Beginner sailboat help please.

[Sheetmaself]

Good morning, after a bit of advice please.

My house has a lake attached to it of approx 100m x 30m and i fancy getting and r/c boat.

We have swans and ducks etc so don’t want a powerboat and to scare them off so thinking a sailboat would be good.

I have kids and as all parents know after spending 20 mins getting it all ready and not seeing them at all as soon as it goes in the water they will appear wanting a go so it needs to be a simple boat (kids are nearly 8 and 11).

I have seen this https://www.modelsport.co.uk/product/413321?gclid=...







I guess the question is, is this a good starter boat for under £100? Im sure it will have limitations but will it be fun or frustrating ?

Im liking the thought of a catamaran as in some places the lake when dry spells occur can be less a few cm’s deep so was thinking a monohull would like get stuck.

Also i just don’t have the time, or inclination at least for now to build one.

Thanks for taking the time to read and any help appreciated.

Edited by Sheetmaself on Sunday 15th May 09:36

Edited by Sheetmaself on Sunday 15th May 09:36

[mcdjl]

That's got two keel fins so would get just as stuck as a mono hull.
Sail boats need a lot more draft/ depth of water so depending on your lake may be frustrating. From my limited experience swans and ducks don't really care about small electric boats, even fast ish ones. I spent about £40 some years back on a 'magic cat' type thing and they've been fine with it when I've used it on local lakes.

[Sheetmaself]

I tell you what, I read you post thinking “no it doesn’t have any fins” looked at the picture and immediately saw them!

Maybe need to think about a power boat instead then as the lake is plenty long enough but width will definitely be an issue.

Thanks.

[CanAm]

At a model engineering show I saw a r/c duck. I think it was based on one of those decoy ducks. It was plodding along quite naturally then suddenly shot off like a bat out of hell, as it was on hidden hydrofoils

However, there's all sorts of electric boats you could have, other than speedboats.

[mcdjl]

CanAm said:

At a model engineering show I saw a r/c duck. I think it was based on one of those decoy ducks. It was plodding along quite naturally then suddenly shot off like a bat out of hell, as it was on hidden hydrofoils

However, there's all sorts of electric boats you could have, other than speedboats.

I've seen electric crocodile heads.... Not seen how fast they are

[Alex@POD]

My dad used to have RC sailboats, and I would use them quite often. If your kids are 8 and 11, get a boat with a motor. Making the best out of a weak headwind can be a bit frustrating for a kid I think.

[Sheetmaself]

Ok i may have a look at a powered boat.

Just worried about it running out of power in the middle of the lake as already been advised I’m not to send the girl in after it which was my initial plan!

[Simpo Two]

Sheetmaself said:

Ok i may have a look at a powered boat.

Just worried about it running out of power in the middle of the lake as already been advised I’m not to send the girl in after it which was my initial plan!

It doesn't have to be a speed boat zap pow zowee, it could be something with a displacement hull. As for battery life, if the lake is too deep to wade, there must be some kind of battery monitor gadget/beeper available.

[mcdjl]

Simpo Two said:

Sheetmaself said:

Ok i may have a look at a powered boat.

Just worried about it running out of power in the middle of the lake as already been advised I’m not to send the girl in after it which was my initial plan!

It doesn't have to be a speed boat zap pow zowee, it could be something with a displacement hull. As for battery life, if the lake is too deep to wade, there must be some kind of battery monitor gadget/beeper available.

The one I've got switches to a slow mode for plenty long enough to get back to shore when the battery hits a certain point.

[blueg33]

Easy to recover a boat from a 30m wide lake. Just get a reel of kite string and one body holding the string on each bank. Walk along and you soon have your boat back.

[hidetheelephants]

How deep is it? An actual sailing dinghy might be more rewarding, if somewhat pricier; an Optimist would be easy enough to move on and get your money back if it's not a child pleaser. If they like it there are hundreds of dinghy clubs and open racing events around the UK.

[mcdjl]

hidetheelephants said:

How deep is it? An actual sailing dinghy might be more rewarding, if somewhat pricier; an Optimist would be easy enough to move on and get your money back if it's not a child pleaser. If they like it there are hundreds of dinghy clubs and open racing events around the UK.

If we're worried about an rc model grounding an actual dinghy stands no chance. Also at 30m wide that would be like sailing in a canal.... Not so great in my opinion!

[Sheetmaself]

Definitely not wide enough for a proper boat.

The problem is that it looks very wide but due to the way it needed to be built as i was limited on water volume it was built wide but mostly shallow.

At its highest water level the shallow part is still only a few cm’s deep.

I have seen a few slow boats like tug boat style but thinking i may get bored quickly which is why I was thinking sailboat.

Will look into it a bit more.

Thanks for the replies so far.

[CanAm]

You can get model fighting vessels with working guns, so they can have actual battles. That should ease the boredom.

[Sheetmaself]

CanAm said:

You can get model fighting vessels with working guns, so they can have actual battles. That should ease the boredom.

Ooh now that sounds fun!

[Simpo Two]

Sheetmaself said:

CanAm said:

You can get model fighting vessels with working guns, so they can have actual battles. That should ease the boredom.

Ooh now that sounds fun!

Plenty on YouTube, eg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JLV8opu9EQ