Getting Started with DragonForce 65 Yachts.
Our club is the newest in W.A. We sail Dragon Force 65 and Dragon Flight 95 radio-controlled yachts and are privileged to have one of the best facilities for our sport. With some never sailed before members as well as some very experienced sailors in our club no one should feel out of place or overwhelmed.
Sailing is on both Saturday and Wednesday afternoons, gathering around 12.30 pm. with races starting at 1 pm.
Please feel free to join us for a few weeks after which we would like you to become members which costs a total of $45 for 2025/26 ($30 for juniors) and includes membership in our affiliated associations, the Radio Sailing Assoc. W.A. and the Australian Radio Yachting Assoc. and covers public liability insurance.
The Joysway Dragon Force 65 and Dragon Flight 95 or DF65 & DF95 for short, are by far currently the best-selling RC yachts in the world. The reasons are as simple as the concept and design itself, which was developed in collaboration between Joysway and three top-performance yacht designers (Mike Weston, Mark Dicks, and John Tushingham) known as The Group of Three. This partnership has resulted in the DF65 first released in February 2013, as affordable competition class RC yachts that are affordable and can be enjoyed by serious competitors and non-serious hobbyists alike. The DF95 followed in 2015. Sleek lines and competition-developed sails make the DF boats race, perform and compete against even those yachts that would be 10 times the price!
Both boats are available locally from Monkeyfist Marine or online from Joysway Australia in a complete kit form for very reasonable prices respectively and are reasonably easy to assemble. You will need 8 AA batteries and you are ready to sail. It is a good idea to ask one of our regular sailors or a committee member for some advice before committing to any of these options. You can purchase the kit with the transmitter or if you would like to start with a better transmitter, buy the boat without a transmitter and a Flysky FXi6 Transmitter which is probably the better option although a little more expensive. As you progress you will probably need a couple of different size sails and some form of rechargeable batteries, but we suggest beginning with the standard kit and then build up as you learn from experience and others.
When you have your boat, you will need to register your hull to get a sail number which can be done through The Australian DF Radio Sailing Association Membership and hull registration is free. ADFRSA Web Page
Click this link for details for Sail Numbering. Although the last three digits can be used it is probably easier to use only the last 2 digits on your sails, with provision for a 1 in front, as indicated on the diagram. Number stencils can be borrowed from our club secretary, or if you prefer your own set they can be purchased from Lawrie Henrickson (Lawrie.Henrickson@hotmail.com).
One other helpful item you should have is Phil Burgess's DF65-Tuning-Guide.
There are of course rules to follow, which will at first be confusing to first-time skippers, but we try to break you in gently.
If you plan to start with the DF95 the process is similar.
