The Soling 50 Class

Featured in Model Yachting Issues #126 and #157

2010 National Champion - Richard French.
Bakersfield Model Yacht Club, Bakersfield, CA
Photo by Dave Ogden, Bakersfield, CA

Class Secretary Ty Beach 11135-12 Affinity Ct. San Diego, CA 92131 619 481-9121

Description

The Soling 50 Class is a small-scale version (50 inches long) of the Olympic Soling three-person, 27 foot, 3 man, keelboat, sailed worldwide and also in the Olympic games since 1967. The original boat was designed by Jan Herman Linge of Oslo, Norway in 1964. The name "Soling" was a word coined by Linge.

In 1970, John & Laurie Converse, owners of Vortex Model Engineering saw a full sized Soling and developed and manufactured the radio-controlled model sailboat. It started out as the Soling M Class (Marblehead) and in 1972 it dominated the Marblehead Class ACCR 50/800 class. By 1975 the fleet grew into it's own class, called the Soling O/D (One Design) and it's logo the Greek letter 'Omega' was authorized by the original designer Jan Linge.

Today, the Soling 50 is one of 27 different classes and sizes of sailboats sanctioned by the national American Model Yacht Association and has very active fleets racing in California, Florida, Michigan and Texas and has individual boats scattered all over the U.S. The Soling 50 hulls are identical to the original Vortex hulls and are currently available from three (3) different suppliers in the U.S.

The Soling 50 Class is an AMYA one-design class boat. It is a great starter boat, easily transported with detachable sail rig weighing a minimum of 17 lbs. Radio equipment is an inexpensive 2 or 3 channel surface radio. The Soling 50 Class offers close and competitive sailing in moderate and stiff winds. It acts and feels closer to a full-sized boat than most other R/C model yachts.

The three (3) class-approved manufacturers for Soling 50 hulls:

• Victor Model Products, DeRidder, LA (http://www.victor-model.com/products/soling-50-hull-kit)
• GRP Model Yachts, Freedom, CA (http://modelyachting.com/)
• Hartman Model Boats, Bergen, NY (http://www.hartmanmodelboats.com)

AMYA Soling 50 Class Rules - 2009

Overall General Specifications Length = 50” Overall Beam = 12 1/8” Overall Draft = 11” Sail Area = 800 Square Inches Displacement = 17 lbs. Minimum Mast Height = 61-1/4” Maximum

1.0 GENERAL
1.1 The definitions, dimensions, limits and restrictions listed below are intended to maintain the strict one-design features of the Soling 50 class with the objective of assuring fair sailing in which the skipper and his/herskill become the deciding element. Any obvious attempt to negate or violate these specifications shall require that the yacht be barred from competition in the class until such time as the violation(s) is corrected.

1.2 Anything not specifically permitted by these rules is PROHIBITED. Final authority for interpretation of these rules and for providing opinions and making determinations as to whether a particular yacht complies with these rules shall rest with the AMYA Soling 50 Class Secretary.

1.3 These rules describe, as precisely as possible, the Soling 50 class yacht and establish various limits and restrictions which ensure that hulls, keels, rudders, spars and sails are as alike as possible in all respects affecting sailing performance.

1.4 Hull manufacturers and their hull tooling must be approved by the AMYA Soling 50 Class Secretary.

1.5 To be eligible to participate in a AMYA sanctioned Soling 50 class event the skipper must be a member in good standing of the AMYA and the Soling 50 must be registered with the Soling 50 Class Secretary.

1.6 A skipper may measure in two (2) complete rigs(s) (mast, booms, sails and rigging) for use in an AMYA sanctioned Soling 50 event.

2.0 HULL
2.1 Dimensions
Length, 50 inches, ± 1/4 inch.
Beam, 12- 1/8 inches, ± 1/4 inch.
Beam at transom, 5- 1/2 inches, ± 1/16 inch.

The location of the rudder shaft opening shall be 9 inches plus or minus 1/4 inch from the transom on the centerline of the hull.


2.2 The hull molding shall conform in shape and dimensions to that provided by Vortex Engineering Co. mold and be approved by the Class Secretary.


2.3 Materials: The hull may be constructed from glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass) or high impact styrene.

3.0 DECK
3.1 Materials: The deck may be constructed from glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass), high impact styrene or wood.


3.2 The deck hatch opening (s) for access to the interior of the hull shall be limited to no more than two openings. The size of the openings shall not exceed an area equivalent to the original Vortex deck opening - a total area of 80 square inches of open space. Sheet fairleads thru the deck are not counted in the hatch opening dimension.

3.3 The deck may be flat athwart ship or may have up to 1/2” of positive curvature.

3.4 The mast shall be mounted on the deck above the centerline of the hull. Through-the-deck mounted masts are prohibited. Soling 50s with through-the-deck mounted masts built prior to January, 2009 shall be grand fathered, but must be registered as a “through-deck” Soling 50 with the Soling 50 Class Secretary and the “through-deck” allowance must be noted on the measurement certificate.

4.0 DISPLACEMENT
4.1 Minimum ready-to-sail weight shall be 17 pounds. The yacht is weighed in a dry condition and includes the lightest weight batteries to be used.
Note: The use of a balance beam or digital scale is recommended.

4.2 An underweight yacht shall have sufficient weight permanently installed in the bilge between the keel bolts to bring the weight up to the specified minimum.

5.0 SPARS
5.1Materials: Mast and booms may be constructed of glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass), carbon fiber, aluminum or wood.

5.2 The mast shall be non-rotating and shall have a maximum sectional dimension of 3/4 inch.

5.3 Overall mast height above the deck shall be 61-1/4 inch maximum and 60 inches minimum.

5.4 The height of the jib stay attachment, at the mast, shall be 48-1/2 inches plus or minus 1/4 inch above the deck, as measured at the intersection of the forestay projected to the mast face.

6.0 HARDWARE FITTINGS
6.1 The type, design and placement of hardware is optional except that the gooseneck, as measured to the centerline of the boom, shall be not less than 2 - 1/2 inches above the deck.
Note: Where dimensions from the deck are specified the level of the deck at the centerline of the yacht is intended.

7.0 KEEL
7.1 Materials: The keel may be constructed from glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass), polyester or epoxy resin with or without thickening agent, high impact styrene, wood, aluminum, lead or cast iron. Materials denser than lead are prohibited.

7.2 The keel shape as viewed from forward shall be hourglass like. Its athwart-ship shape and dimensions shall be as per the accompanying drawing and/or an "official" template. The keel shall have a maximum weight of 11.75 pounds and the keel need not be readily separable from the hull. In the event that the keel shall have been faired into the hull means shall be provided to indicate the location of the keel-hull joint such as a witness line.

7.3 Dimensions: (See Soling 50 Keel Diagram below)
Depth from bottom of hull: 8 -1/2"
Width fore and aft: 8 to 8 -1/2"
Angle of leading edge: 35° ± 1 degree

8.0 RUDDER
8.1 Materials: The Rudder may be constructed from glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass),polyester or epoxy resin with or without thickening agent, carbon fiber, high impact styrene, wood or aluminum.

8.2 Dimensions: (See Soling 50 Rudder Diagram below)
Top of rudder: 3 7/8” ± 1/8”
Forward edge: 7 1/8” ± 1/8”
Bottom of rudder: 2” ± 1/8”
Aft edge of rudder: 7 1/8” ± 1/8”

8.3 The location of the rudder post imbedded in the rudder shall be such as to provide a balanced design.

9.0 RIGGING
9.1 Stays and shrouds shall be attached to the deck with only manual adjustments for tuning permitted. No provision for adjustment of stays and shrouds by remote control means shall be permitted.

9.2 Only the main and jib sheets may be adjusted remotelyunder sail. No other remotely controlled adjustments are permitted (Examples: backstay, jib twitcher, etc.). A third radio channel will be allowed for purposes of fine-tuning the jib sheet.

9.3 The forestay may be attached directly to the deck or to the jib boom.

9.4 The jib boom may be in one of three configurations:
1) A traditional jib boom with a pivot attached from the boom to the deck.
2) A jib club boom with the boom pivoting from a deck fitting near the forestay attachment point.
3) A wishbone boom with attachment points at the clew of the jib and at the forestay above deck.


9.5 A jib boom counter balance weight may be added to the forward end of the jib boom.


9.6 A device may be rigged, using a spring, rubber band, or elastic material, to aid in winging out the jib. This device may not be controlled remotely.

10.0 SAILS
10.1 All dimensions listed below are maximums. Measurements shall be made using a steel tape measure with the sail (and rig if attached) lying flat on a table whose surface supports the entire sail being measured. During measurement the sail edges shall be tensioned sufficiently to remove wrinkles. Mast and booms shall not be positioned so as to restrict the proper measurement of the sails. Eyelets in the corners of the sails shall be used to define a straight line for the use in measurement and the measurement shall be taken along a line through the center of these points from fabric edge to fabric edge. Such eyelets, if present, shall be centered no more than _ inch from the edge of the adjacent sail fabric. If no eyelets have been installed the normal position of the eyelet center shall be simulated.


10.2 Roach and rounded foot measurements shall be from a straight line between the centers of the eyelet locations to the edge of the sail fabric, measured perpendicular to the straight line at the point of maximum departure from the straight line. Measuring the roaches the sail fabric on all three edges shall be tensioned sufficient to remove wrinkles. Note: The use of a metal or plastic disc of the specified diameter (2- 1/2 and 1- 1/2 inches) simplifies the measurement operation.


10.3 Double luff (sleeved) mainsails are not permitted. The maximum dimensions of headboards shall not exceed 3/4 inch. Battens shall be spaced approximately equally along the leech of the sail. Variance from the true position shall not exceed 1/2 inch. The length of the battens shall not exceed two times the roach measurement of that sail. (Example: 2 inch roach measurement = 4 inch batten.)


10.4 MAXIMUM SAIL DIMENSIONS:

MAIN JIB
Luff 56" Luff 46"
Foot 17" Foot 15- 1/2"
Leech 57- 1/2" Leech 41-1/2"
Roach 2 -1/2" Roach 1 -1/2"
Foot Roach 1.0" Foot Roach 1.0"

11.0 IDENTIFICATION
11.1 Yacht registration numbers will be issued by the AMYA through the Class Secretary. No yacht will be properly registered unless its assigned numbers shall have been affixed inside the hull in a readily visible location.

11.2 The corresponding sail number shall be displayed on both sides of the mainsail at approximately mid-height. Numbers are to be approximately 3 inches high by 2 inches wide by 1/2 inch thick. Suggest use of “Helvetica Bold”, “Arial Bold” or “Myriad Bold” font. As is customary, the TOP numbers should be read from the starboard side, the LOWER numbers from the port side. The Greek letter Omega (Ω), the class insignia, the same size as the numbers is to be affixed to both sides of the mainsail in the upper third of the sail. Colors of numerals and logo will be black or a dark color to be easily readable from a distance. The designation of the owner's country may be (optional) displayed above or below the numbers. (USA = United States, CAN = Canada, MEX = Mexico, ESP = Spain, AUS =- Australia, GER = Germany)

1234
Soling 50 Omega Logo is 3” high X 3” wide. Numerals may be “Helvetica” or similar font, 3” high.

Drawings: Keel and Rudder Specifications

Note: All dimensions are to be considered ± 1/8" unless otherwise specified.Width fore and aft: 8 to 8 1/2" Balanced type - no skeg
Angle of leading edge: 35° ± 1° Post location measured from transom: 9.0

Depth from bottom of hull: 8 ½" Width fore and aft: 8 to 8 ½" Angle of leading edge: 35° ± 1°

Rudder configuration: Balanced type no skeg Post location measured from transom: 9.0"