sailing waters

[steamboatmodel]

Hi everyone just wondering what type of water most of us sail on :?:
We seam to have two types around here either artificial pools with cement bottoms or natural or artificial ponds with bottoms that collect silt and grow weeds. the first type I find very boring to run in and the second much more interesting to run in, but we end up with weed problems. Which brings me to my second question :?:, what do the various groups do to control weeds :?:
Regards,
Gerald

[thewharfonline]

Well I have an almighty lake outside in me backyard and I have used a small plastic radio controlled speed boat on it and that went fine, no weed troubles! It's getting through the plants to get to the water thats the hard part but hopefully my dad is going to build me a small jetty! Mum would like that too!

However for my first real working paddler model PS Reginald I used the bathtub as I didn't have all day to try and fish my boat out from the middle of the lake if it sunk or drifted away! The bathtub...ah never tires to create fun!

[Red_Hamish]

Hello all, I live about 2 miles (3Km) from a large municipal park which has a Victorian era pond of the first type that Gerald mentioned. This is a bit bland being originally designeed for yachts and straight running. There is always a light to medium prevailing South Westerly wind even on a still day everywhere else. The benefit is that when (not if) the boat stops you can always  don the waders and recover it. The depth varies upon season and can also suffer from algae in the height of summer (August) and can deprive you of props quite easily or tangle the keel of yachts. The local council drain the pond in March and remove all of the debris and silt which has collected over the year. Attached is a photo taken last year and appears also on www.modelboatlakes.co.nr where there is a wealth of info on sailing lakes and ponds open to the public throughout Britain.

[Khephre]

Here in Auckland we have a variety of locations both fresh and salt water.

Our club has a purpose-built pond in Panmure constructed by the local council, complete with water filtration and drainage, boardwalks and shelter. It's next door to Auckland's Scale Model Engineers and their railway and we get a lot of public spectators as a result. Not enough room for decent straight running and a bit cramped for the yachties but ideal for scale electric and steam.

Other favourite locations include freshwater springs and lakes around the city - the Western Springs lakes, Onepoto, Duck Creek at the Chelsea Sugar Works, Wattle Farm in Manukau for the fast glow/gas/electric boys, etc.

A few prime spots outside of Auckland as well - e.g. Turtle Lake in Hamilton.

As to weed - our pond has no problems there - it's drained annually, has its bottom scrubbed clean  :  etc. - however some of the natural locations do tend to geta  bit weedy and then the local councils usually come in and cut things back a bit - or not as is sometimes the case.

[steamboatmodel]

I guess the rest only run in there kiddy pools or domestic test tanks :?:
OW to have a local council that cares about model boaters, We had a very nice pond built about thirty years ago   , but that was the last they did    the pond has silted up and is so overgrowen with weeds that it is almost unusable  :cry: . There is another site some of us use on a Wednesday evening in the next City over which is good for sailing on and with the blessing and cooperation of there parks department we use, when it weeds up we go in and remove the weeds as best we can and they truck them away   .
Regards,
Gerald

[mjt60a]

Closest place to me (and the only place I've sailed in years) is the chalk pond at bluewater shopping centre, Kent. It's the home of Chantry model boat club and when I asked, was told they not only have a full membership but a long waiting list too! Bluewater apparently will only allow 80 members (ie 80 parking spaces) in case they all show up at the same time but 'visitors' from other clubs or individuals with models and acceptable radio equipment can pay £1 on the day to cover insurance and sail if their channel is free, that's what I do.
I applied to join Southend MPBC (sail at victoria park, near southend east station by rail, sealife centre by road - achieveable but not as close as bluewater) but haven't heard from them. Maybe the application was lost in the post, I had the wrong address or I should have enclosed an SAE. Next time I'm in the area (DJ Models Leigh-on-sea) I'll maybe get another app. form... :?

[Barrie]

Burton MBC has the use of Branston Water Park - an old gravel pit. We don't have weed problems, I think its too deep for that, but we do get blue green algae in summer.

We lease the model boat rights from the local council for a very nominal rent, we are not supposed to run I/C boats regularly, but can do so for sepcial events. We usually host a round for OMRA and the NCRA, we also hold an i/c speed records weekend in September.

The water has enough space for both yachts and scale to sail at the same time without interference (space not radio!)

Our main problem is that the council won't allow us to have any building so storing our gear, inc rescue boat, is a problem.

Barrie