Great Thread guys!

I have enjoyed just looking over the 4 pages, when time permits I'll come back and see if I can help contribute.

Most of you probably have found the Yahoo Fairwind Group that is dedicated to the Fairwind. It has postings going back to 2002. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fairwind900/

There isn't much about the Fairwind III on that site but everything that is good for the earlier versions of the Fairwind to make it sail faster apply to the Fairwind III.

I do think the Fairwind III should weigh more than the minimum 8 pounds to make it sail right.

Thanks again for starting this thread.

Rick

Originally Posted by Fairwind900

Great Thread guys!

I have enjoyed just looking over the 4 pages, when time permits I'll come back and see if I can help contribute.

Most of you probably have found the Yahoo Fairwind Group that is dedicated to the Fairwind. It has postings going back to 2002. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Fairwind900/

There isn't much about the Fairwind III on that site but everything that is good for the earlier versions of the Fairwind to make it sail faster apply to the Fairwind III.

I do think the Fairwind III should weigh more than the minimum 8 pounds to make it sail right.


Rick

Good to see you on this thread Richard. I did review some of the information on the Fairwind Yahoo group you referred me to several weeks ago and found the build articles interesting. Looking forward to your input here since you have so much experience with the Fairwind series.

Originally Posted by BrushlesHeaven

Guys, please use PMs if not thread subject related...

You're right, I admit I was too lazy/tired last night to send 2 seperate message, so I combined both my question and the praise for the TS about his good looking boat on it's maiden in one single post.

Got another sail in last Monday. still not much above freezing, no real wind again, nothing too exciting.
Just a shakedown cruise.

Discovered that my upper ball joint where the boom swivels on the mast was still too stiff, a puff of air wouldn't swing the boom over, (a good breeze would).

Took that apart when I got home, disassembled the boom attachment, put the bolt back in with a spare nut, tightened it up snug, stuck the bolt into my drill chuck, smeared some abrasive paste on the ball and ran the drill for several minutes at top speed, while I swiveled everything around.

Seems a lot better, the next sail in light winds will tell the tale.

Originally Posted by SoloProFan

You're right, I admit I was too lazy/tired last night to send 2 separate message, so I combined both my question and the praise for the TS about his good looking boat on it's maiden in one single post.

No biggy SoloProFan.

All praise gratefully accepted.
I'm a "Show and Tell" guy.

I'm hoping this thread will renew some interest in that great boat the Fairwind, regardless of it's iteration.
There isn't much out there other than the yahoo group and fairwind900's interesting thread.

We really need a good thread about the Fairwind on RC Groups where it's easily accessed by one and all.
While not the fastest boat around admittedly, it is a good steady sailer, can handle heavy weather (when trimmed properly), and is well designed and made.

There are always improvements to be made, and we all like to make a new boat "our own", by tweaking things, but the heart of the Fairwind beats strong.

It's a great platform, whether you want to strip her down for racing or dress her up for leisurely afternoon sailing, she'll do it all.
And it's a pretty boat when fully dressed.

Originally Posted by lilleyen

Those are both good 2.4 radios for boats, note the left one has servo reversing switches on it, the one on the right has to be programmed on your computer.
For the few dollars difference I would prefer the silver one.
It uses 8 AA batteries.

Go with the rechargeable NiMH low self discharge type AA batteries, from Hobby King as well.
They stay charged even when you are not using them, and they are high capacity.
Saves a lot of money and landfill waste. You can recharge them for pennies and about 500 times.

...

I used to use only Spektrum receivers, ($45.00 to $75.00 a crack, but mostly now I use the Orange receivers from HK for about $6.00 each. They work just fine with my Spektrum transmitter.
With a Spektrum 6 channel DX6i transmitter and $60.00 worth of Orange receivers you are good for the whole ten models the memory will hold in the Tx.

Hope this helps

...

Originally Posted by Rusty Nail

I too recommend the T6 Flysky radio.
Being able to increase the sail servo throw to 120% is very useful.
Also there is a 3 channel receiver with failsafe so you can set the sail servo for loss of radio signal.
There is also a mod for the meter to allow use of a 2S lipo or four cell AA battery.
It is also compatible with a lot of helicopter bricks.

I need recommendations for my old Fairwind. I bought it new about 15 years ago and played with it for many years, but a few years ago I had some batteries explode in the transmitter. Also, I usually sail it in our backyard pond, and only when the wind is howling, so it has taken water inside pretty much every time I used it. I dry it out, but the artesian-fed pond water is nearly as bad as salt water on metals. Oh, and it has been sailed in salt water a few times too.

The bottom line is, I've decided it is time to replace servos, receiver, leaky little switch, battery box and all related wires inside and get a new transmitter.

Recommendations on what to buy? Are there packages for people like me to just buy as a group? It is unlikely I will ever use this stuff in another boat or RC toy.

I bought this boat rigged and ready to sail, so I really know nothing about this subject.

Here's a couple of old pictures of my boat, back in the day...





It's blowing out there now and I miss my boat!

Originally Posted by Tom Ray

...



I need recommendations for my old Fairwind. I bought it new about 15 years ago and played with it for many years, but a few years ago I had some batteries explode in the transmitter. Also, I usually sail it in our backyard pond, and only when the wind is howling, so it has taken water inside pretty much every time I used it. I dry it out, but the artesian-fed pond water is nearly as bad as salt water on metals. Oh, and it has been sailed in salt water a few times too.

The bottom line is, I've decided it is time to replace servos, receiver, leaky little switch, battery box and all related wires inside and get a new transmitter.

Recommendations on what to buy? Are there packages for people like me to just buy as a group? It is unlikely I will ever use this stuff in another boat or RC toy.

I bought this boat rigged and ready to sail, so I really know nothing about this subject.

Here's a couple of old pictures of my boat, back in the day...





It's blowing out there now and I miss my boat!

Absolutely Tom Ray!

Hobby King is the place for you.
No, I don't work for them, but I like their prices.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/index.asp

You can buy your Radio and transmitter for less than $50.00
Get a good strong metal geared servo for your sails and a regular one for the rudder.
Your choice. Maybe fairwind900 can make some specific recommendations?
I use a Hitec 645MG for the rudder and a Hitec 985MG (metal gears), for the sails. (This is in my Nirvana. )
My Fairwind came with Futaba servos re-branded to the Kyosho name.
Not quite sure what they are, but they are massive.
I'm sure Hobby king has something similar for less money, but I trust Hitec.
If you rig up a good seal for the hatch and use a magnetic switch inside, (like I did on my Nirvana), you won't have any more trouble with corrosion, especially if you use a product like Corrosion X on every bit of metal to be found, including the rudder shaft.
It won't hurt electronics so use it freely.
Buy one of their AA battery boxes and switch harness with a charging jack built in.
Also some LSD rechargeable AA batteries, and a charger if you don't have one.
You say your batteries exploded in your Tx. Always a good idea to remove the batteries if you are not using the Tx or Rx for an extended period, as they can leak.

Make drawings and take pictures of the current setup before you disassemble anything, so you can put it all back together properly.
We can help you with anything technical.
Nice pond pictures.
Go for it.

I got a couple of Nirvanas recently in supposedly as new condition with rudder servos fitted for the sail! Won't pull in unloaded sheets!!
So I am looking for new sail servos too, and not the US$59 + international shipping Megatech ones!! Incidentally the distributors site reports no Nirvanas for sale and no news of future availability. Gone the same way as the Seawind?
Here are the cheapest HobbyKing choices, including a digital which will have higher consumption. Any one have experience with these on a yacht? There is a heap of reviews on some which makes one feel quite comfortable with the cheap choice.

Earlier I recommended the use of $1 Polyswitchs for protection on all installations.

Originally Posted by Rusty Nail

I got a couple of Nirvanas recently in supposedly as new condition with rudder servos fitted for the sail! Won't pull in unloaded sheets!!
So I am looking for new sail servos too, and not the US$59 + international shipping Megatech ones!! Incidentally the distributors site reports no Nirvanas for sale and no news of future availability. Gone the same way as the Seawind?
Here are the cheapest HobbyKing choices, including a digital which will have higher consumption. Any one have experience with these on a yacht? There is a heap of reviews on some which makes one feel quite comfortable with the cheap choice.

Earlier I recommended the use of $1 Polyswitchs for protection on all installations.

You might get a better answer on the Nirvana thread.
I use the Hitec servos.
545MG for the rudder 107 oz. @4.8V $32.00 at Tower
985MG for the sails 133 0z.torque @4.8V about $60.00 @ Tower Hobbies
A lot of the Nirvana guys swear by the Futaba servos the S3082 and S3081 (monster torque) bu they don't fit into the Nirvana tray as easily as the Hitecs do.
Even the 985 Hitec required a little filing of the radio box opening to fit in there, but the height was the same.

The polyswitch thing is new to me. Interesting.
A good safety feature.
How exactly do you know what size to use for a particualr application, for instance the sail servo in a Nirvana, or a Fairwind?
I'm not sure what size servo is in the new Fairwind III, but I'm pretty sure it's a Futaba re-branded to the Kyosho label.

Originally Posted by lilleyen

Absolutely Tom Ray!

Hobby King is the place for you.
No, I don't work for them, but I like their prices.

http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/index.asp

You can buy your Radio and transmitter for less than $50.00
Get a good strong metal geared servo for your sails and a regular one for the rudder.
Your choice. Maybe fairwind900 can make some specific recommendations?
I use a Hitec 645MG for the rudder and a Hitec 985MG (metal gears), for the sails. (This is in my Nirvana. )
My Fairwind came with Futaba servos re-branded to the Kyosho name.
Not quite sure what they are, but they are massive.
I'm sure Hobby king has something similar for less money, but I trust Hitec.
If you rig up a good seal for the hatch and use a magnetic switch inside, (like I did on my Nirvana), you won't have any more trouble with corrosion, especially if you use a product like Corrosion X on every bit of metal to be found, including the rudder shaft.
It won't hurt electronics so use it freely.
Buy one of their battery boxes and switch harness with a charging jack built in.
Also some LSD rechargeable AA batteries, and a charger if you don't have one.
You say your batteries exploded in your Tx. Always a good idea to remove the batteries if you are not using the Tx or Rx for an extended period, as they can leak.

Make drawings and take pictures of the current setup before you disassemble anything, so you can put it all back together properly.
We can help you with anything technical.
Nice pond pictures.
Go for it.

Thanks for your reply! I'm actually ahead of the game on two items:

I have lots of full sized boats and an array of corrosion-preventative materials, which have been used on the boat all its life, and I do actually know better than to leave batteries in a device. I just put it away thinking I would use it again soon and stuff came up, so I did not. Oops!

My problem in shopping is utter cluelessness. I do not see the HiTec model numbers you mention on the Hobby King HiTec servo page, but see servos ranging from $20 to almost $90 for one with titanium gears. Some are "mini" and a couple are "deluxe" models. I'm guessing it would not be a bad idea to get that $90 one for the sails, but can I go cheaper?

I do tend to sail it in strong winds and have frequently had the wind overpower the original sail servo. I do what I would do on a real sailboat: turn upwind to relieve the load, sheet in, and go. It would be nice to be able to adjust the sails under full load.

I never had a problem with the rudder servo.

Basically, I don't know enough to shop for these items. Would you mind poking around on Hobby King and giving me some model numbers for appropriate servos among their current offerings? I would also appreciate radio transmitter and receiver model numbers. I do not want to buy the wrong stuff and don't know enough to know the right stuff.

I'm going to get the boat out of the shed today and take some pictures of the current setup, which I will post later.

My pond is small and has a lot of trees around it, so I have to wait for windy days to sail. Even on windy days there are calm patches and sudden gusts because of all the tree interference.

Here's a picture of Luke the Cowdog going for an unintentional windsurf board ride. It shows almost the entire pond.

Rusty,

No need to worry about the Nirvana going away. Thy are on order and will be in soon.

Regarding the servo, the Hitec 645 is a easy drop in. If you ate the specs off that winch and compare the specs and size at HK, that will give you a good starting point.

Guys have also made mods to fit a full size Futaba 3802.

Lots of info on the Nirvana page.

I brought mine with me from the states to Singapore along with my Seawind.

Let me know if I can help out.

DW
=Rusty Nail;23665959]I got a couple of Nirvanas recently in supposedly as new condition with rudder servos fitted for the sail! Won't pull in unloaded sheets!!
So I am looking for new sail servos too, and not the US$59 + international shipping Megatech ones!! Incidentally the distributors site reports no Nirvanas for sale and no news of future availability. Gone the same way as the Seawind?
Here are the cheapest HobbyKing choices, including a digital which will have higher consumption. Any one have experience with these on a yacht? There is a heap of reviews on some which makes one feel quite comfortable with the cheap choice.

Earlier I recommended the use of $1 Polyswitchs for protection on all installations.[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by Tom Ray

Thanks for your reply! I'm actually ahead of the game on two items:

I have lots of full sized boats and an array of corrosion-preventative materials, which have been used on the boat all its life, and I do actually know better than to leave batteries in a device. I just put it away thinking I would use it again soon and stuff came up, so I did not. Oops!

My problem in shopping is utter cluelessness. I do not see the HiTec model numbers you mention on the Hobby King HiTec servo page, but see servos ranging from $20 to almost $90 for one with titanium gears. Some are "mini" and a couple are "deluxe" models. I'm guessing it would not be a bad idea to get that $90 one for the sails, but can I go cheaper?

I do tend to sail it in strong winds and have frequently had the wind overpower the original sail servo. I do what I would do on a real sailboat: turn upwind to relieve the load, sheet in, and go. It would be nice to be able to adjust the sails under full load.

I never had a problem with the rudder servo.

Basically, I don't know enough to shop for these items. Would you mind poking around on Hobby King and giving me some model numbers for appropriate servos among their current offerings? I would also appreciate radio transmitter and receiver model numbers. I do not want to buy the wrong stuff and don't know enough to know the right stuff.

I'm going to get the boat out of the shed today and take some pictures of the current setup, which I will post later.

My pond is small and has a lot of trees around it, so I have to wait for windy days to sail. Even on windy days there are calm patches and sudden gusts because of all the tree interference.

Here's a picture of Luke the Cowdog going for an unintentional windsurf board ride. It shows almost the entire pond.

Well there are so many options it's mind boggling for sure.

I have trouble converting from the torque ratings (oz. versus KG), but I just found a conversion calculator on the Tower Hobbies page.
What you should look for in a sail servo:
Lots of torque, at least 133 oz. or 9.6 kg.
Stay away from the digital servos, they gobble hydro.
They are super accurate, but for a sailboat that isn't necessary.
Micro and mini servos again are unsuitable.
Any standard servo will work for a rudder servo, not a lot of torque required, but I would stick with metal gears as rudders get bumped a lot in transit.
Harder to strip metal gears.

If I were in your shoes, I would remove the existing servos, carefully measure all the dimensions in Millimeters, and try to find some servos that match those dimensions. Saves a lot of fooling around and fitting etc.

If your original servo is Futaba, the sail arm splines are probably only going to fit a Futaba servo spline, or a Futaba compatible servo. (Spline count matters)
Base your torque requirements on the 4.8 volt specs if you are going to be using rechargeable AA batteries
If cost is an object, stick with the Hobby King or Turnigy brand etc. on the HK site.
If not, see what Tower offers.
You can't go wrong with Futaba or Hitec quality.
Not saying all HK stuff is junk because it's not, just more of an unknown quantity.
When I buy from HK, I carefully read ALL the reviews on that item before I pull the trigger and order it.
Generally, if there is a real problem with an item, you will find out about it there.
Their prices are really good, and so far I've had no problem with their products, (about 4 orders and several hundred dollars worth of stuff)

Again, I emphasize, map out your existing system including where all the lines go etc before you tear it down, so you can put it all back correctly with your new 'stuff". (That's a technical term)

I like the look and specs of this radio system $28.41: http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...x_Mode_2_.html

This one will do the job too, it needs an extra cable to program it from your computer $23.00:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/s...2_Mode_2_.html

Get the mode 2 versions, throttle on the left stick.
Stick type transmitters are best for sailboats.

I use the left or throttle stick (up and down) for my sails.
Up lets the sails out, down pulls them in, -standard setup.

The right stick: I use the aileron stick, for right and left rudder.

I used the little 4 cell plug into the wall camera battery chargers for years, they'll do the job if you don't want to get into multi purpose chargers just now.
They usually come with 4 NIMH AA cells, sold for cameras etc.
Try to get at least 2200 mah batteries with them.
They work OK, just don't hold their charge practically forever like the HK LSD AA batteries do.

If you are just going to be sailing in your pond occasionally, that's all you need.
If you are going to be traveling to a group sailing area you might want to bring extra batteries.
I like the LSD ones because if I get a surprise call to go sailing, I know they are always ready.
With the camera type NiMH batteries, I like to charge them the night before, when I know for sure I'm going to be sailing.

I usually use the LSD batteries, and the switch harness with the charging plug on it, both from HK.
After sailing, I pop the hatch to let it air out, (moisture), pull out the charging plug and plug in the charger. If the batteries get a bit warm, all the better, as it helps dry things out in there.
I mean just luke warm, not hot, I don't charge my batteries at a high rate, they last longer that way.
That way, I know if I get a sudden urge to go sailing again, it's ready to go.

If you are going to order the LSD batteries from HK, get some extra AAs, and some AAAs while you are at it, saves shipping costs to order a bunch, and you can use them in your TV remotes etc.

Hope this helps you to get started.

Happy New Year!
Boomer

"The polyswitch thing is new to me. Interesting.
A good safety feature.
How exactly do you know what size to use for a particualr application, for instance the sail servo in a Nirvana, or a Fairwind?"

The stall current is a good guide.
Type of use is a consideration. For racing you don't want even a few seconds of slack sail but in casual use is better to err on protection side.
The Polyswitch is very fast on break and on reset so needs to be sized for peak use, not average.
The dedicated would be best to measure their system on maximum useful torque and aggressive rudder with a clamp amp meter. Just above that would be a conservative setting to avoid excessive power consumption without lots of tripping. A racer might choose a value closer to the stall amperage of the sail servo.
I guess a starting point of an amp would be good for a casual sailor in moderate conditions.

Thanks for the additional guidance, lilleyen!

I will be checking in with clueless questions as the refit progresses.