Any Engel boat owners??

[ronnie b]

Thinking of saving for an Engel boat ,any comments or concerns on these boats,other than cost??? like complexity or ease of building .
Or should Ijust look for a good used one?
Ron














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[petn7]

I've never built an Engel

I've never built an Engel boat, but I got the chance to run an Engel Lafayette (sp?) and she ran beautifully.

[ronnie b]

I've herd that about Engles

I've herd that about Engles that is one of the reasons why I think I may like one!
I just hope that the dollar can get it's value back to make it a little easy on the wallet
Ron

[Guest]

The Lafayette and the Type

The Lafayette and the Type VII are both excellent kits. I'm not so keen on the other boats in their range though, because they are earlier designs and use the flat lid style method of creating a watertight space.

This makes access rather tricky. Anyone who has taken a peek at the internals of an Engel Akula will know exactly what I'm talking about.

Andy

[spongjim]

Is this your first sub

Is this your first sub build? Engel makes a great kit but you better plan on taking about year or more to build it. The Type 7 and the Gatos are very heavy when trimmed out ,plan on taking someone with you when you go to run her. If you think you can launch her by yourself ask anyone who seen me try to launch my Gato at the regatta.It is a two man job.
Great kit ,tricky electronics,limited hull access,very good detail,big heavy hulls,long build time.
I really like mine but I dont know if I would ever do it again Yea I would.
The only thing if this is your first build dont let it beat you down ,A sub this big and with this amount of details takes a long time to build ,I wont say finish no sub out there is ever finished. I hope this helps some.


Jim H

[polaris]

If you are going to

If you are going to consider the Engel kits as your first boat, consider the Lafayette, it was my first sub and start to finish(in the water) took only about 3 months.

As spongjim said you are never really done with any of them, they will always need something.

I can say Engel's support to thier customers is fantastic, they always answered any question I had within 24 hours of sending an email. And if you post your build thread on the SubCommittee forum you will have a wealth of expirence from all the men here to help you along.

regards,
Stuart

[pier 72]

I bought the Engel Type

I bought the Engel Type IX D2 and built it as U-861. It is a wonderful sub to sail and the piston ballast tanks are just sooooooooooooo reliable. Engel's switching systems with built in failsafes are a real bonus for an electronically challenged bubble head like myself. Building it was quite challenging (which is the reason why I bought it) so if it's your first one I'd probably go the Lafayette or one of the ROBBE Type VII or Type XXI. Apart from that, I'm selling my converted Robbe Type VIIC/41 U-1008 but only if you're in Australia, unless you want to pay around $900 to pack & ship it to the US........

Dave

[ronnie b]

This would be my third

This would be my third sub I would be attempting to do as I am still working on a Trumpeter Seawolf and a Revell Gato . The Gato will be a RECABR and the Seawolf will be a RECAB type systems .
These are my" Training subs" just to see if I can do this .
As someone once told me you can do anything if you put your mind to it and work for it. I have already got alot of help from all the great people on this site,So I will try to do a build thread when I get my Engel!!
Ron

P.S. The big word here is WHEN I get it

[mike dory]

Engle system boats.

Ron - If this is your 3rd Sub. then I would be thinking of getting what ever boat holds your intrest. Keeping in mind, size matters when it comes time to transport them. Also where you are sailing ( Some boats tend to pick up more weeds and grass then others) Also, you might give some thought to how deep it is where your going to be sailing. some larger boats do better when being run where there is a bit more depth. It can be interesting trying to dive an 8-10 ft.long boat in 3 feet of water, (Don't laugh, Our regatta was held in only 3.5 ft. deep.) It's not that it can't be done, but it can be a little hard on the keel paint.....Our Best Wishes.. Mike Dory

[ronnie b]

Mike,
As for size ,I

Mike,
As for size ,I feel that a larger sub has more room for "stuff" like lights,torpedoes,and other working items of intrest.I do have a pond of my own to run in and a lake accross the road from me so transport is no problem unless we go toCarmel again. Then a large sub may be a little hard to fit. But as nice as it is there I will find a way when the time comes.
I plan on going in Oct. to the fall run so I can hopfully try out my Seawolf ,"if I get all my parts in"maybe I'll see some of you there??

Ron

[mike dory]

Ron, See, you are already

Ron, See, you are already thinking about bring your new boat to Carmel and that's a good thing because "we all want to share in your joy and seeing your work" Just speeking from expirence, I to have built mostly big boats for just what you have pointed out (You can see my 1/32 scale Type XX1, on the photo galley) it has 34 different funtions. However, it weights over 200 Lbs. when it's at the water line. And I find it's the boat that I run the least because of it. I didn't think of this when I built it 10 years ago. Now I wish I had given it a bit more thought. We want to wish you all the best and we look forward to seeing it... Mike

[dono]

Lafayette Boat

I have both the Engel Patrick Henry and the Lafayette. Both are very good runners, but the Lafayette is lighter and turns in a smaller area. These things were very important to me as they allow me to run in my 18' x 33' pool. The Patrick Henry had to be run forward and backward to get around the pool. The Engel tank system allows you to "hang the boat on a string".

The Lafayette scale detail is very good, it's much easier to get into the boat with the bayonet ring, and all your electronics will fit nicely in the supplied tech rack. I highly recommend this boat. Don't be afraid to send an email if you get it and have questions.

I look forward to seeing your build thread. Best of luck with your boat.

[ronnie b]

I think I've narrowed it

I think I've narrowed it down to two ,either the Gato or the Typhoon.
Now I just have to save my pennys and hope the dollar recovers in value a little more.
I realize they are totaly different styles but I like them both so the choice will be difficult
Ron

[bos10]

I bought a TypeVII/C as

I bought a TypeVII/C as my first sub. Between kids and work I haven't been able to make as much progress as I'd like. Like many of their other boats It appears to be well engineered but, to my understanding, it's very accurate compared to prior models. It also features a tech rack which goes into a WTC which seems to be a better approach than their non-WTC models. That said there are a HUGE number of slots to be opened.

As someone already mentioned, their support is excellent. Everytime I have called there was someone to answer my question. Unlike some of the other manafacturers who make great products but have other jobs, Engel is well established in the hobby business... I've screwed up a few parts and it's really nice to have replacements ship quickly.

If you're interested in the VII/C, ask away...

[polaris]

Pictures mate, we like pictures!

Pictures mate, we like pictures!

It would be nice to see a build thread on this.

Congrats on the new kit, sounds like fun to me

Stuart