|
|
|
Randall
I'd say you have been very fortunate with your transactions with HK. Chuck may have a white DF65. He was getting a few when I last talked with him. Regardless of which boat you choose it would be helpful for you to read through the DF 65 thread. All of the known issues are disussed in detail. It's always good to have and exta hatch cover, there was some issues with a mast component cracking. All that is covered in the thread. There are no discussions on the Affinity that I am aware of yet. I suspect any issue with one would apply to the other. Boomer |
|
Last edited by Boomer1; Aug 03, 2016 at 05:15 PM.
|
|
|
|
|
First outing with mine this morning, wind gusting and all over the place
Sails great, plenty of speed and looks good on the water, with it being white I think it looks better than the other 65's Just need to check the rigging,make a few small alterations to it, find a better hatch cover and charge the batteries up again |
|
|
|
|
|
how do you stop it peeling though?
|
|
|
|
|
|
A better hatch cover?
Like this?
|
|
|
|
|
|
I just ordered covers from Craig for my Affinity - looking forward to receiving them. Thanks Craig. Great work as usual! I posted better pictures of the new hatch covers. These covers are designed to be used with tape as the sealing means. The new cover is added protection from the factory provided "PVC vinyl" style covers. These covers look and feel more like coated paper to me.
For $5.99 I'm opting to use Craig's covers! I will use it as the base from which I try to develop a cover that will seal without having to incorporate the use of tape, or "ape" as bbbp refers to it. Boomer |
|
Last edited by Boomer1; Aug 12, 2016 at 10:58 AM.
|
|
|||
|
This is a copy of a post from another similar discussion. This information was posted by DutchRC from the Netherlands, Overste, Zwolle.
Notice the TV in the background I don't think Dutch realized what was being broadcast while he was making his video He is not to familiar with the components of a sailboat, but the video is interesting nonetheless! Enjoy Here are his comments: " In the +/- 65cm size of yachts, I have been sailing the Kyosho Fortune 612 for a while now.. Which is a nice looking boat, but it doesn't really perform very well.. Sooo.. when the Affinity became available from the EU warehouse, I had one sent out Here are my first thought on the yacht"
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
For fun I've posted the published spec's for the Explorer, the Affinity and the DF65. These specifications are those I could find and are not personally confirmed. Corrections are invited. The conclusion is pretty clear - the Affinity and the earlier Explorer have wider beams. Still trying to pinpoint their actual length. Seems there maybe a slight difference in length with the DF65 at 655mm vs. 650mm for the Affinity.
So we have determined the Affinity sails (A) are slightly larger than the DF65 sails, don't know if the B sails are different? The weigh comparisons are vague. It is safe to say the DF65 is the lightest of the 3 boats. My guess is the DF65 is the faster of the 3 boats depending on conditions. The DF65 offers many benefits to anyone interested in racing and values support. Don't see much support coming out of HK. Affinity RG65 Class Legal Specs: Hull Material: ABS Plastic Sail Material: Mylar Length: 650mm = 25.591" Beam: 150mm =5.906" Total Weight: 1290g Mast Height: 915mm (A Rig) 2 x Rigs (masts and booms) 2X Mylar Racing Sails Explorer Specifications: Length: 655 mm/25.8 in Beam: 148 mm = 5.8 in Mast Height: 915 mm/36 in Overall Height: 1338 mm/52.7 in Hull Material: Fiberglass** Zinc Alloy Ballast with Aluminum Keel Carbon Fiber Mast and Booms Length: 650mm = 25.8" Height: 52.7 inches Item Weight 5.5 pounds fiberglass version **Hull material: V1 version Fiberglass , V3 version ABS DF65 Specifications: Hull Material: ABS Mast Height: 915mm Sail Area (Overall): 22.26 dm2 Sail Area (Jib): 7.66 dm2 Sail Area (Main): 14.6 dm2 Length: 655mm (25.78") Height: 1338mm 52.7" Beam: 116.5mm 4.6" |
|
Last edited by Boomer1; Aug 14, 2016 at 06:27 PM.
|
|
|
|
The Explorer V1 (and I assume V2) has a length of 650mm. This allows a rubber bow piece to be fitted which brings it into RG65 specifications.
If the Affinity sails are bigger than the DF65 supplied sails there may be an opportunity to trim then to the correct dimensions contained in the DF65 rule book. Will depend on the rules re size of reinforcing, batten position and mast clip position. May be able to be cut to a smaller size maybe. Affinity and DF65 owners can comment on that. Remember the only reason the sails that come with the DF65 are legal is they come with the yacht. They do not measure to the templates. Unless HK are going to go through what the G of 3 have done with support from around the world and create their own class then the Affinity will be another yacht in the RG65 class. HK are more interested in turn over and money to go to that sort of trouble. As I found out recently their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. So a DF65 is the only yacht that can be legally sailed in a DF65 rule event but as I have said on numerous occasions most of them are sailed in a more social situations. So a fleet of DF65, Affinity, Explorer V1, Posiedon, Compass and Pirates (Cheap end of the RG65 scale) can all sail in the same fleet and as well as an overall placings there can be sub classes of these yachts with there own results to suit the group you sail in. You don't need to have a set of dire hard rules to have fun. If any of the skippers of these cheap end yachts gets the bug and continues on with RC sailing then the hobby is the winner. While I included the DF65 in the cheap (well it is) end of the fleet I would recommend anyone who thinks they might be looking to compete out side social sailing buy the DF65 it is a low cost, well sailing yacht that wont disappoint and allow you to meet other like minded skippers. |
|
Last edited by tugboat2011; Aug 15, 2016 at 08:50 PM.
|
|
|
|
As a matter of interest I decided to check the cost of these yachts to my door AU again. The cost is in AU dollars and from the AU distributer. The prices will be different for other countries.
DF65 (includes 2.4G radio) - $215 Explorer V2 (includes 2.4G radio) - $219 Pirate (includes 2.4G radio) - $209 Affinity - $198 Poseidon - $160 Compass (includes 2.4G radio) - $148 The Compass and Poseidon are a lower spec yacht. For the rest there is nothing in it price wise. Buy a DF65 and you can compete in either the DF65 sub class or the RG65 class. Buy any of the others and the RG65 class is where you will be. But if your a social sailor or like me just like to have different yachts any will get you sailing on the pond. Just because a yacht comes with a RG65 symbol does not mean it is a certain standard. It just means it meets a set of measuring standards. It is a purely marketing ploy for some. A RG65 yacht can cost anywhere from $100 to $1000's. |
|
Last edited by tugboat2011; Aug 15, 2016 at 09:00 PM.
|
|
|
|
Thanks Hammer.
I have had the Pirate measured by a mate and by his measurements the hull length is 650mm. As Explorer V2 is the same hull they can both be made RG65 compliant. I have re edited my posts above to reflect that and have also noted which came with radios. So if you think there may be a bit of a competitor deep inside I would recommend the DF65. If you are just a social sailor or like experiencing different yachts any of the above 650-655mm yachts above are available at very little cost. |
|
|
|
|
|
I was toying with buying an Affinity but HK Western warehouse will not ship to Hawaii so I have to go to their Honk Kong shop. They list the Affinity at US$122.36 but the cart shows 4162.88 due to large box item the add cheapest shipping of $39.88 for total cost of $202.12. If I could order it from US Warehouse cost would be $134.84 cart price of $159.92 shipping of $25.08 for a total cost of $185.Guess I will wait to see if something shows up on ebay or on Amazon then maybe get one. A total shipping cost of $80.00 is out of sight.
|
|
|