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Chicago Radio Controlled Sailing Club
Frequently Asked Questions

What type of boats do you race?
Currently the CRCSC is part of the Soling One Meter class. This means that everyone built their boat from the same kit from Victor Model adhering to a set of class rules specified by the AMYA.
How big are the boats?
The Soling One Meter is 39" long, 65" tall, and weighs 10 pounds. The mast can easily be detached to allow the boat to be transported in a car trunk.
How much does it cost?
The Soling One Meter costs just under $400 for the kit, radio, and all the parts needed to build a race ready boat. Due to the amount of time, effort, and difficulty in building your boat from a kit, we highly recommend purchasing a prebuilt Soling One Meter (with a Hitec #815 sail servo) directly from Victor Model for $560 plus shipping. The prebuilt Soling includes everything except batteries.
How long does it take to build a boat?
Building your own boat from the kit takes a fair amount of time and equipment. All of our boats have been modified from the kit specifications to make them a little stronger and lighter. On average it took about 48 hours worth of work to build each boat. This is not including time needed to allow glues, epoxies, and paints to dry.
How do I get involved?
During the summer the best was to get involved is to show up to one of our races. Race information will always be listed on our home page. You can also join our mailing list.
Where do you race?
Our current locations are Humboldt Park, Lincoln Park, and Montrose Harbor. We race in Chicago where there is a body of water large enough to operate the boats, yet small enough that it doesn't get waves larger than the boats. Good winds, access along the shore, and convenient parking are all-important in deciding where we race.
How often do you race?
We try to race at least once a week all summer long. Be sure to check out the home page for the location and time of the next race.
What are the rules?
We follow The Racing Rules of Sailing from US Sailing pertaining to radio controlled boats. This can be found in Appendix E of the 2005-2008 edition. We also follow the AMYA class rules for the Soling One Meter.
Do I need to know anything about sailing?
Although these boats are small, they still follow the same laws of physics as the large boats. It is important to have a basic knowledge of sailing. If you don't have basic sailing skills, don't worry, they're easy to learn. It is also important to have a basic understanding of rights of way for sailing to help minimize the number of collisions with other boats.
Is there any age limit to join the club?
No. The Chicago Radio Controlled Sailing Club is open to anyone of any age who is interested in model yachting.
Do I need to have my own boat to race?
Part of the fun of racing your own boat is that you can make all kinds of modifications to your boat to try and make it go faster and look cool. However, not having your own boat doesn't mean you can't race. We usually have at least one "club" boat available and most of our members would be more than willing to let you race a few times with their boat. All you have to do is show up to one of our races.
Are there any membership fees?
Currently there are no membership fees to be part of the Chicago Radio Controlled Sailing Club. However, we do encourage club members to join the AMYA which allows you to receive sail numbers for your boat and includes a subscription to Model Yachting Magazine.