High School Model Yacht Racing Club

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by WerpKerp, May 29, 2019.

  1. WerpKerp
    Joined: Mar 2018
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    WerpKerp Junior Member

    I was talking with my science teacher at school about model yachting, and he asked me "Would you be interested in starting a club in school dedicated to model yachting?" I was interested, but I was discouraged when I realised how much even a simple IOM would be cost to build. But then I thought, what if we had a club centered around FREE SAILING model yachts? Even without radio control, it would test our abilities at yacht design, hydrodynamics, and hands-on building skills.
    P.S. AC50 foiling cat is currently sidelined.
     
  2. BlueBell
    Joined: May 2017
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    BlueBell . . . _ _ _ . . . _ _ _

    Or form a club and build one, full-size boat.
     
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  3. WerpKerp
    Joined: Mar 2018
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    WerpKerp Junior Member

    I've asked the school already, they told me that we had nor the budget or the room in the school to do it.:mad: I also prefer the free-sailing route because it involves RACING.
     
  4. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
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    Blueknarr Senior Member

    Great idea.

    I believe there are similar clubs in your area. Have you contacted them?
     
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  5. CT 249
    Joined: Dec 2004
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    CT 249 Senior Member

    What about starting by buying DF65s? They are $200 or less ready to roll with one rig. Can you use them to develop a benchmark and possibly re-use the RC gear? Can you use the DF65 hull, foils or rig as a one-design aspect and open up the rest of it?

    Without a benchmark, and given the huge number of variables involved in creating a complete boat and in free-sailing, how will the students assess how good their development is? Won't an established benchmark like the DF65 provide the control that is essential in any experiments?
     
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  6. WerpKerp
    Joined: Mar 2018
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    WerpKerp Junior Member

    I was planning on buying a load of basswood blocks, and carving a hull out of them. Then we would construct rigging, trim the sail, and use the fins to keep the boat straight as it raced across the pond.
     
  7. alan craig
    Joined: Jul 2012
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    alan craig Senior Member

    Great idea, racing free sailing model yachts. But don't dismiss radio control as the equipment is dirt cheap these days. You only need a standard servo for steering and could even leave out sail control, or a sail for a 36" yacht can also be controlled with a standard (cheap) servo. Also, consider that your schoolmates might be more enthusiastic about controllable sailing.
     
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  8. Doug Lord
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    Doug Lord Flight Ready

    WK, I think you'd be better off going for a very simple RC boat. It would be a much better teaching tool than a free sailing boat. Good Luck!
     
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  9. gggGuest
    Joined: Feb 2005
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    gggGuest ...

    In these days of the hollowed out middle class dirt cheap is a very relative term even compared to ten years ago. There's a lot to be gained from free sailing too. One could always mandate that the boats are built in such a way that the gear can be easily fitted.
    Probably more fun to have two free sailing boats you can race than one RC.
     
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  10. WerpKerp
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    WerpKerp Junior Member

    In this vein
     
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  11. BlueBell
    Joined: May 2017
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    BlueBell . . . _ _ _ . . . _ _ _

    You could run seperate events:
    With servo R/C steering and without.
    I think it would expand the learning opportunity significantly.
     

  12. messabout
    Joined: Jan 2006
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    messabout Senior Member

    I have raced RC sailing boats that cost near $2000. That is not the point. You can pirate the RC components of a cheap Wal Mart type RC car or boat for less than $30 dollars. I have done that with some degree of satisfaction. The parts are not equal to the high dollar components but they work just the same.....at least for a little while.

    Go for the RC boats with perhaps a limit of cost for the RC components. Building the boat with whatever you can get you hands on is also a testament to your inventiveness and imagination. You can actually build a workable boat with epoxy saturated newspaper as the skin. Yes I have done that too.

    Keep up your enthusiasm for doing the boat program. It is amazing what human budget efforts can and do contrive. In fact that is part of the deal is it not?
     
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