Your RC Laser is powered by the wind. The radio provides you with control over the boat. In fact the boat operates in the same manner as its full size cousin, the Olympic Class Laser dinghy. There are 2 controls – these are the 2 ‘sticks’ on the radio control unit. One of these moves the sail in and out to ‘catch’ or ‘spill’ the wind. The other provides the boat’s steering by moving the rudder. It’s as simple as that!
The only differences between sailing the RC Laser and sailing the full size Laser dinghy are that you will be standing on dry land rather than sitting in the yacht and the ‘servos’ (electronic winches) will be doing the hard work. There are 2 servos one each working off the 2 controls. One will be hauling in and letting out the ‘mainsheet’ (the rope that controls the position of the boat’s sail) and thereby controlling the boat speed and fine-tuning the angle to the wind. The other will be controlling the rudder and thereby enabling you to change the boat’s direction.
How to sail the RC Laser – Using the Controls
Learning to use the controls does require a short apprenticeship to develop the necessary co-ordination. For anyone who has used Nintendos and Play Stations this will be a matter of moments. For others it will develop quickly during the first hour of sailing.
We have said it is simple to master the controls and so it is. You will be having fun almost immediately. The real good news is that it never gets boring – knowing how and when to use the controls to get the best out of the wind conditions is a skill that just keeps developing over years and years of experience.
As we say ” The RC Laser is a breeze to sail and a challenge to race “.