For new model sailors, the sport appears complex, difficult to understand, and the ’learning curve’ to get started seems steep. This is not the case with the Soling One Meter. The abundance of Soling One Meter sailors in various locations around the country make it likely there are experienced model sailors not far from where you live who would be delighted to assist you with your build and learning to sail - if only to have another boat on the starting line in their local fleet.
Skippers of smaller and lighter model boats often report their boats: ‘bob-about’; ‘loose steerage way through a tack’; ‘get caught in irons’; and ‘bury the bow downwind in a blow’. This is not the case with the Soling One Meter. The size, shape and weight of the Soling One Meter allow the boat’s performance to realistically simulate ‘big-boat’ sailing. The Soling One Meter smoothly passes through rough water, remains well-balanced in heavy air, tacks easily, and (when properly tuned) can track upwind close-hauled with ‘no hands on the sticks’. The fast bow-up downwind ride – with the jib and main set on opposite sides (wing-on-wing) delights every Soling One Meter owner.
Skippers of many one-design class model boats must have multiple rigs and sail plans (often referred to as A-, B- and C-rigs) to keep their boats under control as wind strength increases. This is not the case with the Soling One Meter. The Soling One Meter has a single rig and sail plan that is used whatever the wind speed. Experienced Soling One Meter skippers tune their sails and rigs to add or reduce drive and keep the boat under control in wind speeds up to 25 mph.
Skippers of development class (open-design) class model boats often spend significant time and money tuning, tinkering, refining and modifying their boats rigs and equipment to incorporate the latest technologies in order to be competitive. When new thinking produces new designs, many skippers are tempted to start-over and spend thousands of dollars to have the ‘latest’ boat. This is not the case with the Soling One Meter. The Soling One Meter is a one-design class - meaning that hull, deck, keel and rudder come from an authorized single source, making their size and shape on every boat virtually identical – and with rigging, spars, sails, and sail controls assembled in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions – the Soling One Meter Class Rules ensure that boats are built that are essentially identical in all aspects that influence performance.
Skippers of other model sail boats often report that the cost of ownership can be inflated by the need to add after-market parts, sails and equipment in order to make the boat competitive. This is not the case with the Soling One Meter. With the exception of the boat electronics (radio transmitter, receiver and servos – purchased from the manufacturer, online or at the local hobby store); the kit comes complete with all of the components necessary to build a ‘race-ready boat’. After-market enhancements to the Soling One Meter make the boat more durable, resistant to damage in the unlikely event of a collision, or to allow ‘pond-side’ tuning adjustments to be made more easily – they do not make the boat any faster. Stock ‘out-of-the-box’ Soling One Meter boats, carefully assembled can and have won National Championships. Features or enhancements that might influence performance and are not explicitly permitted by the Class Rules are prohibited.
The Soling One Meter offers competition at every level, with local club racing, regional and national events that will challenge any skipper, new or veteran. The 2008 National Championship Regatta was hosted in Detroit Michigan and in Port St. Lucie Florida in 2009.
