Club 500 basics
This is a speed boat, about 500mm long, running on a 500 series motor. Maybe that's why it's called Club 500? The boat is made of high impact styrene and is designed to offer a low cost introduction to model boating, and one-class club boat racing. The boats are identical out of the box, apart from the colour schemes, and include (if bought new) a propellor, propshaft, rudder, motor & coupling. All you need to get started are batteries, ESC & some RC gear. Our club occasionally has a 'pre-ownd' boat for sale. Alternatively, new Club 500 boats can be bought from Club Model Slipway.
Championship results from this and previous years
SMBC Club 500 Racing Rules: Boats race round an M shaped course for a fixed time period usually 5 minutes. Nickel Metal Hydride (Nimh) 7.2V battery pack must be used. No modifications to the model allowed, i.e. original motor, coupling, prop etc. 2-channel radio controlling an electronic speed control or servo operated control, & tiller. Buoyancy may be added to save the boat from sinking. Oiling tube may be added if required. The rules ensure that all competitors boats are equal and that fair racing ensues, so it's all down to the skill of the racer.
SMBC Club 500 race dates. There are 6 Rounds in SMBC Club 500 races from April to October. At the end of the year a trophy is awarded to the overall winner. Boats usually race Sunday mornings (weather permitting) in 2 heats, with a lap counter totalling number of laps completed in 5 minutes plus a time differential from the 1st boat finishing. Totals are calculated for both heats and points awarded to racers. Only the best 5 results count, allowing for absence from 1 race without penalty.
Dates are listed on the events page
Points are allocated as follows...
1st - 9 points
2nd - 6 points
3rd - 4 points
4th - 3 points
5th - 2 points
all other starters 1 point.
Getting started...
Buying a new club 500 from Club500 Slipway is one way to get into racing these semiscale fun boats. You get to choose the colour combination of hull and deck. All the hardware to build the basic model is supplied - including propeller, shaft, rudder, and a 550 motor.
In the box ...
(or bag) you get... Hull / Deck / Cabin / Arch Motor Mount / Battery Box / Rudder Support Platform for RC gear / ESC Boat Stand Dummy Motor / Decals Motor / Shaft / Propellor / Coupling Brass & Plastic rod Instructions.
You also need RC Gear / Battery / Rudder Servo / ESC Tools and Glue.
Assembly...
Following the printed instructions, all the styrene parts need cutting to size, removing the mould support material. Holes are drilled for the rudder & prop shaft. Assembly is best started from the rudder, which has a fixed location, and work forwards to add the prop shaft, then coupling and motor+mount. Then the RC platform and Battery box. As the rudder mount is plastic it's prudent to add support underneath as the rudder is screwed down onto this and the plastic may distort under pressure.
The motor is best held in with some non-slip or double-sided tape to stop it rotating or sliding about. Then add an elastic band. Once these are attached, the RC platform & battery box can be fixed in. Locate the rudder servo and linkage, the receiver and ESC. At this point, it's a good idea to add some buoyancy such as foam, to keep the boat afloat if it takes on water. If the hardware is working fine then the deck is glued to the hull. The cabin needs to be removable to access the battery compartment, so is held on with pegs on the deck located through holes in the cabin. The arch is stuck to the deck.
We have too many images to put them all on this page ... head over to the Gallery where you will find some nice pix.
YouTube Video Channel...
Don't forget to check out our channel on YouTube to see some of our boats in action especially the Club 500 races... we usually have a new video every couple of weeks.