Hello prospective RC sailors.  Thank you for visiting the Burnaby Association of Marine Modellers (BAMM) website. I offer here a few thoughts and references that might be of interest.

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Clubs: You have already found the only organized and active club in the immediate area.  Burnaby Association of Marine Modellers (BAMM) supports both power and sail driven model boat enthusiasts. They meet Sundays at the pond in Central Park, Burnaby. You have already seen their web site so you get the drift of what they are all about. BAMM's racing programs operate out of Steveston in Richmond where we sail at Imperial Landing.  On the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month we race the Soling One Meter from 10:00 to 12:00 and then the DF65 from 12:00 to 15:00.  The 2nd and 4th Sunday we race IOMs from 12:00 to 15:00.

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Styles of RC Sailing:  There are dozens of model sailboats available on the market ranging from toys to very sophisticated racing yachts. Any sort of boat is enjoyable to sail but the rewards of doing so with others of a similar mind are quite rewarding. BAMM members sail a wide variety of boats, some sail on the pond casually just for the relaxation of it while others focus on class racing which occurs Sundays from March to November at Steveston. No matter what type of sailing you decide to do it is wise to consider how you will retrieve your yacht if something goes wrong and it sails away from you. This is why we like sailing in an organized group and on an enclosed body of water with a rescue boat available.

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National Association:  The Canadian Radio Yacht Association (CRYA) oversees RC sailing in Canada. Most of us who race have joined CRYA, registered our class boats and been given a sail number.  http://crya.ca/ This site will give you a wealth of information on the hobby across Canada and includes coverage of all the major designs "classes" which race regularly here in the Lower Mainland. The newsletter makes interesting reading as well and includes some coverage of local events.

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Classes: As in big yachts and dinghies, RC sailboats have design specific classes. Each class is defined by its Class Rules with some being very restrictive hoping to keep costs of ownership low while others are more liberal allowing for more customization and go fast goodies. Some come virtually assembled while others come as kits which introduces the model building aspect of the hobby. Finally others allow for complete scratch construction as long as the model falls within the class limits. On the CRYA web site you can see the classes which are most recognized and actively raced in Canada. You will see that the Dragon Force 65 is a sub-class within the RG65 class. I will offer a few of my personal thoughts about the most active classes here in the Lower Mainland. I will start with the entry level and move up to the more sophisticated. All the classes I will describe have local experts that favour that class and that can give you extensive information and help.  The hobby is very welcoming to newcomers with the best racers willing to help new entries. We love to see our hobby grow and our class fleets expand. Most racing is done in single class fleets as the performance characteristics are so different. Thus, selecting a model which has an active fleet will offer more opportunity and enjoyment than sailing a lone wolf.

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1. Dragon Force 65 (DF65)  https://www.theamya.org/boats/df65/

   • Available at Burnaby Hobbies or from https://radiosailing.net/

   • Less than $300 including radio

   • Comes mostly assembled 

   • Easily transported when assembled as it will fit into most vehicles.

   • This is the class with the largest number of participants in the Steveston racing scene. Often close to a dozen boats would race on the first and third Sunday of each month in Steveston. It is the fastest growing RC class world wide.

   • This is the class adopted by BAMM to be its entry level fleet to bring new sailors into the RC sailboat racing world and to prepare those who want to move on into other classes as well.

   • Has three rig sizes so it can sail very well in much more wind than you would think for a craft of 65 cm.

   • Class rules are very restrictive making boats virtually identical with little need to spend money on the latest and greatest after market parts. Sails and the rudder servo can come from third party suppliers but the rest of the boat must be stock.

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2. Soling One Meter (Soling)  https://www.theamya.org/boats/s1m/

   • Available as a kit requiring considerable building time and some expertise. Lots of first time builders have excellent yachts and thoroughly enjoy the build process. Professionally built models are also available ready to sail. Someone here can give you the full story on these options and the associated costs and are always ready to help a new Soling owner. 

   • Being bigger, the Soling will fit in a lot of vehicles but can have its mast removed for transport if necessary.

   • One rig size only but the Soling's heavier weight allows it to perform well in good winds.

   • A classic race boat that's been around for years and is quite popular in Ontario and Quebec.

   • A smaller and a bit more casual group of racers (3 to 6) line up mornings on the first and third Sunday of each month in Steveston.

   • The fleet is expected to grow in 2017 and will have a full race program in Steveston.

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3. International One Meter (IOM)  https://www.theamya.org/boats/iom/

   • This class is clearly the thoroughbred of the three classes most often seen in our waters. Serious racers often gravitate to this class for its performance and professionalism.

   • Boats in this class are mostly scratch built and the class rules allow significant customization.

   • New and occasionally used boats can be purchased. Prices vary widely but are justifiably more than the two classes above.

   • This class allows three rig sizes and can sail beautifully in a wide range of winds.

   • This class has the most highly developed racing program in BC with very active fleets in Victoria, Nanaimo and the Gulf Islands and skippers (including our locals) travel to official regattas regularly. Skippers compete in a circuit of nationally recognized races.

   • The local fleet is growing under the leadership of Nigel Ashman, President of BAMM. We expect them to be racing on the second and fourth Sunday of each month in Steveston.

   • Local support is available if one wishes to do a build.

   • Being bigger, the IOM usually needs to have its mast removed for transport.

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As you can see the RC sailing scene here is quite varied and very active. We have many in our midst that came to the hobby from big boat and dinghy sailing and racing. As a big boat sailor you will have a big leg up when it comes to sailing theory and rules and you will find that any RC yacht behaves exactly like a full sized boat. Even if you have never been on a real sailboat you will learn to sail your RC model very quickly and with some readily available coaching you will be beating up wind with the best of them in no time. All you will need is to make a decision as to what you want to sail and then get some thumb time in.  I am sure that when you meet with our members they will offer the opportunity to try out a boat on the water. It was only a couple of years ago that I was doing the same research you are and I can say I am glad I did as it led me to a great hobby and another form of the sport of sailing that I truly love.

Al Oliver

DF65 CAN 11

Soling CAN 945