Colin Helliwell

Care and maybe some clever gadgetry needed to get it detached. Baffles me why it even needs to be glued in that much - a dab of sealant maybe, but cyano all over seems un-necessary!

Thanks. (That makes it look almost easy.... 🫣)

Thanks for the info. I've contacted rcyachts for ideas, waiting to hear back. I saw https://www.radiosailing.co.uk/df95-rudder-post-fitting---new-1946-p.asp and figured that the metal sleeve would be the bearing surface, held in place inside the plastic pieces. But just had a poke with a fine screwdriver and it feels like the tube is larger diameter than the holes in the plastics, I.e. the plastics are the bearing surfaces. Bought mine new just over a year ago, so I'm still a bit puzzled at the mo'...

Does anyone have experience of removing the rudder post fitting; any tips on how to go about it? Mine - as far as I've noticed before - seem to have developed a lot of side to side 'slop'. Not rotational/steering slop - I know that happens anyway with the iffy screwpost fittings on the control rod - but plain side-to-side/non-vertical: a light finger pressure to and fro on the bottom edge, perpendicular to centre line, moves it about 3mm. Seems to be only about 1mm fore-and-aft. I'm wondering if I've done some damage to the plastic piece(s) such that the metal sleeve is now loose. (I did plonk the boat down yesterday with the fin landing on top of my toolbox....)

Yep, battery chemistries and power densities in particular! I recommend the IMAX charger - bit fiddly to use manually, tho it has PC and tablet apps too. Does 'all' chemistries, and I like that it'll tell me how much I've used since last full charge - handy to know "great, I still had plenty left at the end of the day". Can be 12v powered too as well as mains.

Whether Tx or Rx, beware of assessing "state of charge" purely on voltage. Here's a discharge curve of a [RC Yachts i.e. Vapextech] 1000mAh LiFe, at a constant 100mA drain (on a SkyRC iMax B6AC). LiPo also falls off the cliff in a similar way; my memory hazy about NiMH but might also be similar. I know your question was about Tx battery, but for info while I'm here and since you have DF(s): when club sailing my DF95 I use about 25% capacity of a1000mAh Rx battery - 9 till 1 (and maybe switching off for coffee break). Capacity will drop over time tho - we all get less energetic with age lol - so I occasionally do a full discharge/recharge to check how much oomf it still has. Personally, I don't bother with rechargeables for Tx. Ok, I only sail 4 hrs a week, but plain 'duracells' [other brands are available] are easy to keep in toolbox/pocket. If your Tx does go flat whilst on the water - and I've been there - they can be changed in 30secs without lengthy drama....

Only had my 95 for 15 months (local club sailing), but never had any leak problems. I do recently have one of the newly-permitted patches around the fin box on the hull - easy to do and maybe reduces a miniscule amount of drag too lol. I'd be nervous of diving into removing/sealing/re-fitting the deck eyes etc, for fear of cross-threading or similar aggro. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" - see how your boat fares first...?

I don't use a cover-all patch on my 95 - just the plastic 'lid'. Tape round the edges is cheap n easy.

Agreed, Derek!! And bear in mind that the Finish Line angst can then multiply 10-fold for the poor b^ggers subsequently trying to do the Fleet Board....

Aside from the matters of asap and promptly, I'd have thought you had? You both 'unwound the piece of string' for the correct course (which I don't think prescribes any particular manoeuvres), and did a full 360 turn? (You didn't do a zig-zag: bear away, tack, bear away and tack again) Edit: Have re-read John's comments on the timing of things, and hmmmm.... yes, good questions. I though guess you might need to delay your tack 'only...' so as to have adequate boat speed for the manoeuvre, which would therefore be promptly enough...?

I've had a fellow skipper respond to my apology for my foul-up with "ah that's ok, we've all been there". 🙂

Very similar thoughts here, Richard. I got into radio sailing, and joined LRSC, just last year (having started sailing dinghies as a teen). Started with an IOM, aged n ropey, but it only cost the price of a good dinner. It needs some... ahem.... 'attention'. But as Darin and others say - for a fair while, any major lack of performance can be mostly down to the skipper! To many of us, time on the water can be a way bigger gain than a new sail or a mm extra backstay. There's no way I would splash out on a 'Ferrari'. (Britpop if you ask many, or Venti if you ask our Commodore lol). This year though I got a DF95, and I find it's good to know that - except for [probably pretty insignificant] tuning tweaks - I'm at least in the same equipment as the rest. So then it really is all down to me 😄 As a member of LRSC for less than a year - it's a great club, and an ideal piece of water. It's a great membership - on any given race day there'll be a bunch of people willing to help and advise if you need. I'm not one of those worth asking for advice lol, but will hopefully see/meet you on Sunday! 🙂