Rage RC B1302 Eclipse 650 Ready to Boat Sailboat, (RGRB1302)

After reading a few reviews and deciding to purchase this sailboat I was pleased with the product, assembly and use. The Radio for this product is about what you'd expect at this price point. I have been a RC Hobbeist for over 20 years so I didn't have any unrealistic expectations from the radio that was included. Then new 2.3 Ghz radios can be a little finiky. The Trim for the Rudder is a bit odd in that when the radio syncs with the RX it doesn't always center. The Batteries included are cheap and drain quickly so have another set with you to change out. As for others who have purchased this and have reported it died after a short use. Replace the batteries and it should be fine. In the long term I'd replace the alkaline battery holder with a Nimh or some other rechargeable battery pack for longer use. Same goes for the TX but those are not a PACK and you will have to fined individual cells such as Nihm or Lion cells. In either case a good set of batteries is a good Idea. As for sailing it, Lots of fun. I was surprised how quickly the boat accelerates when properly set up and trimmed. Great for days by the pool when its too cold to swim.

This is cheaply made so it breaks. The servos are too light for anything but the lightest breeze. After a couple of hours sailing the switches on both of my boats broke. Easily replaced as are the servos. Then I noticed the steering was still wonky. It turns out the steering linkage from the servo to the rudder is too light so it bends under the pressure of tacking. This is not so easily replaced. Actually somewhat difficult. Finally, the piece that attaches the boom to the mast broke on both boats. The piece can be replaced by either buying a whole mast assembly or a boom . The boom cost me $26.43 plus shipping. And I notice that there are few available. Unfortunately, I expect that this part will fail again leaving me the option of junking the boats or manufacturing a new part with a stronger material.

Simple instructions some vague but assembly not bad at all. Love my Sail Boat!!

The on/off switched failed after the first day of use. Disappointing after all the work to assemble. The clips used to attach the lines are cheap and bend way too easy. I will say the boat sailed great when it worked and the inside stayed dry. So...Rage...improve the hardware and electronics and this little boat is a winner.

Easy to use and a lot of fun!

The eclipse 650 and the 1m can easily be a 5 star boat with lots of work and time It's got a good shape, looks great and is loads of fun. Until it isnt There are 2 important fail points on the 650 (and 1m) The boom joist will rip itself off the pin it's holding on to the mast with and the keel will flex and crack at the hull. All 3 of my rage boats have done this within I'll say 5-18 hrs of mostly ideal conditions. They were designed to fail or someone failed at designing or simply did not use and test the model For the electronics, they were crap, lots of shuddering, twitching, laggy response and very weak (primarily rudder) There's also this gimmick where you hold a rudder direction for a few seconds and it swaps left and right. How does one tack when they keep switching? Hint, it's very difficult to sail like this and wasn't very fun I've got 2 650s, purchased from my local hobby store, my first one immediately took on water and trashed the electronics, once replaced with proper servos and a remote it was a whole new vessel capable of sailing and an absolute blast. So I replaced the electronics in the second one as well. This was my fault as I DID tighten the keel down to much. An easy fix with epoxy and caulk and it's back on the water until the boom joist or sail rips out. The first is in the beginnings of failure while the second is completely ripped through and needs a replacement. Parts are not available so I need to either fabricate something or modify a similar part After spending several more hundred dollars on quality servos/remotes/time it's still a paperweight without a reliable fix for the main. I would have gladly purchased the eclipse 650 at a higher price point if it was built better, but it's just to cheaply manufactured to buy or modify. If you want a cheap first sailboat, don't make it cheap. Rage rc makes some great products but sailboats are not one of them.

Controller not working. No useful operator manusl