Ten Rater Class

The Ten Rater is a medium sized yacht and is the fastest International class. The 10R class is sailed in all Australian states and is a development class restricted by a simple formula of waterline (metres) multiplied by sail area (square metres), multiplied by eight, to equal ten. As there are few restrictions, the class allows the greatest room for development and experimentation. Typically the hull is 1.5m long and the all up weight is between 5.5 and 7.5kg. The class has specatular performance and can handle the worst sailing conditions.

Soling One Meter Class

The Soling One Meter is a low cost kit based one design class targeted towards getting new skipppers into model yachting. The philosophy behind the Soling One-Meter class is that a first-time skipper should be able to get into model yacht racing with a boat that has essentially no performance differences compared with boats built by an expert. All aspects related to performance are intended to be restricted to what can be achieved by building the kit straight from the manufactures plans. Other aspects not affecting performance are not as strictly controlled.

The Soling must be built from a kit available from a single manufacturer, Victor Model Products & is available from local hobby shops. The hull and deck are vac-formed styrene plastic, the spars are wood, and the sails are flat and un-paneled. Despite these limitations, the boat sails well, satisfying even veteran skippers with its balance and handling. An excellent presentation on the NSW Radio Yachting website details how to go about building a Soling model yacht. 

The radio gear used to control a yacht is readily available from most Hobby Shops. Many channels are available with matched pairs of crystals allowing numerous yachts to race without interference. Either drum type multi-turn winches or high-powered lever-arm servos control the sails. The rudder is operated by a standard servo. Yachts can be built by skippers or moulded hulls are available for many classes.
Masts, sails and fin materials are dependent upon the specific class rules. These and many of the mechanical fittings and rigging necessary can be homemade or purchased from model yacht suppliers.

A second hand market exists for these classes that can be sourced through the club “grapevine” or on the Australian Radio Yachting Association website. Competitions are organised by all clubs, ranging from fun events to national, state and international championships. These are organised along similar lines to full sized yacht racing, using the international yacht racing rules, which have a special appendix to cover radio sailing.

Competitive sailing is seductive, highly addictive and the only sure way to really test the speed of your yacht and your skill as a skipper.