Footy (model Yacht) - The Boats

The Boats

Given the open nature of the Footy rule, the boats themselves come in many flavours ranging from red-clawed racing machines to what are unashamedly character boats. Both of these manage to coexist within the same structure and Footy "community". A high proportion of older designs are hard-chine boats made from flat panels of balsa or ply but a great many newer ones are round-bottomed made from fibreglass or even carbon fibre. Because of the weight of the older AM radio gear commonly used, Footys used to be rather heavy by model yacht standards. Among the racing fraternity, one of the great points of discussion currently is between the lighter, narrower Footys advocated mostly by Brett McCormack and Angus Richardson on the one hand and the wide, heavy "All-American Muscle Footy" popular in the United States.

One novelty of the class, which may well spread to others, is the McCormack rig. This is a single sail rig in which the mast is allowed to bend sideways at its base to enable to boat to cope with gusts of wind without being overpowered. This allows more sail to be carried in light weather and eases the concentration requirements on the skipper when it blows.

Footys are suitable for construction by virtually anyone. Because of their small size they place a high premium on sailing ability as opposed to Star Wars technology and no-one should feel themselves ruled out by lack of funds! For example, the well-known BUG design by Roger Stollery can be built largely from scrap materials for about £5 + radio gear (2 channel transmitter, receiver and 2 servos can be bought for around £40 and can be used in other models).

Footys are very often designed and built by their owners. However, for those with less time or confidence, there is an increasing range of high-quality kits on the market such as the 507 footy from Australia and the Kittywake from the USA.