our unique sport has little written specifically about it other than the quarterly Model Yachting magazine published by The American Model Yachting Association. This book is a great introduction to this sport of racing radio-controlled model sailboats. This publication is understandable by the novice sailor or a land lubber who wants an outdoor retirement activity by the water, also by the experienced sailor who is a veteran of offshore racing and transoceanic destinations with years of experience in one design racing.

With a boatload of great nautical information, the author provides insight on little tricks of the sport to make a day of sailing much more enjoyable. There is a wealth of information on this delightful sport which will sharpen the tactical skills and rule applications of experienced big-boat skippers.

Where but in this sport, after you’ve sailed eight to twelve races in two hours, can everyone head off to a local beanery to rehash the races and, unlike big-boat racers, when finished for the day your back doesn’t hurt and your feet are dry.

The book contains information for the casual sailor ranging from where’s the wind to a doctorial discussion on lift and drag and the variations in between.

It is worthy of a second reading as your interest and expertise increases and your racing record improves. It is a one-stop shop for all who are into racing or building model sailboats.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1     Introduction

CHAPTER 2     The Author

CHAPTER 3     Your First Radio-Controlled Boat

CHAPTER 4     The American Model Yachting Association

CHAPTER 5     Classes of Boats

CHAPTER 6     Local Clubs

CHAPTER 7     Hull Materials

CHAPTER 8     Masts and Booms

CHAPTER 9     Sails and Sail Numbers

CHAPTER 10   Standing and Running Rigging

CHAPTER 11   Cradles and Turning or Pivoting Stands

CHAPTER 12   Boat Carriers or Launching Handles

CHAPTER 13   Sail Carriers

CHAPTER 14   Radios, Transmitters, and Receivers

CHAPTER 15   Batteries

CHAPTER 16   Building Fixtures and Models

CHAPTER 17   Servos and Winches

CHAPTER 18   Points of Sail

CHAPTER 19   Forces Acting on a Boat

CHAPTER 20   What Makes a Boat Sail? What is Laminar Flow?

CHAPTER 21   Tools and Materials

CHAPTER 22   Tuning and Trimming

CHAPTER 23   Race Courses

CHAPTER 24   The Start and Starting Rules

CHAPTER 25   Racing Rules

CHAPTER 26   Advance Racing Rules

CHAPTER 27   Starts

CHAPTER 28   Tactics

CHAPTER 29   Thumb Time

CHAPTER 30   Before Going to the Pond

CHAPTER 31   Before Going to a Race/Regatta

CHAPTER 32   Retrieval Tools

CHAPTER 33   Race Committee

CHAPTER 34   Etiquette

CHAPTER 35   Club Equipment

CHAPTER 36   Fleet Management for Large Fleet Racing; Gold-Silver, Odd-Even, and Promotion and Relegation Racing Systems and Related Tactics

CHAPTER 37   Putting it all Together

CHAPTER 38   Lazarette

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

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Radio-controlled (R/C) sailboat’s racing at the Suncoast Model Sailing Club’s (SCMSC) south course in Punta Gorda, Florida. AMYA club #211

This book is intended to promote the exciting and challenging sport of radio-controlled (R/C) sailing. R/C sailing can be enjoyed by the young and the old, the day sailor, or the racer, the experienced sailor or the beginner. This book focuses primarily on racing, but; it contains useful information for the day sailor as well. Model sailing includes many subcategories of hobbies, so you can enjoy the parts of the hobby that interest you. If you enjoy building models at your workbench or kitchen table there are classes of boats that allow you, within parameters, to design and build your own custom hulls, keels, and rudders. In fact, certain classes allow you to design and create or customize your own sails. Most classes at least allow modification of the mast, boom, and rigging. If building is not your forte, some classes require that you to buy their factory kit or a ready-to-sail (RTS) or ready-to-race (RTR) boat and you cannot make modifications. Most classes of boats fall somewhere between and will meet your needs. Painting boat hulls and decks is a great way to express your creativity or you can use simple, elegant, traditional, hull painting. If you like graphic designs on sails then decorating your sails is another way to show your style. If you are not a builder you may want to purchase a used boat. Buying a used boat will get you into the sport quickly.

The primary goals of this book are: (1) to educate the beginner about R/C sailboats, (2) to aid in the purchasing or building of an R/C sailboat, and (3) to get the prospective sailor on the water racing and enjoying the sport. The secondary emphasis is as a reference guide to use as you progress in your R/C sailing experience and as you become a more experienced R/C sailor. Hopefully, this book will help the experienced sailor complete the area or areas of weakness and continue in ability and enjoy the full potential of radio-controlled sailing. Ideally, the experienced sailor will then share his or her knowledge with newcomers to the hobby.

A visit to a local sailing pond, coupled with the knowledge from reading this book, will better prepare you for your first sail. If you can’t wait until you’ve finished reading this book, go to the pond, observe all that you can, and then finish the book.

How do you find the local pond? Try the local hobby shop. If you are lucky enough to have a choice of clubs, they may direct you to a club that matches your needs. Or check out the American Model Yachting Association (AMYA) website. It has a Club Directory that lists local clubs by State. http://www.theamya.org/clubs/.

Some people have never been exposed to R/C sailing. Perhaps seeing this book will spark their interest and lead them into model boat sailing. Model sailors may give this book to a friend, neighbor, child, or grandchild to introduce them to the world of radio-controlled sailing.

Radio-controlled sailing is a great way to make new friends and meet people from all walks of life. Experienced R/C sailors are a varied and unique cross-section of people. Their backgrounds and experiences are varied and may be oriented toward a particular expertise. For example, they may have vast experience as day sailors or cruisers and little, if no, racing experience. They may have big-boat racing experience but neither built a model boat nor had anything to do with radio-controlled boats. R/C airplane pilots often migrate to sailing because a sailboat won’t fall out of the sky and crash damaging or destroying the boat like planes can. Sailing with your local racing club will allow you to not only meet some great people but to capitalize on your collective experiences.

This hobby is geographically huge. People from all ages and walks of life participate. The vast amount of talent and ideas should be collected and shared. This book will introduce you to an immense number of options, but the choice is yours: choose the simplest solution or design a very ornate design that satisfies your preferences and needs. Showing you what others have created shouldn’t limit your imagination but rather will inspire you to a take the hobby/sport to new levels.

CHAPTER 2

The Author

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The author demonstrates tuning.

Don started crewing on Snipes in grade school. Http://www.snipe.org. When in high school he helped his dad build a lightning and later skippered it in club races. Http://lightningclass.org/. He taught junior sailing during the summers while in college and rowed varsity crew. He also worked in marinas as a technician and drove a launch to moored boats at a yacht club.

One summer, the American Eagle (http://www.americascupcharters.com/fleet/l2-us-2l-american-eagle) a wooden twelve-meter sailboat built for the America’s Cup race, was docked in the Olcott, New York harbor where Don was teaching junior sailing. One morning, the junior sailing students were invited to crew.

Nautical Note

The America’s Cup is named after the schooner America that first won the challenge race in 1851. The race was around the Isle of Wight in England.

That summer, it was Canadian owned and called Golden Eagle. Don became a regular crew member and crewed her on the Freeman regatta on Lake Ontario. Sailing twelve-meter boats created a sea change in Don’s sailing experience. Moreover, this explains his love, to this day, of twelve-meter boats and led ultimately to his radio-controlled boat quest.

Nautical Note

A meter boat is a boat designed using the results of a formula. Many factors such as length, width, and sail area are fed into the formula and the results must be the meter desired. Six-, eight-, and twelve-meter classes were popular in the late wood-boat era and early fiberglass-boat era. Free-sail models and R/C models of meter boats are not as popular today as years ago.

One summer, Don worked as a deckhand on a lake freighter named the SS George R. Fink. http://www.greatlakesvesselhistory.com/histories-by-name/r/riddle-j-q/.

Don still crews on Lake Erie on a thirty-foot Pearson Flyer that he has sailed for over thirty years. Http://www.sailingworld.com/article/Pearson-Flyer-

Undeniable-Appeal.

In 2009 he retired, moved to Florida, and visited the local model shop with the intention to build a scale model of a twelve-meter boat. He discovered that there were radio-controlled sailboats and has been building and racing them ever since.

At the time of printing, Don is a member of the following:

• American Model Yachting Association (AMYA) (http://www.theamya.org/index.php),

• Buffalo Model Boat Club, Amherst, New York (AMYA#18) (http://www.buffalomodelboat.com/),

• The Villages Model Yacht Squadron, The Villages, Florida (AMYA #220) (http://www.tvmys.org), and

• The Villages R/C Sailboat Club, The Villages, Florida (AMYA #208) (http://tvrcboatclub.weebly.com/).

• Rochester Area Model Yachting Association (RAMYA)

Don is cartoon editor for Model Yachting magazine and webmaster for the Soling One Meter (Soling 1M) class, the U.S. One Meter (US 1M) class, the US 12 Meter (US 12M) class, the V-32 class, and the Villages R/C Sailboat Club.

CHAPTER 3

Your First Radio-Controlled Boat

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A Soling 1M class model yacht for sale at the local pond

Will your first boat be new or used? Kit, custom-built, or scratch-built? Which does your class allow? Have you picked a class yet? What class or classes are being sailed in your area? There are several avenues that you can take to get to your first starting line in an R/C sailboat race. There are several parallels in each of these routes. A trip to the local pond will give you great insight into what is available locally, and this chapter explains what the R/C sailors will be talking about as well as what you’ll observe.

The AMYA (http://www.theamya.org/index.php) website lists over thirty classes of model boats available to choose from. However, do not let the long list of current classes intimidate you. Visit your local pond and see what boats are being sailed locally before you purchase a boat. You do not want to have the only boat in a class or you’ll have no one to race against. If only one or two classes are currently being raced then you should seriously consider one of those. By selecting a locally raced class, you increase your chances of finding used boats for sale should you choose to purchase a used boat. If you later build a new boat and wish to sell your old boat, your chances of selling are greater if there is a local fleet.

Ready to Sail or Ready to Race

There are exceptions to every rule and class rules are always a factor. Some commercial builders include the assembled hull, deck, keel, rudder, sails, mast, rigging, servos, transmitter, receiver, and even the batteries; making their model truly RTS. You may also hear ready to launch (RTL), ready to race (RTR), or a similar expression. Some builders include everything except the electronics. The electronics include the transmitter, receiver, and batteries. Some do not include any sails. Others might only include the A rig and not a B or C rig, depending on the class regulations. See Nautical Note below. Some classes only have RTS boats in their class rules. A manufacturer or several manufactures are approved to produce these boats and no one else. This is often the case for one-design classes. Kit boats also range from a bare-bones kit to a very complete kit.

Nautical Note

Reefing the sails on a full-size sailboat is generally done while underway. Reefing an R/C boat’s sail is done on land before or between races. The difficulty of manipulating the small R/C fittings and the limited time between races necessitates a different procedure. The sails, mast, booms, and rigging of different-size units, called rigs, are preassembled and swapped out as wind strength changes.

The R/C Laser class is an example of a truly one-design class. The R/C version is a one-quarter scale model of the full-size, Olympic class Laser. The Laser rules, number two states: 2. Out of box (bag) Sailed out of the box with no changes to hull, sails, spars, and rigging. Including sanding or painting of hull, rudder, and keel. The R/C Laser website states: The R/C Laser was designed to be up and sailing out of the box in under 7 minutes. Http://www.theamya.org/boats/rclaser/.

Kit Boats

One-design classes tend to have one or a limited number of kit builders that are sanctioned by the class to legally produce their kits. This ensures that the boats are as similar in construction as the class desires. Some classes require their hull and deck and allow you to create the rest. Some kits are very complete. For those that are not, you can use part of a kit and finish it your way. Some builders use part of one or more kits to create a new boat. This is called kitbashing. Some kits are easy to build, others may require more model-building skills. Sail material and shape are defined by the class. You have some options with regard to rig configuration, materials, and servos. The Servos and Winches chapter explains servos and winches in more detail.

For example, the Soling 1M class (http://www.theamya.org/boats/s1m/) requires that you buy its approved polystyrene hull, deck, keel halves, and rudder halves. The Soling 1M builder will sell you the parts just mentioned, a complete kit (minus the glues and electronics), or a ready-to-sail boat.

If building a kit interests you, try asking at your local pond for the names of a couple of builders who might mentor you. Some local model/hobby stores carry the kits of popular classes in their area. Some northern clubs assemble kits at their winter meetings and the members share their experiences, skills, and encouragement.

Scratch Built

Some classes do not allow scratch-built boats at all. Usually this is the case with one design classes. Other classes allow, for example, scratch-built above the hull. Finally, there are classes that allow complete scratch-built. The use of different materials for the hull, deck, mast, booms, etc. is allowed. Scratch build is most often found in developmental classes. The US One Meter class is a developmental class, which means there are very few design restrictions. Http://www.theamya.org/boats/us1m/.

Custom Built

RTS boats can be purchased from a manufacturer and its stock model should be consistent from year to year. Some manufacturers offer a few modifications such as hull color, choice of servo, receiver brand, or similar minor modification. However, you may want some variations or customizations that the manufacturer doesn’t offer. You may find a local builder who will assemble and customize a boat to your specifications. You should research or at least discuss with other R/C sailors the custom builder you are considering. Some are fast but sloppy, others may be slow but more craftsman-like, and others fall somewhere in between. Are they any good? Do they deliver on time? A local builder removes additional shipping costs and adds the ability to visit your custom creation as it progresses through the construction stages. If class rules allow, you might discuss carbon-fiber hull construction, carbon-fiber masts and booms, drum winches, an additional servo for the jib, a tweaker, a twitcher, upgrading your transmitter, more exotic sail fabric, sail graphics, and even a custom paint job. These terms will be explained in other chapters. A custom build will be more expensive, and most first-time owners do not know all of the questions to ask. This leads to the last area: the used boat.

A Used Boat

Purchasing a used boat is a great way to get your feet wet. A beginner class boat is easier to learn on and is less expensive than a high-end racing class. Classes for beginners are more available. A one-design class is a better risk because it will have more resale potential. A developmental class is harder for a novice to correctly price and to know what to look for. A high-performance boat may have too many adjustments for a beginner to comprehend and the frustration may drive them out of the sport before they develop the necessary skills to sail it competitively. Ask around about a used boat. Is it reasonably competitive? Does it leak? What kind of transmitter and receiver come with it? What kind of batteries are in the transmitter and receiver? How old are they? If rechargeable batteries are used, is there a charger and is it included? Is there a stand or cradle for the boat? Chapters on Cradles and Tuning or Pivoting Stands, Sail Carriers, Batteries, and Transmitters and Receivers will provide additional and detailed information on the above topics.

Your experience racing your used boat will teach you many valuable lessons you can apply later. Think about what are your boat’s strengths and weaknesses and how would you design and equip one differently. Also, during your first few months or years you will meet other sailors and ask about their boats. Pay particular attention to the winning boats. Of course, a lot of winning is the skipper’s experience and ability; still equipment is a big factor.

You will learn what you like and do not like about your first boat and what you want and do not want in your next boat. Over time, you will notice how others built or modified their boats and why. You can glean ideas from their boats and better decide what you want in your ideal boat, whether you build it or you contract with someone else to build it for you.

One great hint about the success of a boat you’re considering buying (or a skipper you’re seeking advice from) is the chevrons on the deck or mainsail of the boat. Gold chevrons signify a winner of a national championship regatta. Winners of regional championships display red chevrons, annual-recurring events award green chevrons, and black chevrons are awarded to winners of local club championships. Three chevrons signify first place, two for second place, and one for third place. A two-digit number below the chevron indicates the year received and only the highest award should be displayed.

Cost may be a factor; is one boat enough for you? How about your spouse, child? How big and what kind of vehicle do you have to transport your model to and from the pond? How far away is the pond? How often will you sail? Northern clubs sail for only a few months while southern clubs can sail all year.

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A Micro Magic in a hatchback fully rigged with an A rig

Older boats may still have a crystal or frequency-modulation (FM) transmitter and receiver; the price will reflect this older technology. Newer boats may have a 2.4 megahertz (MHz) transmitter and receiver; these vary greatly in features and—of course—price. Local conditions may require one particular type. If your long-range goal is to race more than one class, you may want to spend more money on a better transmitter that can talk to several receivers. See the chapter Radios, Transmitters, and Receivers for more information. Batteries are the next question; should you use rechargeable, disposable, or a combination? Windy venues may require larger batteries than light air ponds because servos use more energy in heavy air. Check out what people are using while visiting the pond. More detail about batteries is found in the Batteries chapter.

One-Design Class

One of the major advantages of a one-design class is that the boats are relatively the same depending on class restrictions. The theory is that, the more equal the boats racing, the more the sailing ability, racing tactics, and sail-setting ability of the skipper will affect the outcome rather than the boat. Another major advantage of one design is that older boats are still competitive and tend to hold their resale price.

Some one-design classes, such as the DragonFlite 95 class, allow so little change to the boat as supplied by the manufacturer that they define themselves as a restricted, one-design class.

Developmental Class

A developmental class opens up a plethora of possibilities. If the class rules allow, you can redesign the hull to your personal preferences. For example, the US 1M class (http://www.theamya.org/boats/us1m/) doesn’t have a class-approved hull mold. Rather, its hull is governed by a rule establishing the length-over-all (LOA) and that rule is: 1.0 HULL: LOA (including bumper, if used) 39 3/8 maximum, 39 minimum, mono-hull.

That is the only limitation you have as a designer. The width is up to you, so is material, shape, weight, etc. In fact, if you develop a winning hull design you can create a mold and reproduce the hull to sell to other sailors in the class. The keel in this class is a separate entity, covered by a different rule. But remember, while a developmental class promotes improvements in boat speed and performance through newer hull, keel, and rudder designs, faster sail shapes, and better sail material; it also tends to date older and slower boats.

Join a Local Club and Volunteer

A great way to learn about R/C sailing is by joining a local club. You can visit the pond a couple of times without joining the club; most sailors are happy to help new sailors and each other. However, at some point you become that pesky person who is always asking question but still doesn’t have a boat and is not a member.

By joining the local club, even if you do not have a boat, you automatically become the new member and you start to be