So "British!" As a Yank I love the way you folks say things with such elan'! I will post more about my boats when I get some time. I've been an observer "on the beach" so long. I realize now it's time to get my feet wet and get more involved! I've been building "working art models" since I was a kid, and I still do! In fact, I'm in the "planking hull" stage of my newest project, the Lord Nelson trawler. It takes me a very long time to build each model (approx. 3 years) as I like to put a lot of detail in them. By trade I work with "forensics" relating to insurance claim investigations. I'm also an avid sailor. Maybe that is why I'm painstakingly anal with them! My models each tell a story of a certain time period and express a feeing. However, I'm very humbled by what I see here! Also, everyone's contributions are so helpful and valuable. Thank you for such a warm welcoming into the fold!

All of you have valid points. Sailing along the California coastline can be very rough. In the SF bay we have "chop" sometimes accompanied with "sneaker waves." On large ships and some stiff hulled smaller boats, I suppose plowing through a wave head on in a flat hulled vessel can make sense in most situations. However, sailing in deep keel sailboats with fiberglass flexible hulls, and standing rigging is another matter. Over time rough seas and winds "fatigue" the hull, rigging and of course the sails. Taking on big waves head on and then crashing them on the other side of the wave adds to these stress points in time. Also, it's harder on the crew! 😝

I've enjoyed seeing everyone's boats on this website for quite some time now. I thought this might be a good time to introduce some of my own fleet.

Steamy Romance: Fully operational live steamboat.
River Rat, Dumas kit: not steam.
Phoenix (Renamed due to almost sinking.) Victor kit built over 20 years ago. I used it so much it had stress cracks. I almost scuttled her, but a friend helped me fiberglass her hull and refit the rigging. Now she's even better than new.
Cap San Diego: Graupner. I made a few upgrades and modifications.
Dorothy Jeanne: Highly modified Atlantis tug.

More later! Thanks for your comments.

Fair winds and calm seas. ⛵

Being both a sailboat modeler, and "sailor" in addition to sailing on my 45 foot Hanse in and around SF Bay, I have discovered by practical experience the LAST thing you should ever do is sail directly into and over a large wave. On some boats it can cause severe pitching and possibly a pitchpoling situation. The safest option is to take on the wave at a 24-to-45-degree angle with the sails close hauled. That way you can pinch back into the wind momentarily if you need to depower the sails.

If you take the wave too low, you run the risk of broaching, thus causing the hull to roll downward as the wave passes. This even is more dangerous to the crew. On models it can even sink the boat if water starts flooding over the leeward gunnels as it heels excessively. This pertains and applies to sail boats in heavy winds in addition to rough sea conditions. Motorboats have more flexibility in dealing with severe sea conditions, as they don't have that extra risk element of wind and sail trim. However, consistently taking waves head is very hard on the hull, rigging, and sails over time in any model and full-size sail and motorboat!

Photos: "Atlantis" on the lake, and myself helming Lufthanse through the Golden Gate.

My pleasure, Jim. By all means please implement the arm. Here in the U.S. we typically use this method over spools. It is much more efficient and easier to work with.

Make sure you have a strong enough servo to handle the load. At the same time please also be sure to set the arm properly to allow the correct amount of "swing." It will take some trial and error to set the gear on the servo under the arm just right. Doing so will insure proper distance between close haul and a run.

Also, I have a bad back, and so do most of my friends who also sail their model boats with me here in Concord, Ca. I am the Secretary of our model club, the Concord Model Engineers. Anyway, you can fabricate a simple boat carrier for the Atlantis using seat belt material, or a wide nylon type belt. Simply connect two belts together. With a friend on the other end you can launch the boat a little easier.

Enjoy your Atlantis!

Maurice (Singingpug)

Here's the photo of the sail rigging arm I made for the Atlantis. It works perfectly!

I have a Robbe Atlantis that is fully functional with some modifications. First, I removed the engine. It was a nuisance and caused an unnecessary battery drain.

Next, I replaced the servo's and got rid of the original spool rigging. It was complicated and constantly fowling. I replaced it with a fabricated aluminum "arm" which I attached to a slightly larger sail servo that controls all the sails perfectly. I got rid of the original large (heavy) 7.2 volt battery, and replaced it with a 4 penlight battery cartridge. This also powers the rudder servo as well. Surprisingly, it runs fine for hours!

Hope this helps!