Phantom maiden....I can't sail too good (4 min 5 sec)

w/rod rigging & ready to go:

just got my new Phantom the other day, interesting to see what others have done with theirs so far. Today was its maiden and it did well i think , considering ive never done a sailboat in rc or 1:1. Im shure my setup isnt optimal, had some issues with the lower main sail boom pivot breaking the lower piece off where the bolt passes threw it. fixed it the old fashioned sailer way though , by wrapping it with braded fishing line its now probubly stronger than original. lol. ive read theres some issues with the winch and would report mine seems to be bind free and will just spit out line into the hull if theres no wind on the sails to pull it. the maiden went great. I took on no water and the 2.7 lbs of ballast seemed to allow it to lean over in a stronger gust though not so much that i was draggin sails threw the water...... much. probubly does need more ballast in strong windy conditions though i really want to see how well it will do for myself before adding more weight. the rudder servo does have some considerable amount of play though considering its application(IE: not being a 1/12 car zipping around a carpet track)it seemed to keep its track pretty well. cheap enouh to replace a standard servo anyway. i ran it around for almost 2 hours on a 1500mah 3s lipo and a 3amp bec, not one to trust AA battery packs, i found this to work well and was left with quite a bit of reserve battery, i think a 800 to 1000 mah 3s pack would be perfect with the bec. i did find that the tensioners on the rigging lines tend to break easy, also found that a end off a servo arm with three holes will work just as well , lol. all in all my mini review is a thumbs up for someone wanting to get there feet wet in rc sailboating without a huge outlay of cash to start with(if purchased from hk(USA)) though ive seen this going for 200 or more at some sights and this price puts it too close to some of the more upscale boats that can be had in that price range. couple things i think i migh do with this are better sails and rigging. the cheap plastic stuff doesnt really do anything for me except make me worry if im going to get to the pond and find something broke off.

Did get a maiden in!

Yesterday was beautiful here in the Twin Cities – near perfect temps, few clouds; not a lot of wind.

So, I went flying – 4 or 5 flights on the Cub and another 3 or 4 on the Groovy:

Jim's (JRB) Hangar 9 25% Cub Electric Conversion (2 min 18 sec)

groovey 90 RC EP airplane WATTS SMMAC 2010 (7 min 3 sec)

Could barely feel the wind -- mostly out of the NW 6 or less; occasionally swinging to the SW.


Decided after flying to go to the pond, if for nothing more than a dry run.


Leaves were just dancing in the tree, branches barely moving – wind was just visible on the water, no waves cat’s paw at best.

Maybe 3mph mostly from the west; but a little shifty – affected by the surroundings of the pond (City Park/pond w/boat club -- http://www.emyc.org/ ).

Stood by the tree on the pier.

Phantom did well – even ran wing & wing!

Jib needs a little more “curve” – too flat from the factory; and might need to trim it out just a tad too.

Out haul came undone so speed dropped of part way through the mission.

Tacked nicely didn’t get hung in irons; jibes were nice too.


A masthead apparent wind indicator might be a nice addition?


No pics or vid – was all alone.

good to hear JRB!

Made an Apparent Wind Indicator – surveyor tape & CF rod

Tapped the mast head, threaded the rod, and CA the tape to the rod.


Here’s how it fits in the LR4; put a leg so the mast doesn’t rest on the arm rest.

Stored hung on the wall in the garage – a bag for twin mattress fits great!

Another outing yesterday -- steady winds @ flying field, not @ pond .

Over all am happy with the boat -- hoping for better wind conditions @ pond.

Sorry I made a new post here http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1823537