Originally Posted by waboats

Go check the Registered Boats in Germany & the Netherlands alone...

And who mentioned Most Popular

Oh sorry 2 countries

Good Morning All! I want to throw my hat into the ring here. This is a great topic and one much like searching for the "Holy Grail" Just this past year my yacht club (Maryland Model Yacht Club) searched for a "beginner boat" We wanted something close to the size of a one meter, because while smaller = easier transport, it doesn't lend itself to easily be seen on the pond nor does it sail easily as the wind and waves increase. Sails, tuning and everything was much easier for a new person to see. We concluded a one meter size was a good compromise. We then wanted a boat that was RTR or ready to sail out of the box and of course one that was as inexpensive as possible. All of these points lent it to being accepted easily by new people. We found new sailors don't want to spend a lot of money to first get into a hobby, they don't want to devote a lot of time to build if they don't know they will like something or not, and today there are lots of people who don't have the skills to put together a good boat. Finally, they want it now, so we needed a boat that could be obtained easily. We looked at many many boats and finally this led us to the Nirvana because they had just become AMYA sanctioned. Ironically, we just were setting up a program for the "New Sailor" at our club when we learned the Nirvana had distribution problems. A couple members bought some, but now we are faced to start over again. We are constantly looking for used boats of all classes but they are difficult to find. Seems like everyone holds on to their used boat.

Besides the Nirvana, one boat we looked at was this one http: //www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAEPD&P=0 the Aquacraft Vela. It is ready to go and is for sale at Tower Hobbies. In addition it can be had on Ebay for less. Another yacht of worthy consideration is the Blackstar here http://blackstaryacht.com/Blackstar_36.html . Boomer clued us in on this option as he had one for awhile. The owner offered to provide the boats at less than complete status to reduce the costs. In the model boat world, costs are more and more difficult to contain. An example is the the Seawind. Originally the kit sold for less than $300 and unfortunately it is now not in production. But even if it comes back, it will be close to $500. Finally, this leads us to the Chinese boats you can pick up at HobbyKing. I have heard lots of stories about these but one can't knock the price. They seem to be pretty popular overseas. Heck there is even a company in Australia out there that tells you how to upgrade these boats and sail them http://www.shipshaperc.com/ and another that has set up racing for them http://www.rcyachting.scoastmac.org.au/index.htm .
So I will continue to watch this thread with great interest for any other suggestions and maybe some savy business person will pick up on it. Because from what I see, there is a huge market for this niche of a boat. Maybe buy the Chinese boats, upgrade them and resell them??? Hummmmmm?

How come the Thunder Tiger Naulantia 1M Yacht never made it as popular as others?

Terry

Originally Posted by marter1229

How come the Thunder Tiger Naulantia 1M Yacht never made it as popular as others?

Terry

It's at $200 at Tower, about $80 cheaper than their ETNZ. I hadn't seen it before. I don't have any idea how long it's been around.

One thing I want to say about the Thundertiger boats. They are kits! They need to be built and need all radio gear. So when you see the price tag be sure to figure in those additional expenses and effort.

Originally Posted by John Ebell

Good Morning All! I want to throw my hat into the ring here. This is a great topic and one much like searching for the "Holy Grail" Just this past year my yacht club (Maryland Model Yacht Club) searched for a "beginner boat" We wanted something close to the size of a one meter, because while smaller = easier transport, it doesn't lend itself to easily be seen on the pond nor does it sail easily as the wind and waves increase. Sails, tuning and everything was much easier for a new person to see. We concluded a one meter size was a good compromise. We then wanted a boat that was RTR or ready to sail out of the box and of course one that was as inexpensive as possible. All of these points lent it to being accepted easily by new people. We found new sailors don't want to spend a lot of money to first get into a hobby, they don't want to devote a lot of time to build if they don't know they will like something or not, and today there are lots of people who don't have the skills to put together a good boat. Finally, they want it now, so we needed a boat that could be obtained easily. We looked at many many boats and finally this led us to the Nirvana because they had just become AMYA sanctioned. Ironically, we just were setting up a program for the "New Sailor" at our club when we learned the Nirvana had distribution problems. A couple members bought some, but now we are faced to start over again. We are constantly looking for used boats of all classes but they are difficult to find. Seems like everyone holds on to their used boat.

I could not of said it better...

We are in the same place...our club has been running Nirvanas now for over 5 years...if the production does not resume we have no suitable replacement boat to start over with.

Someone needs to produce this boat (Nirvana) or even better would be a RTR 1 meter for beginners that is not problematic like the Vela.

Our only alternative right now is point someone to ebay... ect to find a used Nirvana...

The Soling 1 M can be ordered RTR from Victor. Normally, their factory built option does not include tx and rx, but they'll include if you ask and pay the premium.

Originally Posted by 8387mike

Oh sorry 2 countries

Mike as always.. One line snippets without proper thought to what is said..

Don't you think it's time to deal with your issues. Openly or Privately... I don't mind..... I think I need a shower to wash away the Troll...

But for now lets add in ALL the Other MM countries & what do we get , a Class that Is very Popular & more Registered than the IOM...

Gosh even you ONCE had one, before you off-loaded to somebody else to finish.. Or so the new owner claims... And I hear RSAWA are once again constiplating & trying to Organise another MM Event..Lets hope they find the right formula this time instead of their usual all Guns Blazing IOM attitudes that have failed so many times in the past.. All the time driving people away from the Fun of Radio Sailing..

TTFN

JOhn

Lets face it every boat has it's followers and fans; but as I recall the orignal qurstion was why can't a RTS boat be made in the US at a low cost. Yes the MM is a great boat and so is Victors Soling 1 meter but both need to be build and electronics added. Thats not RTS in my book and if you have Victor build one its not a low cost boat.
Yes HKs boats are cheap even with shipping added in but as it has been pointed out in many different post their boats need upgrading. Something a novic sailor wouldn't know so we do need another Nivrana boat or something like it. A good sailing boat right out of the box and at a low price so that we can keep getting new sailors.
From what I have seen Blackstar sail boats are ready to sail and seem to be good right out of the box at a fair price. I have talked to several Blackstar owners and they are more than happy with their boats.

The nearest to an RTS boat around 1 metre would be a Laser. Yes, its bigger, but forms a good basis for price comparison. A full set over here would set you back about £500 (Boat inc radi, full collection of sails, carry bags etc). Because of the nature if the sails, folding rigs are not an option, so transport can be a problem. 1 metre boats tend to have the same problem.
Because of the performance, you cannot use a toy radio because it would easily go out of range, so the price of that is a factor. Because of the sail area and the forces involved, strong components need to be used. The price suddenly looks reasonable, since the $100 in the OP would probably not buy a worthwhile radio setup, I would say it was an unreasonable dream.

Maybe the New Dragon Force RG65 might be worth considering.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1838428 or

http:////www.rcgroups.com/forums/sho....php?t=1779323

2 Threads with some comments from the development team..

I have just ordered one @ $148 deliver in OZ..

Took the plunge just to see if it is worth the effort as an entry level boat & see if it can be upgraded for reasonable cost to a Good Racer... I've set aside another $50 for bits & pieces..

With some Development coming from RCYachts in UK, I think it might just fill that VOID of a reasonably price boat out of the box..


It's not a 1M Class boat but the RG65 does have good support worldwide.

Cheers

John

Dragon Force RG65 Yacht Prototype.mov (4 min 41 sec)

I understand your cheerleading the Dragon Force boat. It does look cool, but like you said "Its not a one meter boat". The RG 65 is just too small for our purposes. Thanks and good luck with the class.

Originally Posted by Hircsailor

Lets face it every boat has it's followers and fans; but as I recall the orignal qurstion was why can't a RTS boat be made in the US at a low cost.

Originally Posted by John Ebell

I understand your cheerleading the Dragon Force boat. It does look cool, but like you said "Its not a one meter boat". The RG 65 is just too small for our purposes.

John

I would agree with you absolutely.

Obviously the requirement is a 1M boat manufactured in US for an entry level price (Ready to Run)...

Good Luck with that..

There is no simple answer to the problems you face.. You will need High End Production Runs to make any venture of this nature viable.

How much you & average Joe willing to pay

High Cost of Manufacture & Labour Costs is what has driven most production Off-Shore in most developed countries.

If there isn't the Demand Production Stops... Simply no Profit or Return..

Every Boat has this very same problem.. The Nirvana is simply the latest... Sad but true..

You want RTR, US & 1M, One Design, then you will simply have to pay a premium to get what you are looking for..

Will it be a Viable option to manufacture in US, given Likely Sales.. Only time will tell..


Soling 1M is perhaps a better option as this is available now.. Ask for an RTR price, if one is available...

This is a age old issue. Our local club is going to do a build project with a one design based on an international 110 which we are calling the Z36. Plans will be posted once the first one hits the water. More work, but should achieve the same effect in the end. The advantage is it will be built from plans so it won't go out of production when the sales drop. The disadvantage is you do have to build it. If it takes off, it might be worth doing a rtr at some point in time.

It is built to the 36r rule, so shallow depth, 37 in long, iom or victoria rig and should be able to handle up to 20 mph with the a rig, so only one rig is needed.

This is generating a good deal of interest...good maybe someone will step up and offer a boat.

I took a closer look at the Soling 1M. It is very interesting. Around $200.00 for the (looks to be easy to assemble) kit. Easy for a builder anyway.

Does anyone know about what it would cost for a factory assembled boat RTR with the servos but minus the radio or with a cheapo.

It does have the advantage of being the largest Class of boats...over 3000 registered and it is a one design...