Trevor

Having just acquired two more yachts (Marblehead and IOM) in addition to my existing IOM. I find myself with eleven complete rigs and several spare sails. The rigs are currently hung horizontally in their sail bags. Maybe I should hang them vertically. I know they’d be better off flat but that takes a lot of space. What do you think?

Thankyou for your observations. Battery changing is not an issue as one charge is more than enough for our club mornings. I will do as suggested and stick with a patch but fit a deck switch so I don't have to lift the patch to turn on when I get to the lake in case it's raining and the patch won't stick 'cos it's wet. One day I might fit a pot in the style of the Sailsetc solution and use the rudder servo patch for ventilation. Incidentally I have two fan belts fixed to my garage roof that go round the fin and support the hull vertically so any water can drain from the bow hole which greatly speeds up drying. Cheers Trevor

Thanks Mike.

Hi Dave As you can see the winch is deck mounted so large access is required. Maybe a clip on GRP hatch would facilitate post sail ventilation as well. Maybe a deck patch is simpler? Cheers Trevor

Hi I have just acquired two boats and wondered if I could change the names? Perhaps when I do the change of ownership I can do that? Cheers Trevor

Hi I have just acquired this boat and note that the winch is in front of the mast. Other pictures I have seen have both servos in front of the mainsheet post under a circular cover. Does it make a difference who built the hull as to where things go? Cheers Trevor

Hi I am overhauling my Cockatoo which has the radio and battery fixed inside the hull with velcro under a square deck patch. I'm thinking there must be an access method that doesn't involve taking the patch off every time. Cheers Trevor

Have you tried e-Magnets UK | Online Magnet Manufacturer and Supplier (e-magnetsuk.com) ?

I don't quite follow what you are saying. The ESC must be plugged into the Throttle slot on the RX or it wont receive a signal. Nothing is plugged into the RX battery slot unless you have a separate battery for the TX in which case the Red lead from the ESC must be disconnected. This is from the Spektrum manual.

Either you have something plugged into the Receiver wrong or the Transmitter is set up wrong. Has this setup ever worked? Is it all new to you? Perhaps you could pull all the servos out of the RX and plug the throttle servo/ESC into each position until it works. The TX can do some clever stuff with channel mapping so you may need to do a reset and start from scratch. If you don't have them the manuals are available to download. Cheers Trevor

Oh well it was a good idea while it lasted. My ISIS goes from 10th in the fleet to 3rd in light airs so I can’t complain! Now perhaps if I oil the gooseneck .......

Following a very light air day it occurred to me that a system to fully sheet out the main sail would be jolly useful but I wonder if the rules allow such a thing. Rule C.5.4 (c) States:- Except where achieved by mechanical systems, automated control of rig and/or sails and automated steering and/or navigation are prohibited. Would a shock cord system that kept the main sheet under tension be allowed I wonder? Cheers Trevor

Thanks for that. I found a you tube vid with a step through. I had been in the right place but hadn't changed the values by enough to make the servo move! I am building an RC yacht rescue boat that needs three channels for the "jet drive", two for the electric ducted fan (backup propulsion and artificial wind) and the sixth for the hand that grabs the shroud! Cheers Trevor

When I plug the servo into AUX (Channel 6) on the RX it moves a little so I know it is active but I can't figure out how to control it from the TX! Nothing in the manual that I can see. Cheers Trevor

Hi Darin. That's where it is at the moment so the long aerial can go down the aerial tube that's just under the deck.

Hi FRA Not sure the drain hole is a good idea, at least not on mine as the pot is only just off the keel! I did contemplate not having a pot, velcroing the (sealed) battery to the keel (makes it adjustable ballast) and mounting the RX (waterproof anyway) on top. Cheers Trevor

Hi Crashard Yes the DX6i does have a comprehensive throttle curve function but only if you are using the Helicopter programs! One of the first programming steps is to choose which Model Type, ACRO or HELI. That does beg the question as to whether Helicopter mode will work for sailing. If I get desperate for more subtle control I might try that! Cheers Trevor

OK now I've got Exponential set up on the Rudder and I've also discovered the dual rate/expo switch so I have 30% set on position 0 and 60% on 1 so I can experiment. Sadly the sheets are on the Throttle channel which has no exponential facility!

Thanks Ian Yes that makes sense. Thinking in aircraft logic Ailerons might want to move the same up as down as they work in opposite directions but Elevators might want to go down less than up. I can see why the default is 100%. If you needed to go more than 125% you perhaps need a different servo arm? I had thought of using the exponential feature on the rudder so might experiment with both later on. Cheers Trevor

I am familiar with radio control from having built and used analog systems but now I'm puzzled. I've recently acquired a DX6i and while the sizeable manual is full of stuff it is not at all clear on some topics. I am slowly getting to grips with this digital system but still don't get why some channels can be adjusted from 0% to 125% but have a default setting of 100%. Is this to do with their use on aircraft? Has anyone written a book that explains more about RC and in particular the Spektrum as applied to sailing? Cheers Trevor

Hi. I'm new to RC sailing and I've recently acquired an ISIS dating from about 2006 and wondered if there was any documentation on setup or any drawings with dimensions etc. I am getting lots of advice from club members but some of it is contradictory or not logical. Cheers Trevor

Thanks Eric that's the name I couldn't remember! Cheers Trevor

Saw some very nice cradles in use this morning but can't remember where any of them came from! Would rather spend my time sailing rather than making one but have so far drawn a blank finding a supplier. Any suggestions? Cheers Trevor

My idea of cable entry from the bottom was a non starter as the pot rests on the keel! A 9mm strain relief grommet will just take a lubricated servo plug. With the neck inside the pot I could just squeeze the assembly with three cables, through the deck recess. The grommet neck is filled with blu tak. Pot sealed to deck with silicone without sanding as it will have to come out if I need to change a servo. May put a screw in if it turns too much although the aerial tube is glassed into the hull and protrudes into the pot so may act as a key. Can't see it leaking much even if the silicone doesn't stick. Cheers Trevor

Thanks for that Frayz. Part of my problem was that the holes had blu tac but it was so dried up that most of it had fallen out!