Hello everyone.

Been reading through the thread and finding some good information here.

I was originally planning on getting a Nirvana for sailing next summer. This past summer I joined a 1:1 Boat Club for easier access to getting my 21 foot Rinker into the water, and I found the main dock at the club to be a great place for enjoying RC boats. I had liked the idea of having a sailing boat for the relaxation factor of it. I really like my scale boats...how slow they go and how easy they are to just kind of watch out on the water.

Well, anyways...for Christmas I asked my family for a bunch of Tower Hobbies gift cards. My wife, my parents, my grandmother...everyone. I figure I'll probably end up with about $300 worth of them.

I WAS planning on using them to buy myself the ultimate monster truck/crawler...the Traxxas Summit...but I noticed that Traxxas was discontinuing the NiMH version of the truck, and I didn't want to spend the $165 premium to get the LiPo version of it, so I bought the Summit myself the other day.

That means that I've got those gift cards coming with nothing to really spend them on. I don't really want another truck (I've got plenty of those), no interest in anything on road, no interest in any airplanes, and just sold the last of my CP helis and my heli transmitter.

So I was thinking...maybe I'll get myself a Vela One?? I have two other Aquacraft boats...the Bristol Bay which I really like, and the Tower Hobbies Power Vee (which is actually just an Aquacraft Hammer) which I also really enjoy.

I've never sailed before...RC or 1:1.

I like the Vela because of it's looks, size, and the fact that with those gift cards it will almost be like getting it for free.

I know that the Nirvana is probably the best beginner boat out there...but is the Vela really far behind?? Would I be able to learn how to sail with one??

Thanks everyone.
Jeff

Just go for it!!!
There is many RTR out of the box sailboats.
Vela One meter IMO is one of the best boats to get in to RC sailing.
It looks good, sails good and comes with lots of things that are ready to go.
....

Cool.

I will put it on my very short list of things to consider with these gift cards.

Another advantage of the Vēla, over the Megatech Nirvana, is that your LHS will support AquaCraft and other Hobbico products. Tower Hobbies may undersell your LHS for the actual model. However, your LHS will also combine and eat the shipping costs with other customer's orders, should you need a timely replacement part.

Traxxas "is Ready to Run" so I'm assuming there's no appeal to build your own boat; otherwise, I'd highly recommend the Thunder Tiger Vicoria.

I generally prefer RTR stuff...mainly because I don't seem to even have enough time to actually USE my RC stuff, let alone build it.

Gimpdiggity,
The Vela is a great boat. Beware thought as the boat has some flaws and Aqua craft has QC issues with consruction of the boat. Be careful of hull and deck separation issues, the existing sail winch will need to be replaced and two to one sheeting system installed to get full throw on the sails. Don't let the boat's flaws deter you. Its a lot of fun to sail in 1-8 or so MPH wind speed, after that the boat is overpowered. Hope this helps your choice. Ryan

And it's to long to fit in the One Meter Class.

SPECIFICATIONS
Stock Number: AQUB0200
Hull Length: 40 in (1015 mm)

Originally Posted by Rssailor

Gimpdiggity,
The Vela is a great boat. Beware thought as the boat has some flaws and Aqua craft has QC issues with consruction of the boat. Be careful of hull and deck separation issues, the existing sail winch will need to be replaced and two to one sheeting system installed to get full throw on the sails. Don't let the boat's flaws deter you. Its a lot of fun to sail in 1-8 or so MPH wind speed, after that the boat is overpowered. Hope this helps your choice. Ryan

Okay. I'll keep that in mind. I did have some QC issues with my Bristol Bay, but it was nothing that I couldn't get all fixed up with a bit of time and some glue.

Originally Posted by MILLERTIME

And it's to long to fit in the One Meter Class.

SPECIFICATIONS
Stock Number: AQUB0200
Hull Length: 40 in (1015 mm)

I'm not too interested in fitting into a class. I've looked into the local sailing club, and they only sail on days that I work...literally. There wasn't a single day that I found over the last year that I would have been able to make it to a sail.

So I would just be using it by myself.

Even without building the RTR yachts, I spend at least three hours on maintenance for every three months sailing.

And, if you've flown helicopters, you should be accustomed to maintenance!

Originally Posted by ssautter

Another advantage of the Vēla, over the Megatech Nirvana, is that your LHS will support AquaCraft and other Hobbico products. Tower Hobbies may undersell your LHS for the actual model. However, your LHS will also combine and eat the shipping costs with other customer's orders, should you need a timely replacement part.

Traxxas "is Ready to Run" so I'm assuming there's no appeal to build your own boat; otherwise, I'd highly recommend the Thunder Tiger Vicoria.

I think you will find the support for the Nirvana from sailrc, the Nirvana supplier to be the equal of any LHS.

Originally Posted by seabee CE

I think you will find the support for the Nirvana from sailrc, the Nirvana supplier to be the equal of any LHS.

Absolutely not!

Sail RC....aka Steve Lang....aka Elk Trading Co, provides 2-3 niche sailing products for a very limited market.

Place any order before Monday, at any LHS, for any current HH or Hobbico product and you will receive that product by the following week's end.

Meanwhile, the Nirvana receives limited support, in the US, because most MegaTech products are not worth buying, in the first place.


More important: How do you propose that "Gimpdiggity" uses Tower Hobbies' gift certificates for the purchase of a Nirvana?

Originally Posted by ssautter

Absolutely not!

Sail RC....aka Steve Lang....aka Elk Trading Co, provides 2-3 niche sailing products for a very limited market.

Place any order before Monday, at any LHS, for any current HH or Hobbico product and you will receive that product by the following week's end.

Meanwhile, the Nirvana receives limited support, in the US, because most MegaTech products are not worth buying, in the first place.


More important: How do you propose that "Gimpdiggity" uses Tower Hobbies' gift certificates for the purchase of a Nirvana?

Not sure I ever proposed he use those gift certificates, so will ignore that part. My experience with sailrc has all been positive, and the 2 clubs in my area that sail Nirvanas have all had good service and experience also. So if yours has been bad, I'm sorry, but I think the popularity and growth of the Nirvana fleet shows that there are more good than bad to be had with the boat and sailrc. Hope you have better experiences with your current boat and supplier. I'm not anti Vela and also know a few happy Vela owners.

The Nirvana is a great boat with great support....don't believe SSautter....he is prejusticed against the Nirvana and its owners and is unwelcome in the Nirvana thread do to his trolling.

Now onto the Vela....I don't have one but a good friend in my club does. He returned the 1st one due to unsolvable leaking issues with the keel and rudder. The replacement had the deck come up and the sails come unglued.

He has stuck with it though, but now is unhappy because the servo throw is inadequate to open the sails all the way and she drags the booms in the water when she heels over.

It is a good looking boat and if your willing to overlook/ work through the issues go for it.

Here is a pic of my friends after he repainted and re-canvassed her.

Gents - the real issue here is the coupons, and not which is a better boat or who has the better service! They are very different in size, construction, design and appearance. The Vela is a relatively new comer to the scene and hopefully AquaCraft will in the not to distant future address the manufacturing issues with the Vela. Those issues have been clearly documented here and the fixes have been clearly delineated.

Tower Hobbies is a fine company to trade with in my experience as is sailrc.com
Comparing the two companies is again like apples and oranges. Tower is a very large distribution company and a part one the largest hobby combines there is. Sailrc is a family owned and operated business, that is owned by a super individual who is a life long sailor, an Officer and a Gentleman! (West Point Grad) and a Decorated Vet.
Mr. Sautter for his own reasons enjoys "trolling" on this forum as Crash has reported in a previous post. He certainly has the right to his opinions, but common sense would suggest he'd be better served if he were to express them in a non-toxic tone and without anger - this type of rhetoric is very unbecoming. So much for that point.

I had a Vela but when I got it, was disappointed with the one I was sent. Clearly, this particular boat should not have gotten out of the manufactures plant. It happens - I sent it back needless to say, but opted not to have it replaced. I still like the boats appearance and know from the reports on this thread, the boat's issues can be addressed.

If our friend is handy and doesn't mind fixing a thing or two, I am confident the Vela would be a good thing to use his coupons on! To be fair the Nirvana is a time tested and fully proven boat that year in and year out continues to bring countless hours of sailing enjoyment to new comers and seasoned sailors alike. There are literally thousands of Nirvana's that have been sold around the planet - Sailrc.com does a good job - I have owned 6 Nirvana's - never had an problem with any of them. Why so many? I let my friends that come to sail with me, sail mine. Then they want one for themselves, so I end up selling them mine and getting another one. I like to add my own touches to each of my boats, and my friends seem to like those little upgrades too.

Were you to ask me which is the better boat, I'd have say the Nirvana overall due in part to the fact that these boats work all the time, are trouble free and require very little maintenance. There are moving parts and lines that over the years will need repair or replacement, but what doesn't? Both are fine boats in their own way, just different. The Vela's that have been featured in this thread are fine examples of how handy people can make a nice thing even better.

You will enjoy your Summit - amazing piece of engineering! Be aware they are not water proof - they are water resistant! I posted a couple of pictures of mine.

I wanted to share some mods I made to my Vela. It hasn't made its maiden voyage yet, so I'll have to follow-up later regarding issues, etc. Most mods were inspired by this thread, but I ran into some roadblocks along the way that forced me to improvise. I gave my 2 year old the radio and he couldn't tangle the lines, so things may work out okay.

First, I made sure to grease the rudder to prevent leakage and I epoxied the mast and spreaders. I also used CA glue on the tie downs. I replaced the battery pack with a Venom 5-Cell 6.0V 5000mAh NiMH Receiver Pack and replaced the servo with a Hitec HS-785HB. For now I disconnected the on/off switch and am plugging the pack directly into the receiver - I'll get that cleaned up later. I used a Dremel tool to cut out the wood to fit the larger servo and battery back. Coincidentally, the new battery pack fits snug and stays out of the way of the servo.

My next problem was that I didn't realize the HS-785HB had so much throw. It turns 4 revolutions and that's way too much. I wanted a clean solution. It turns out that I had a Bochen 3386 POT (50-2M ohm) at the house so I figured I'd give it a try. I opened the remote, clipped the top wire on the throttle pot and soldered my POT in-line. I didn't test the full range of this POT before I closed the remote. But, I set it about 1/2 way and ended up at about 1.75 revolutions which was perfect.

Last problem is that I needed some tension on the line. I added some elastic line on the port side tie down, ran it to the bow and then connected it back to the line. This gave me the right amount of elastic. I then removed the plastic line guide on the back of the boat so that the ring I added had enough travel room. It travels from the last pulley to the ring that came installed on the boat.