SailRC RC Laser User Manual

LOA: 41.5" (105.41cm) LWL: 37.75" (95.88cm) DSPL : 9 lbs (3.4kg) BEAM: 13.125" (33.33cm) MAIN HOIST: 52" (132.08cm) DRAFT: 16" (40.64cm) SAIL AREA: 710 sq " (4580.63sqcm)

R A D I O C ONTROL L E D

a u s e r ' s m a n u a l

R A D I O C O N T R O L L E D

warranty

There is a six-month limited warranty on parts damaged during normal use (While sailing and does not included hitting other boats or obstructions). You must register by mailing the warranty card within 10 days of purchase to be eligible for the warranty.

preface

Message from Bruce Kirby, Designer of the Laser

It has been a great pleasure to work with world model yacht champion Jon Elmaleh in the de velopment of this radio-controlled miniature Laser. The basic hull shape is a one-quarter scale Laser, but of course to make the boat work at the much smaller size and with no crew aboard to act as ballast, we had to develop a model yacht-type keel and rudder and slightly reduce the sail plan.

I have been overjoyed at the result. The boat sails and handles exceptionally well over a broad range of wind and sea conditions and is faster than I ever expected it could be. We have kept the rig and control systems simple so that, as with any good one-design, success on the race course depends on the sailor, n ot the boat. And as a purely recreational sailing model it is quick to launch and easy to opera te.

So climb aboard with your imagination. You will find that t he thrill is there, but your muscles won’t get sore and if you don’t sail in the rain you will stay dry.

Rowayton, Connecticut - January, 1995

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Message from the Manufacturer:

Congratulations on your purchase. We hope the RC Laser will fulfill all your expectations . W e have worked hard to make this product the best RC sailboat on the market toda y, and we believe the RC Laser is the one-design sailboat that sailors are looking for.

OUT THERE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC www.outthere.com

Please note: Out There Technologies, LLC no longer deals directly with the public. Sales and service is handled by area distributors. Please

contact your local RC Laser retailer with questions and re quests.

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May the wind be with you!

contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The RC Laser and Components .............................................. 1

Parts Layout .................................. .......................................... 2

Assembly:

Overview ............................................................................ 3

Details:

Sail and Mast ....................... ..................................................... 4

Keel ................................... ......................................... 5

Rudder .................................. ...................................... 5

Batteries ...................................................................... 6

Antenna ........................... ........................................... 6

Rig .............................................................................. 7

Sheet Line .................................................................... 7

Transmitter ... ............................................................... 8

Rudder Control ........................... ................................. 8

Sail Control ............................... ................................... 9

Radio Frequencies ............................ ........................................ 10

Boat Care / Radio Care / Batt eries ........................................... 11

Sail and Boat Numbers ............................................................. 12

Decoration ................................ ............................................ 13

How to Sail ............................................................................ 14

Racing your RC Laser .............................................................. 15

Five Basic Rules ................................ ....................................... 15

Port Tack - Starboard Tack Rule .......................... 15

Buoy Room Rule ....................... .............................. 16

Contact with Buoy Rule ............................ .. 17

Luffing Rights Rule ................................. .................... 18

Collision Rule ................................. ............................ 19

The Race Course ................. ...................................................... 20

Model Sailing Organizations ...................................................... 21

Information about Full Size Lasers ........................................... .. 22

Warranty Information ............... ................................................... 23

The RC Laser

was designed to be a strict “one-design” sailboat. The fundamental principle behind a one-design sailboat is that sailors may not alter their boats. This ensures that racing is a competition among sailors, not boats. If you intend to race your RC Laser, you may not change your boat in any other way other than to decorate it as explaine d in this manual. All replacement parts must be ge n u i ne RC Laser parts. The onl y e xceptions a re the t ransmitter and receiver, which may be replaced with any compatible equipment.

Your RC Laser has the following components:

Sail and tell tale Mast Rudder Rudder bracket Gooseneck Rudder linkages (2) Rudder servo Boom Boom sliders (3) Antenna mount Antenna tube Sheet line Screw eye Sail control servo Hull Transmitter Receiver Hatch cover Battery holder Switch Manual

If you need to purchase replacement parts, you can contact the retailer where you purchased your RC Laser, or your local distributor. A list of RC Laser distributors can be found in the back of this manual.

Parts Layout

SAIL

MAST

GOOSENECK

KEEL LOCK

SCREW EYE ANTENNA TUBE

ANTENNA MOUNT

KEEL

SHEET LINE

BOOM

BOOM SLIDERS

TELL TALE

HATCH COVER

POWER SWITCH

RUDDER

RUDDER BRACKET

ASSEMBLY OVERVIEW

(See following pages for detailed instructions)

You are now ready to sail!

RC LASER RESOURCES

Distributors

Model Sailing Center 290 Circle Drive Evergreen CO 80439 USA Orders only: 800 497 8976 Information line:303 670 4670 Steve@ModelSailingCenter.com www.modelsailingcenter.com www.sailrclaser.com

Peterkin (UK) Ltd 85 Commercial Square Freemens Common, Leicester LE2 7SR England Tel: 0116 254 3645 Fax: 0116 247 0618 nigel@peterkin.co.uk www.rclaser.org.uk www.peterkin.co.uk

Radio Control Sailing Australia PO Box 1392 North Sydney NSW 2059 Australia Tel: 61 2 9954 0755 info@radiosail.com.au www.radiosail.com.au

1) Assemble rig by connecting mast tubes and sliding assembled mast into sail pocket. Slide boom into gooseneck.

2) Insert keel into slot at bottom of hull and slide into place.

3) Place rudder into hole in bottom of hull and snap rudder into bracket.

4) Place 4 AA batteries into battery holder. Place bat tery holder into hull and close ha tch cover. Also, remove b ack of transmitter and install 9 AA batteries.

5) Insert antenna tube int o antenna mount.

6) Slide mast into hole on deck.

7) Connect sheet line to slider

by pulling loop at end of sh eet line over slider tang until loop hangs from slider ring.

8) Turn transmitter on, then turn boat on by sliding switch forward.

Lap 1

1 SAIL AND MAST

Here’s a course that offers a lot of opportunities to make choices an d th i n k a b o u t strategy, because there are a nu mbe r o f dif fer ent pat hs you can take on each lap.

Sai l th r o u g h th e st a r tin g g a t e , th e n r o u n d t h e wind wa rd buoy a n d o ff s e t windward buoy. Travel down to the leeward gate and pass arou nd it in any d ir ec tion. S a i l b a c k t o w a r d s t h e windward buoy and d o one m o r e la p , r o u n d i n g t h e windward and then the offset b u o y on c e a g a i n . A f t e r rou nd in g the l eewar d gate one mor e ti m e , fi n i s h by co m i ng b a ck t h rou g h th e starting gate.

Lap 2 and finish

START

Windward buoy

Starting gate

Leeward gate

Offset buoy

START

Windward buoy

Starting gate

Leeward gate

Offset buoy

wind direction

A) Connect mast tubes.

C) Slide boom into gooseneck. D) Thread outhaul string, attached to the sail, through the end slider and snap into the next slider forward (see page 7 for diagram)

B) Insert assembled mast into sail pocket.

2 KEEL

RACING YOUR RC LASER

There is an infinite number of possible race courses you can sail - the only limit is your imagination. Here are two of the more commonly used courses to get you started.

Modified Olympic Course

wind direction

Jockey for the best position d u r i n g a o n e m i n u t e countdo wn. S ai l two laps arou n d t h e c o u r s e , n o t rounding the wing buoy on the second lap.

Wing buoy

Start/finish line

Pivot hole

Rotate locking lever 90 degrees

until lever locks in place.

Insert rudder stud into pivot hole on bottom of hull while inserting top of rudder into rudder deck bracket. Snap rudder into bracket.

3 RUDDER

NOTE:

If the surface of the keel bulb beco me s damaged, exposing the lead core, cover it with tape or paint. Keep away from exposed lead.

A leeward boat that is luffing up cannot sail past head to wind (Figure I).

Head to wind Past head to wind

Your boat is sailing “head to wind” when the bow of the boat is pointed directly into the wind. If you steer your boat into the wind, past the point when it is head to wind, you have sailed “past head to wind.” If you are luffing up, you are not p ermitted to sail past head to wind. If you do, you lose the right of way, regardless of which tack you are sailing on. If there is a collision after the le eward boat is past head to wind, the leeward boat must do a p enalty turn (see Rule 5).

5. Collision rule

Whenever you collide with another boat, or fail to avoid a collision, you must sail clear of all other boats and complete penalty turns before continuing the race. Before the start of every race, the race committee or racers determine whether a penalty will consist of one or two 360 degree penalty turns. Generally, only one turn is required in light wind conditions.

wind direction

Figure I

4 BATTERIES

5 ANTENNA

Feed excess antenna wire into boat. Insert antenna tube into antenna mount.

Remove hatch cover. Take out battery holder. Check switch on boat to make sure it is in the off position. Install four "AA" batteries. Replace

battery holder and hatch cover. Do not put your RC Laser into the

water without its hatch cover. Damage may result.

4. Luffing Rights Rule

This rule applies when you a re passing another boat at close proximity. Figure F ind icates the windwa rd and leeward sides of a boat. O n the starboard tack, the starboard side of the boat is the windward side. On port tack, the port side of the boat is the windward side.

RULE: When two boats are sailing on the same tack (starboard tack in these examples) at close proximity (Figure G), the leeward boat has the right of way over the windward boat 2. If you are a windward boat on the offensive, you must pass with enough room to avoid the leeward boat. If you cannot avoid the leeward boat, you must ste er away to avoid a collision.

If the windward boat 2 tries to pass the leeward boat 1, the leeward boat 1 can “luff up” the windward boat 2 by steering into the wind, causing 2's sail to luff (Figure H). When a boat’s sail luffs, it loses power and speed. Luffing up

is mostly as a defensive maneuver.

Windward side

Leeward side

Figure F

wind direction

Figure G

wind direction

Boat passing

Figure H

wind direction

6 RIG

7 SHEET LINE

Slide rig (mast and sail) into mast hole on deck.

Connect sheet line to slider by pulling loop at end of sheet line over slider tang until loop hangs from slider ring.

slider tang

slider ring

ASSEMBLY OVERVIEW

A boat that makes contact with a buoy must sail away from the fleet, out of the way of other boats, and do a 360-degree penalty turn(figure E). After the penalty turn, the boat may resume racing. If the boat hits the buoy on the wrong side of the buoy, it must re-round the buoy on the correct side before doing the 360-degree penalty turn (figure E1).

8 TRANSMITTER

The transmitter is the device that enables you to control your RC Laser from the shore. On the transmitter there are three controls: the stick on the right is the rudder stick; the switch in the center is the power switch; and the stick on the left is the sail stick. To operate the transmitter, remove back panel and install eight “AA” size batteries, extend the antenna and put power switch to the “on” position. After turning the transmitter on, slide the power switch on the boat to the “on” position. The power switch on the boat slides front to back for on and off. Do not push down, damage may result. ALWAYS turn the transmitter on before turning the boat on.

RUDDER CONTROL

After turning on the transmitter and the boat, move the rudder stick from side to side. The rudder will move from side to side. The rudder should be in the center position when the rudder stick is in the center position. If it is not, use the rudder trim lever to center the rudder. To steer the boat toward the right, move the rudder stick to the right; to steer the boat toward the left, move the rudder stick to the left. boat to the “on” position. The power switch on the boat slides front to back for on and off. Do not push down, damage may result. ALWAYS turn the transmitter on

before turning the boat on.

The course sailed after hitting the wrong side

Rudder stick

Trim lever

crystal

Charge

POWER

HIGH

ONAIR

NORM

LOW

Figure E

Figure E1

The correct side

The wrong side

Sail Control

Your RC Laser is powered by th e wind, not by your radio. However, the sail stick on your transmitter enables you to let the sail in and out to maximize

your boat’s use of wind power (see “How to Sail”). As you move the sail stick up, the wind will push the sail out. When the sail stick is all the way up, the sail will be able to move out to a position perpendicular to the center line of the boat, which is as far out as it can go. As you move the sail stick down, the sail will move toward the center line. When the sail stick is down as far as it can go, the sail will be close to the center line of the boat. Use the trim le ver to fine tune the sail.

You are ready to sail. Put your boat in the water and have fun!

2. Buoy room rule

The buoy room rule applies when boats are rounding or passing a buoy or an obstruction on a race course. You mu st imagine a circle around the buoy or obstruction. The radius of the circle is four boat lengths (figure A). When your boat’s bow touches the imagined circle (figure B). imagine a line parallel to the back of your boat. If the nearest boat to your boat has not yet crossed (overlapped) the parallel line (figure C) , you may round the buoy witho ut yielding to that boat. If there is a boat that has crossed the line - an overlap (figure D) - your boat must yield to that boat.

No overlap. 1 may round the buoy without yielding to 2.

Inside overlap.1 must give 2 room to round buoy.

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

Figure D

Trim lever

Sail stick

RACING YOUR RC LASER

Sailboat racing is a lot of fun. If you are already familiar with yacht racing rules, those rules can be used when racing the RC Laser. Even if you know nothing about saliboat racing, the following five basic rules and race course will allow you to compete on the water with experienced sailors. RC Lasers sail by the same ISAF (International Sailing Federation) rules that govern full sized sailboat racing, with the exception of Appendix E. Learn more at www.sailing.org.

Five Basic Rules of Racing

1. Port tack/starboard tack rule

Port refers to the left side when facing the bow of the boat. Starboard refers to the right side of the boat when facing the bow. A boat in motion is either on port tack or starboard tack. When the boom is left of the center of the boat, the boat is sailing on starboard tack. When the boom is right of the center of the boat, the boat is sailing on port tack. RULE: When sailing on a collision cou rse , boats sailing on starboard tack have “right of way” over boats sailing on port tack. Boats on port tack must yield to boats on starboard tack.

Radio Frequencies

The frequency of your RC Laser is indicated on the end flap of the box. Each RC Laser comes with a set of removable crystals. The crystal generates the frequency. The set is made up of one “TX” crystal for the transmitter and one “RX” crystal for the receiver. The num ber on the “TX” crystal, which is in the bottom right corner of your transm itter, indicates the frequency of the radio. Each radio controlled boat uses a frequency on either the 27 or 75 MHz band. If two boats attempt to sail on the same frequency at the same time within a two block range, neither boat will work properly. W hen you go sailing, you must find out what frequencies are available at that site. With a little cooperation, you will be able to avoid frequency conflicts. There are at least 6 crystal sets available for each frequency band. We recommend that you own a t least 4 different crystal sets if you intend to sail at a number of different sites. It is quite simple to replace your crystals with another crystal set. First, turn the transmitte r off and remove the “TX” crystal from the lower right corner of the transmitter. Replace it with the new “TX” crystal. Then , remove the hatch cover from the hull, pull the receiver from its mount, and pull the “RX” crystal out. Replace the crystal with the new “RX” crystal. Finally, replace the receiver and the hatch cover. You are ready to sail on your new frequency.

Stick Reversing

Many transmitters have reversing switches. If for som e reason you wish to reverse the rudder stick direction, you can do so by changing the position on the channel 1 switch only.

Do not reverse the channel 2 switch. Damage may result.

crystal

Charge

POWER

HIGH

ONAIR

NORM

LOW

27.995RX

27.995TX

"TX""RX"

PORTTACK

STARBOARDTACK

STARBOARD SIDE

PORTSIDE

STERN

BOW

How to Sail

Sailboats cannot sail directly into the wind. If a boat is pointed into the wind, the sail will luff, or flap like a fla g in the breeze. Sailboats can only sail when they are at an angle to the wind. Depending on the direction you want to sail

relative to wind directio n, there is an angle at which the sail should be set. To sail a close-hauled course (almost directly into the wind) the sail is “in tight” i.e. at only a slight angle to the center line of the hull. On a run (sailing away from the wind), the sail should be all the way out, perpendicular to the center line of the hull. Reaching, or sailing roughly perpendicular to wind direction, has a sail position about halfway between close-hauled and a run.

To pull the sail in and sail a close-hauled course, move the sail stick down. To ease the sail out to reach or run, move the sail stick up. When you move the rudder stick to the right, the boat will turn to the right. When you move the rudder stick to the left, the boat will turn to the left. As a guide to trim the sail properly, no matter what course you are sailing, ease the sail out until it begins to luff. Next, pull it in until the luffing stops.

Now you should be ready to put your RC Laser in the water. good luck and good sailing!

SAIL HEADING TERMS

Boat Care

The RC Laser requires little maintenance. As long as you sail your boat in fresh water, you can store it immediately after removing it from the water. When storing your boat, remove all pressure from the back edge of the sail by sliding the boom sliders until they are loose. Keep your boat and radio away from excessive heat. If you sail in salt water, rinse the hull, the fittings, the mast, the boom, the keel, the rudder and the sail in fresh water after sailing and before storing your RC laser.

Radio Care

Moisture is your radio’s enemy. When storing your RC Laser, leave the hatch cover open to avoid condensation, an d store the transmitter in a cool dry place. Do what you can to keep your radio equipment dry! If you drop your radio in salt water, it might be salvaged if you take the batteries out and wash the radio in fresh water immediately. Use a blow dryer to dry wet equipment.

Batteries

Your RC Laser requires 12 AA size batteries. Four go into the battery holder in the b oat and eight go into the back of the tran s mitter. You can use disposable alkaline batteries, which are good for approximately 10 hours of sailing. These can be bought at almost any store, bu t must be thrown out after use. A recommended choice is rechargeable Nickel-Metal H ydride (NiMH) batteries. These batteries, and chargers, are available from your RC Laser distributor and most hobby shops. Batteries, whether Alkaline or re chargeable, are good for several hours depending on wind strength. If the sail control stops working, or the low light on the transmi t ter comes on, you m ust sail to the shore as quickly as possible or risk losing control of your bo at.

Close hauled on

port tack

Close hauled on starboard tack

Reaching on starboard tack

Reaching on

port tack

Running on

port tack

Running on starboard tack

wind direction

Decoration

There are two ways to add color to your boat without violating the one-design rule that boats cannot be a ltered: magic markers or PVC tape only. Vinyl tape sticks well to this boat material, and you are allowed to use it on both the hu ll and deck. Sails are easily marked using permanent markers. Sail marking make it easy to find your boat i n a crowd. The only restriction is that you cannot interfere with the Laser logo, sail numbers or the manufacturer’s markings.

Sail and Boat Numbers

Sail numbers may or may not be included with your boat. The y are primarily used for racing. Only official font and size nu mbers can be used. You can obtain more information abo ut sail numbers from your local distribu tor.

Numbers are installed on the sail just as shown in the diagram, and all 4 digits of the number are used, just as you receive them from the Association. If hull numbers are used, they are to be installed inside the hatch, not on the hull or deck.

SailRC RC Laser User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual