I used a Acer WQ 2811 servo for my Vela sailboat, and kept the same servo for the rudder. If you want some more stability for your boat you might try making a keel wing like I have on my boat. It seems to make it more stable in higher winds around 8 to 10 mph. My one suggestion would be to increase the size of the rudder and servo. ronnied
(for a better idea you might check out my pix)

Alternatively, one might opt for a shorter suit of sails specifically designed to reduce the heeling while maintaining good power in the lower 2/3 of the main and jib to power the boat through the waves that develop in the higher wind ranges while allowing the mast to remain in its stock position. "OSITO", who recently opted for this course of action, after posting to this forum, will soon be able to provide us with his experience with a VELA B-Suit as his new sails are on the way to him.

Rod Carr

I think Rod and Osito are onto a good Idea. Vela is a very light air oriented boat in my opinion and trying a smaller suit of sails is in my humble opinion a good idea. Ryan

Should you wish to experiment with the shorter sail plan there are a couple of approaches I might suggest.

The first one consists of simply ordering such a suit from your favorite sailmaker and making sure he/she has the dimensional information that is provided below. The second is to modify an existing suit of kit sails and hoist them onto the existing mast. Some may wish to order a replacement suit from the manufacturer upon which to do the modification.

This approach will give you a single panel suit that will reduce heeling and weather helming tendencies in the higher wind ranges, that is coupled with some loss of power as the single panel suits do not have the built in cambered shape that aftermarket sails are likely to have. However, it is a cost effective way to decide if the shorter configuration is going to provide the appropriate change in performance that your sailing conditions require.

The sail dimensions I recommend are provided below as a contribution to the continuing growth and development of what may become a VELA Class.

Mainsail: Jib:
Luff 46.5" 38 3/4"
Leech 49" 37"
Foot 15 5/8" 13 3/8" (Not Changed)
Leech roach 1 5/8" 1/2" (Mainsail max. 15" down)
Head 1" 1/2"

i can,t wait to try out the new sails.Went sailing yesturday, lite winds and the boat sailed very good.Those things that the sheet lines go over have to go, i fixed it so the line would not get caught in it,so this time it got caught on the side.Has anyone put a water proof on/off switch in ? Also my Vela does not round up,but rounds DOWN which i believe is caused by the main sail being to big.

Rounding down, more properly referred to as lee helm, is generally caused by having the rig too far forward on the boat, or having the mainsail eased too much and the jib strapped in. Too big a mainsail, if all else is equal, will cause the boat to round up, "weather helm", as the boat tries to head up into the wind. Think of the feathers on an arrow. They are all the way back on the transom and as a result the arrow flies directly into the wind, that wind being caused by its speed through the air.

Originally Posted by RodACarr

The sail dimensions I recommend are provided below as a contribution to the continuing growth and development of what may become a VELA Class.

I second the motion ....

Sign me up!

Osito,
Next time you sail your boat, start with your rig straight up in the boat. If you have weather helm, then ease the main sheet a bit, and lean you rig forward a tiny bit.
Set up the boat as follows: Rig straight up, jib boom pointing just inboard of the shrouds, and main boom almost on centerline. Fool around with the tuning and you will get the boat sailing well. Ryan

Just a comment: I think all the ideas posted on his site are great and inovative, however it seems everyone is waiting for the acceptance of the vela into the club racing world. It is my observation that it should be there already, I was told that the vela is a 1-meter international class boat. If that is true what are the people in charge waiting for? It seems that there is already a class and they should adopt it. In my opinion people should not have to modify or change masts or sails unless they just want to experiment within there class.I have enjoyed my vela and the modifications to it because, it never was about racing it was about sailing and having fun. ronnied

Meh, I sail on a pond in a city with no official club. For me its all about the wind, the challenge, and the Me time so far.

I like tinkering with the boat to see what I can make better, and what design/material flaws I can overcome.

Ofcourse, so far Im only like two months into this RC sailing thing. Someday i may want to race. who knows. But I know I need to learn a whole lot to do it from where Im currently at.

Originally Posted by ronnied

Just a comment: I think all the ideas posted on his site are great and inovative, however it seems everyone is waiting for the acceptance of the vela into the club racing world. It is my observation that it should be there already, I was told that the vela is a 1-meter international class boat. If that is true what are the people in charge waiting for? It seems that there is already a class and they should adopt it. In my opinion people should not have to modify or change masts or sails unless they just want to experiment within there class.I have enjoyed my vela and the modifications to it because, it never was about racing it was about sailing and having fun. ronnied

Hmmm, seems to me they made this boat too long to fit into the 1meter rules:

SPECS: Length: 40" (1015mm)
Beam: 6.5" (165mm)
Height: 79" (2005mm)
Weight: 6lbs (2.72g)

Maybe that's why it hasn't been accepted into this class?

you just have to cut about 1/2 inch to sail in the 1 meter.Just cut 1/2" off the stern and move the back stay.Of course no mods to keel.Then register with the Vela U.S. Yacht Club.You must register your boat sail numbers.Aquacraft will help you,just give them a call.I did some mods to my Vela and will post pictures soon, i;m really happy with the way she is coming along..The stuff i learned from this forum really helped and with alot of help from Ryan.

were can i get a mast cleat ?

Sailing for fun was boring for me, after a year, so I joined the AMYA.

The AMYA members claim the best way to tune any given boat is to race a similiar boat with a friend and see how the times match each other.

Try racing a Vela with a sanctioned IOM, ODOM, or US1M abreast, and you will be very disappointed.

The only reason I see to forgo a Vela one-design class, is if Hobbico decides to discontinue the boat, due to poor sails .... er, poor sales.

Check out pekabe or look at Long Beach RC on Ebay for cleats. Use bowsies for as many adjustments as possible. Ryan