Dragon Force 65

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Well you know that selling something because your not using it is sometimes a mistake !! Well in this case absolutely true, I had one of these 5 years ago when at my club the only boats raced were Victoria's so I stupidly sold it and guess what now my club Chantry has a very strong fleet being put together for fortnightly racing through the winter, so here we go I had to buy another toy to take part

I'm waitng for the shorter keel and my registration number which must be held by the postal dispute

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 01/12/2022 17:00:05

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Joysway kit of parts

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

What's the advantage of using a shorter keel Ray?

I bought my DF65 for racing but unfortunately it never got going again after Covid. I'm not selling mine or my similar HydroPro Affinity though!

Chris

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Chris,

It's just less drag in light air's , the standard keel would probably stand up to a Force 5 breeze

Our lake is not good for sailing really as it's in a quarry, wind shifts all the time !!

My fellow clubmates are all using them , so I'm in it to win it

Regards Ray

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Oh dear, even Ray, the embodiment of traditional woodworking practices, has been tempted over to the dark, plastic, side. Will he ever return? Will he ever be the same again? Or will he simply resort to extolling the virtues of Chinese plastic for evermore on these hallowed traditional pages?

I bet he wins as well!

[Chris FellowsParticipant @chrisfellows72943]

He's already been there Richard having had one before and the DF95 he has. Not to mention the power boat he bought awhile back.

I had to resort to plastic otherwise I still wouldn't be using anything on the water! Well apart from DM's Huntress which gets the odd outing.

Our lake's similar Ray. It's in a lovely spot on a farm but the wind is all over the place. You can be becalmed in one corner and heeled right over in another! I think I'll stick with the standard keel. Might get a shorter one for the Fisherman if I go down that keel route.

Chris

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

The Kirklees sail lads frequently complain about the complexity of the wind. The pond is in a build up area, surrounded by trees and with an island slap bang in the middle. You can see by the surface of the water the wind is frequently different only a few feet away.

Give me a motor or a steam engine any day!

I must admit though I do enjoy a nice calm relaxed sail with my one and only sail boat occasionally.  I would never dream of trying to race it, I consider it a success if I can get it back to the bank!

Edited By Richard Simpson on 02/12/2022 12:20:40

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

Never fear the wood is obviously my favourite material for construction, but for class racing the DF 65 & 95 take some beating, but my all-time best plastic boat for performance is the smaller Micro Magic, very nippy for it's size and both my grandson's learned to sail it pretty quickly

Bought second hand from a model aeroplane shop !! , they didn't know what it was, a good £50's worth 7 years ago.

Regards Ray

[Rich Griff 2Participant @richgriff2]

A shorter "keel" is available for this yacht ?

Please tell me more….

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Rich,

I'm not aware of a shorter keel for the Micro Magic it draws 6 1/2" as standard, the DF65 Short fin will draw 9"

I missed a Dulex 575 by 30 minutes on Saturday at our local Toyfair it went for £5 !!

Well folks we are looking good for Saturday but it's bloomin cold so who knows ?

I have mastered the Flysky computer radio which I rebound and reversed the rudder function, Youtube is brilliant for a Ludite like me

Nice touch with this new version, a couple of brackets so you can lay the boat on it's side (Ok if your using the long fin keel )

Now registered with the class association the actual number is 1706, but you only use the last 3 digits.

Mike Weston who owns RC Yachts from Swanley provides excellent service for spares etc as he is I believe the sole importer of the 65 & 95 in the uk.

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

The Dragon Force has taken up residence with the slightly more traditional fleet of Thames Sailing Barges, sitting on some new brackets they are all out of harms way above the stairs.

Arctic survival gear required for tomorrows maiden sail at Bluewater, I hope there is some wind

Regards Ray

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi all,

Well as everybody else discovered this weekend , the only craft on our lake were icebreakers , still I hope it turns mild before Christmas, we are just waiting for the snow to start here in Kent

(18.01 – It has started, in the shed looking for the sledge I made in 1992)

Regards Ray

Edited By Ray Wood 2 on 11/12/2022 18:02:26

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

We had a few flurries earlier up here in Surrey but seem to be missing the worst of it. Still around freezing though.

Thought about firing up the workshop heater today but it might be a bit expensive.

Colin

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