Light is faster than sound. That explains why some people appear bright until they open their mouths!

Robbe Smaragd (Emerald) R/C Sailing Yacht Kit Review.  

This is an expensive top quality model yacht kit. It won’t suit everyone as it must be de-masted to get it in the car, but I was sold on the sailing capability above all else. My bespoke yacht looks superb on the water but doesn’t sail well in light winds and I needed another winter model project.

The kit, complete with the fittings kit and ballast weights (extra) as supplied by Westbourne Models, is very comprehensively supplied. Most of the fittings are of a very high standard.

The hull is a single moulded piece complete with the deck, making the necessity to seal the deck irrelevant to the hull unnecessary. The problem with this is that everything has to be fitted through the deck hatch during assembly. The hull is of a high quality plastic (not fibreglass) that should sand up to a really high quality finish. The hull moulding is not pure white so it will need to be painted.

The mast was delivered in a 1.8mtr robust tube. This is an extruded light alloy with internal section and open back that allows the main sail to slide up the mast the same way as a real yacht.

At this early stage of assembly, the only issue I have with the kit is the instructions and plans. The 4 sheet plans are really high quality but there are a number of section drawings that would have really helped to show how to assemble elements of the model. These are not include. Secondly the many bags of components are not identified on a material drawing to help find the right screw or part. This is documented on a sequence list with numbers and description, but not easy to identify from a bag of parts that isn’t marked. These are simple documents by the manufacturer that could greatly enhance the build for novices. My previous experience of building the Graupner True Blue was much better laid out, though even that required a lot of studying to be double sure of doing the right thing. In my opinion this is not a model for a novice.

To be continued.

 Contact me if you have any questions.  (Initiated 25th Dec 2010, updated 6th May 2011

Here’s some pictures I’ve found on the web to help with the build;