Purchasing gift for potential RC sailor

Hi,

I’m trying to find a nice rc (or at least rc compatible) sailboat to buy a friend for Christmas. I’m looking to spend around $80. Do I have any good options out there??

I’m totally new to this and my friend is too - but I know they would be totally into this. I hope to find a fairly simple wooden boat kit. I’d like it to be RC, but I’m thinking that I don’t have enough cash. Are there options so that they could buy the RC components, if they want, after they build the model boat?

Thanks in advance

i think you are looking a dumas. $80 is not alot of money for this hobby. you might be able to get the dumas ace racing sloop. and convert it to rc. but if you could come up with a litlle more. not much. go after the victoria. good boat and in a class. you might also check out victor models. they sell a good product . preety cheap. i have one
cougar
long live the cup and cris dickson

for 80$…no idea what you could get…maybe a Niko toy…

The Victoria might be the cheapest boat out there, hmm maybe the Nirvana…
Anyway with servos and TX RX…I would say, about 200$

not much help sorry

-Wis

_/ if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! _

I’ll have to agree with Wis. The Vic is an easy boat to set
up. You can pick it up for near $100, and then there’s the
many radio options that start at $40 at Tower Hobbies. But
there’s no limit to how far you can go. I have around $300
in my Vic, but that includes some of the go-fast stuff on it.

Travis

Don’t forget to have fun!!!

Thanks for the responses.

So, ya, I don’t have much of a budget. But am I understanding that I could potentially get the Victoria w/out electric components (servos and tx/rx parts) for around $100? If so, that is workable. I figure if there is enough interest, and they build it, they can get that stuff later.

Where would I pick up a Victoria? I’m going to do a search for local hobby shops, but I’m afraid of low stock at this late hour! Who makes the Victoria? Is there a place that would be able to ship 2nd day or something? I live in the Boston area.

Also, any more info on “Victor models” and the “Nirvana”? If you don’t off-hand, don’t worry about it - I’ll be doing some searching on my own.

Thanks

ok
now that we know you are serious. here is the website for victor models
http://www.victor-model.com/
you can pick up the radios from towerhobiies.
http://www.towerhobbies.com/
i use the tower radio in my seawind and my new IOM. and i have not had a big problem with them
the nirvana. i have seen but i realy dont like it. same as the vitoria. but this is just a personal perference. from victor models i have australia II. and i have never regret it. the boat is stable and fast enough to get people sailing.
cougar
long live the cup and cris dickson

Ok, now we’re talking. Thanks for that link, cougar. The smaller Victor models look perfect for what I was thinking.

I’m thinking either the Snipe, Mini Soling, the 24" America 3, the 24" Blackhawk, or the Tahoe II. Or maybe even the V-32k or the Blackhawk 32. Any reason to pick one or the other from that list? I realize these are probably not the racing yachts you guys are intersted in, but I think that will be fine for my friend - he’ll be using it mostly with his kids to enjoy time at the pond.

lol. any yacth can be considerd a racing yacth. i will race my seawind against many IOMs. heck i even get beat. but somethimes i dont end up last. i think what you have to figure out what you are after?. look at my website. you will see pictures of australia II on it. now it is not a fast boat. but i have used it in races and had fun with it. the blackhawk 32 . i have heard good things about. but for me. If i was in your shoes. i would pick up either australia II or america 3. both of those kits can be used and upgraded. go to tower and pick up the cheap tower 2 channel radio and pick 1 standard servo and 1 1/4 scale servo. then you are done.
keep in touch. if you wanna talk? i am on msn
cougar
long live the cup and cris dickson

I really enjoyed the victor models mini america3. It was not a record-setting race boat, but I had no worries handing the transmitter to bystander kids who wanted to give it a try. It was small enough to fit upright in the car behind the driver seat, and great fun to go toss out in the lake on an afternoon with a light breeze. If your budget is the primary concern, you can find radio systems on ebay that are used, and thus cheaper.

Hmmmmm $80. With the future in mind, at least regarding playing with other boats, I’d go with the Vic or the biggest boat you can aggord from Victor. We’ve got one guy at the pond who is enamored with cheap boats and has a fleet of them, but except for his Fairwind, hr can’t really sail with anyone else. This isn’t o say his boats aren’t fast (some embarassingly so), but he’s also an excellent builder/modifier. His Nirvana is a reliable rocketship, but it’s also heavily modified. His Northwind is mind-blowingly fast, but how many guys do you know that have 2 hulls for their boat? One stock and one modified? If you can afford it, either the Vic or the Victor Soling 1 meter’ll do you.

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Kenneth Graeme, Wind in the Willows.

Hi Rob - good to see you back here.

Dick

Victorias routinely sell on EBay for $80 + shipping. (there is almost always one up for sale)

Thanks, Dick. Didn’t think anyone’d notice!

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Kenneth Graeme, Wind in the Willows.

we did [;)]

-Wis

_/ if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! _

http://www.geocities.jp/schocklm/index.htm

in europe the MicroMagic (Graupner) is 53 cm long and not too expensive : 100 Euros without radio

MM, Micro Magic…great little boat…will built very soon…but tried it during August and was amazed

-Wis

_/ if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it! _

http://www.geocities.jp/schocklm/index.htm

I don’t know if anyone mentioned this, but you can get the VICTORIA (Victor Models and the Victoria are similar in name, so it’s a little confusing) for around $100 less electronics at <u>www.towerhobbies.com</u>. The Vic class is large in the US and extremely competitive with lots of fleets. In stock form it’s kind of a dud, but modified a little it’s a very able competitor!

The Victoria will be easier to build than the Victor Model Products boats, with the hull already joined with the deck.

More info on the Victoria can be found at: <u>www.victoriarc.org</u>

Good luck and happy sailing!

Andy

Air Capitol Model Sailing Club
www.acmsc.org