May the Force Be With You

Steve Lang

The single greatest concern with a radio controlled anything, is the power supply for the radio control equipment. So I set out to put together the best collection of goodies to minimize the problems caused by sailing "half charged," and the endless monkeying with batteries.

Suppose you could sail 18 tough races in really heavy, wet weather. Your boat is still handling perfectly. You throw the boat in your car, take it home, plug it in (both boat and transmitter) and forget about it until the next time you go sailing.

Did I mention that you never touched a battery? Did I mention that you didn't need to worry about over charging? Sound too good to be true?? Well, it isn't.

What I put together are the parts and pieces that will allow you to always have the very best in battery power. Here is what I recommend.

Battery Charger w/two leads - one lead fits the jack in your radio, the other fits the new receptacle you will install in the cockpit bulkhead. Indicator lights on the charger are visuals that you have good contact. This is a charger custom made for Model Sailing Center, and is produced to charge your batteries at the right rate.

Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeable batteries - These batteries have proven to be superior to all other rechargeable batteries. And, they have a recharge cycle of up to 1000 times. You will need 12 AA batteries. They are the same size and weight at standard alkaline batteries.

Charging Pigtail - We include a pigtail to splice into your battery holder with two special solderless connectors. This allows charging the boat by opening the hatch and plugging in to the charger.

Magnetic Switch - These are the greatest. Simply unwire your manual switch, reinstall the same leads into the magnetic switch, and use Velcro to fasten the new switch under the starboard midship deck. The magnet part of the switch attaches to a small spot of Velcro on deck just above the switch. When the magnet is in place, the boat system is turned OFF. When you are ready to sail, you simply take the magnet off the deck and put it in your pocket. Note - there is no opening in the deck for this switch.

Battery Pad - The CR has been known to lead water into the bilge. Since you want to keep your batteries down low (weight), they are normally mounted in the lowest part of the bilge. So guess what, they get wet, and your electrics shut down. Enter a smart new idea. The battery pad. This closed cell foam pad attaches to the bilge, and the battery pack mounts on top, keep it about 3/8" above the bilge. The foam will not absorb water. Cool!

This is Heaven! Once you have installed this power pack in your boat, your life changes. You turn the boat on and off with the magnet on deck. You plug the charger into the deck mounted waterproof receptacle and that's it! You can't over charge your batteries and your boat is always ready to go with just an overnight charge.

I have used this system since August 1999, and find it to be the greatest thing since two speed winches. I welcome your questions.

Kit - You can purchase an entire rechargeable kit made specifically for the CR. It includes all the items shown below - everything you will need to install this system in your boat in about 30 minutes. Click here to order.

Parts in kit: Charger, two-lead properly regulated to charge both Tx and Rx at the same time with the appropriate charge rate. AA size, rechargeable, Nickel Metal Hydride batteries, 1800 mah or better (12 ea). Magnetic switch, with velcro for mounting switch under deck and magnet on deck. Battery holder mount pad, a closed cell foam piece to be installed under the battery holder to keep out of water. Instructions, complete step-by-step instructions. Click here to order.

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