America One

From Ralf Prehn, Hamburg, Germany  (Spring 2004)
 

Doug,

I received the receiver and HF-transmitter-module (for the America One) yesterday (40 Mhz).

Today I sailed her the first time! (30 min. ago I sat at the lake) And its also the first really warm day in Hamburg 20 degree Celsius and a steady wind.

Good that my battery-charger is running also on car-battery-power. 2 battery-packs were not enough ;-))) She sails soooooo great, thanks for that experience!

Sailing with a spinnaker is so much fun... First time of popping it up resulted in a loud cheer from the other sailors from the other side of the lake ;-)

I forgot to take photos this time, but as I promised, next time I'll do and send them to you.

Thanks again!,

Ralf

F3

From Rich Matt, Chicago Illinois, (Summer 2002)

I finally managed the right weather, time and location to launch and sail the F3. The Manitowoc (WI) Marina on Lake Michigan has a large, wave-free and open area that is perfect for the purpose. Also, all multihull authorities I've been communicating with since starting on the F3 recommend that a crash boat be available "just in case". There in Manitowoc I had access to an 8' inflatable dinghy (But, it wasn't needed and put into use this time.)

According to a handheld, propeller-driven Dwyer anemometer the wind speed was a maximum 7 mph. Sailing a multihull was a first for me. Being more in the beam than it is in length, it sure looks different from what I'm used to. It looks like some kind of platform twisting around out there on the water. It accelerates in an instant and it can turn sharp corners. My tacking needs practice. Rudder throw is adequate, but on almost half my attempts at tacking I stall and stop when head to wind. A quick application of opposite rudder as the boat stops and drifts backwards about six inches completes the tack. Then, the sails fill and the boat squirts forward on the new tack. Weird. I'm thinking that this sort of boat, it's three hulls, big crossbar and its huge sail rig has a lot of windage. As I got a bit more familiar with the tacking experience, I learned to bear off for speed and then really whip it around -- Sort of a roll-tack without the roll.

Because of the light winds and what I think to be my excessive angle on the foil trim flaps, the F3 would only get up and "fly" on the foils only on a broad reach. When it did get up on step, it was a kick in the head! Seeing a model boat go that fast was something you got to see to believe. With a little more wind, and after I make some changes to the flap mechanisms, I'm looking forward to seeing more time up on the foils.

Items learned/discovered: 1) Eased sheets should never be allowed to snag on the deck hardware -- If they do, it's instant heart attack combined with train wreck. 2) I need to condition my mind that this boat when going downwind is most likely to move forward across the water rather than pitchpole -- Maybe a block of styrofoam made to look like a housebrick strapped to the transom might help lessen the fear. 3) I need to learn how much up-elevator flap angle is needed and be able to adjust (limit) same -- The drag resulting from the flaps and their control wands is obviously significant. 4) If any part of the boat is out-of-line, not square, not parallel, not perpendicular or not having exactly the specified angle of attack as per the instructions; the bloody thing will just not work -- My rudder was cocked forward about one degree causing its foil to provide enough up elevator to push and hold the bow down which in turn voided the ama foil's angle of lifting attack. The faster the boat tried to go, the more the whole business was being sucked down in the water. This was an easy fix by inserting a thin washer between transom and the rudder's lower pintle. 5) I need to play around with the sheeting mechanism and practice some new sheeting techniques -- When the boat squirts forward the apparent wind squirts forward and the sheets need to be trimmed. How much to trim and how to avoid overtrim is something yet to be learned.

I will admit that this involvement with the F3 has been, and still is, a real fun experience. A little more time with the boat and a lot more back-and-forth phone calls to Doug Lord are all it will take to get it (me) together. I did with one hand on the transmitter and one hand on a camera take a few photos of the boat on the water. I'll be dropping the film off for developing later on today -- If any good photos, I'll attach and send tomorrow.

Rich Matt

Spinnaker 50

From David Goebel, microSAIL! , AMYA, and V-32 Class webmaster,.  (Fall 2000)

Greetings Doug,

The Spin50 is AWESOME!  Out of the box and it works like magic, Great instructions on the final assembly and the fit and finish of all the components was perfect.  The paint job is ... Awesome, just awesome....  And the first time the spinnaker popped out and set, it was just incredible!

Sharon and I took the Spinnaker 50 out to our local pond here in OK and with the winds we have she really cruised!  Blew the doors off my old marblehead..

Great boat!

Fair Winds,
David Goebel

From Bill Scheuermann, New Orleans, (Spring 2004)

Doug;
As you know, I was a little impatient waiting for my boat while it was undergoing construction, but on receiving it the wait was well worthwhile. The craftsmanship and materials are far more than I expected. The shipping crate was well constructed and the few remaining construction steps were simple to complete. I'm not new to R/C modeling but new to R/C sailing. Sailing the S50 is a breeze - pun intended. It responds exactly the way it was designed to do. I'll send you a picture when I can. If anyone in the New Orleans area would like to see the boat just let me know. Keep up the good work!

Bill

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