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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

Catalina 25 Specific Forum

My Motorboat and Sailboat are Compatible !!

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OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Initially Posted - 04/23/2019 : 04:24:02

The other week, we celebrated 3 birthdays and since I turned 70 this month and am also retiring from work on April 30th, I received some great gifts. My kids chipped in and bought me a few gifts but the biggy was a remote control 3 foot long speed racer along with a high tech charger and 2 - 5 amp lithium battery packs - The racer requires both of them to operate. My son indicated the Traxxus Spartan was just about the fastest one he could find and checking it out, it has a max speed of 50 mph ! But the one problem I found was that there are few county lakes/ponds that allow use of this speed racer.

So, on Easter Sunday, I brought it onboard my sailboat and motored out on the Potomac River just north of Natl airport and outside of the main channel. Except for an occasional sightseeing boat or motor boat in the channel, it was pretty quiet on the Potomac especially where I situated myself. There was just a light breeze and so I turned off the outboard and just drifted while I placed the RC boat in the water and took it out for a spin.

Wow ! this thing is fast and very responsive to the controller. It took off skipping/hopping on and over the water, similar to throwing a flat rock in the water and watching it skip/hop on top of the water. No way was I going to try changing it's direction at anything close to fast speed. At moderate speeds, it changes direction very well and you can slow it way down and bring it right along the Cat 25s side. But hard to bring it back into the boat without the assist of a fishing net. Anyway, somewhere it indicates it will go for 10 minutes at full speed and about 20 minutes or so at more moderate speeds. I had it out for about 12 minutes which used up about half the battery charge.

While this racer was relatively easy to control, the instructions indicate it is for advanced users and with many warnings regarding it's operation and the charging and storage of the Lithium battery packs. It is tempting to just use it off of the finger slip or the main dock except for the warnings regarding using it near other boats and etc warnings. Checking the web, I came across a story where someone lost control of one of these racers and it hit a marina boat, broadside, at full speed and put a hole in the marina boat at the waterline. There was more to the story but my takeaway was to operate it at a safe distance from boats, people, other concerns.

It was fun, I'll look forward to taking it out now and then but it can't sail. Today is going to be a great day - I am going to try and leave work early and go sailing this afternoon.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2019 : 04:44:32

What a hoot, maybe it can retrieve beers from other boats...

Congratulations on Retirement!!!

Ray in Atlanta, Ga.
"Lee Key" '84 Catalina 25
Standard Rig / Fin Keel

Ben
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1234 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2019 : 05:31:49

Sounds fun! I've thought about getting one of those but haven't pulled the trigger. For Christmas a few years back my wife got me an RC sailboat (Dragon 65, I think it's called), and I find that very enjoyable, sitting on the edge of my dock around evening time. Some of the local yokels think it has a motor as they pass by on their pontoon boats.

Ben
Beneteau 361
Viking Kitty
Columbus, Ohio

Derek Crawford
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3312 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2019 : 08:32:11

Ben, I had a One Design R/C a few years back and we used to race it on a small lake near downtown San Antonio. We had a tape for the starting sequence and normal R-O-W rules always applied. (We never had to have a Protest Meeting).

Derek Crawford
Chief Measurer C25-250 2008
Previous owner of "This Side UP"
1981 C-25 TR/FK #2262 Used to have an '89 C22 #9483, "Downsized"
San Antonio, Texas

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2019 : 08:53:18

I would like to get a better look at the RC Sailboats and there is a town park where I understand there are 2 RC Sailboat Clubs, so maybe I will go there to try out my racer and watch the sailboats. Only thing is, this racer and probably others, do not come with a horn. I mean, isn't that half the fun of owning a motorboat, you can blast your horn at the upcoming traffic ?

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 04/23/2019 : 09:08:20

quote:
Originally posted by OLarryR

...isn't that half the fun of owning a motorboat, you can blast your horn at the upcoming traffic ?

Uhhhhhhhhhh..... no. But I wonder how that RC sailing club might react to your Cigarette blasting around in their pond. ("Hey hon, would you get my .22 out of the car?)

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 04/23/2019 09:08:58

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3367 Posts

Response Posted - 04/24/2019 : 04:51:31

Good point !

So, what do you call that...."water" rage ?

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3992 Posts

Response Posted - 04/24/2019 : 05:55:09

Back when I had powerboats a friend had a cigarette gas powered RC. He put Ken and Barbie dolls in the seats and would motor it around in the Anchorage/gunk hole. Fun to watch the reactions. It was also good for chasing the swan's away.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Stinkpotter
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 04/24/2019 : 07:13:40

Sorta like the two 75 mph PWCs in the quiet anchorage...

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Boomeroo
Navigator

Members Avatar

Australia
128 Posts

Response Posted - 05/05/2019 : 17:17:48

Like Ben i also have a dragon 65 rc sailboat it is great fun in a quiet anchorage . Problem is where to store it rigged on a cat 25 . Tried the dinghy but not when sailing ..

Graeme Bishop boomeroo Australia
C25 SK

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