HI Dave

Thanks for getting back to me, actually, I told a white lie as it is not my first sojourn in to sail. I bought a second hand Century 750 that had seen better days, if it had any!!! The sails were tired it leaked like a sieve and it always wanted to lie into wind !!! That experience nearly saw me off ! I've kept it and I intend to rebuild the rig one day. I am quite impressed with the value for money with the Surmount so far, one of our club members bought one at the same time and he works in education so has time on his hands just now and managed to sling it together in a day and he says it sails well but the hatch is a problem in Harry Rougher's so he has fitted an outside kill switch so he can tape it down to the deck. it is not my first experience of sail and wind, I used to live in Dartmouth and I have done a bit of the big boys stuff, the principles are the same but the scale obviously is different and that effects everything you do or attempt to do !!! The boys a Sedgemoor Model Boat club are first class guys, the always have advice or the suitable spare or tool at hand when you need it but I guess that is the norm in most clubs. Something that the Britts are good at, clubmanship. I'll be in touch and tell you how I am fairing.

Alan.

The ready to run (almost) yachts from several suppliers are really not that bad. You have already passed the first hurdle if you have managed the rigging.
I have had an RG65 for a couple of years and whilst a bit smaller I suspect your model will perform in a similar fashion. Weed can be a problem but this year it is not that bad where I sail. Water will find its way into the model through any small holes or badly fitting deck openings but you can usually solve this once you identify any problem. Might be a good idea to check after the first 10 mins just to satisfy yourself that all is OK.
I would also check that your servos are not stalling on full stick throws as they may spend some time at the extremities and will quickly flatten your battery in this condition.
If it's your first time with a sail boat you will need to understand how the wind drives the sail, but a little practice will make you more confident and there are some excellent videos that will help you fine tune. if you sail with a club there is a good chance that help will be on hand.
Good luck and please let us know how you progress.
Dave