The AMYA Soling 1 Meter TM Class is among the largest classes sanctioned by the American Model Yachting Association (AMYA). It is a one-design class. The kits and Almost Ready-To-Sail (ARTS) boats are manufactured by two authorized manufacturers, 3DRC Boats, and Vac-U-Boat. Some local hobby shops may also have kits available.
The AMYA Soling 1 Meter was designed to be a kit-based one-design class that beginning sailors often start with and yet it remains challenging enough that most advanced racers still race their Soling.
The hull, deck, keel, and rudder are made from vacuum formed polystyrene plastic. 3DRC Boats offers an aluminum rig kit with or without sails. Wood rigs are still allowed and se very often in the Class . Only flat single-paneled sails are approved by the Soling Class, for reduced cost.
Only two transmitter channels are used to control the boat - one channel for both sails and the other for the rudder. Transmitters may have additional channels but they are not allowed to be used in sanctioned races.
The boat is 1-Meter (39.37") long and has a minimum weight requirement of ten pounds.
Class History:
The Soling 1 Meter was originally designed from the Soling 50 (or Soling M, or Soling Olympic) a 1970's-vintage version of the 50" Marblehead Class boat. The Soling "Olympic" sailed in the 50/600 "Marblehead" World Championship in the early 1970s, winning first place. Thereafter the 50/600 International Class Rules were established, and the design was no longer competitive.
The Soling 50 (still a sanctioned AMYA Class) is 50" long, and weighs 17 lbs. (50" is about the width of the interior of a medium-sized SUV like a Ford Explorer). So the Soling 50 is heavy- and hard to fit into many vehicles
In the late 1980's Victor Model Products of Southern California designed a smaller, lighter version they called the "Soling 1m". The new boat was about 10" shorter and 40% lighter- and easier to carry, store, and transport than the Soling 50. The new boat was an almost instant success, but as a toy.
By the early 1990's, two RC sailing AMYA Clubs in the Northeast (Stowe Model Yacht Club, Stowe, VT, and Minuteman Model Yacht Club - Massachusetts) adopted the new boat ("Soling 1m) as a club racing boat. The Charter Owners of the Soling 1 Meter numbered their boats 0- 40. Those numbers are being "retired" as the original owners or families no longer own them.
Soon, many other clubs also were featuring the Soling 1 Meter, and in 1993, the AMYA sanctioned the Class. By the early-2000s, the Soling 1 Meter was the most popular RC boat sanctioned by the AMYA. Victor Model Products reportedly sold around 13,000 kits from 1987 to 2018, over 39 years, and about 6000 of those ended up built, Registered, and owned by AMYA Members. The others were either sailed as pond toys, were never Registered with the Class, or a significant number were never built. (Typical Christmas morning comment: (i)"Thanks honey, this is awesome!! Let me open it up....(long pause).... "I'll just put this in the closet until I have time to build it."(/i)) The VMP Kit had Dacron polyester sails, stainless rigging wire, and everything needed to build the boat except sandpaper, glues and paint.
Victor Model moved from California to Louisiana (closing for months in during the move), then dropped models from their line to where they were making just two or three- the Soling among them. VMP announced they were closing in 2017, then re-opened after about 60 days, before finally closing in 2018. It is still possible to come across one of these unbuilt Victor Kits, and they can be a great buy. Victor was a great supplier because they maintained the same quality kit for all those years, never compromising to save costs, but that would have been to the detriment of the Class.
Also, over time, as the modelers in North American moved toward ready-built models in every category- including trains, model airplanes, and finally RC sailboats, fewer Solings were sold. The VMP Soling 1m was a "craftsman kit"- it had 110 or so parts, counting the fasteners. But a project taking hours, days and weeks is no longer as popular as it was years ago.
After VMP closed, the Soling 1 Meter Class Secretary (starting with Frank Vella, then Franks' successor Tim Stone), assisted by a Committee of dedicated RC sailors, solicited the "market" for a replacement manufacturer. Part of the published requirements were (a) to simplify the build, (b) to reduce or eliminate the use of wood (requiring cutting, sanding, fitting and sealing), and that the Class retained control over the molds used to vacuum-form the boats. Fortunately, TWO manufacturers came forward - initially Vac-U-Boat from Georgia, and secondly, 3DRC Boats of Elyria in Northern Ohio.
Class Rules evolution: The Soling 1 Meter Class Rules remain pretty much identical to what they have been since the 1990s. Originally, they referenced the Victor Model Products Assembly Manual as part of the Rules, but that has been removed and specific requirements added to replace those references. The Rules prohibit any "innovation" that would make the boat faster or perform any better than previous models.
Here are some Class Rules changes over time:
- 2010 The original bulkheads ( a bulkhead is "an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane") were used as structural reinforcement of the hull. The Class voted to make these optional in the Victor-built boat, IF some other form of reinforcement was used under the mast, and at the point of the mainsheet exit from the deck. (The current boats do not use “bulkheads” – they use a hull liner (Vac-U-Boat) or internal space frames (3DRC).)
- 2014 - 2020: several Rules changes were made as the sailcloth available in the market changed. As of 2022, there is no specified minimum weight of sailcloth, only that is must be “woven polyester”. That means it cannot be Mylar, Kevlar, or Nylon.
- 2019: minimum beam measurements, and minimum thicknesses for the keel and rudder were added.
- 2021: The Class voted to make aluminum rigs optional, in addition to the wooden masts, and booms as in the original kits. This made assembly of the rig FAR faster and easier, with no sanding, sealing, or finishing. There is no discernible performance advantage for either.
Today: both approved manufacturers’ boats are significantly better than any Soling ever offered. You can order and receive an AMYA Soling 1 Meter Kit in as little as ten days. And the kits go together well, with little or no measuring, sanding, filling or fitting. The result is a minimum-weight, “fair” and durable Soling, regardless of which of the two offerings you might select.
Enjoy sailing your AMYA Soling 1 Meter!!
TM- "AMYA Soling 1 Meter" is a trademark and selling mark of the American Model Yachting Association. (AMYA) The name cannot be used except by AMYA Members, Clubs, Authorized Manufacturers, and owners without the expressed written consent of the Soling 1 Meter Class Secretary or the president, AMYA.
The AMYA Soling 1 Meter was designed to be a kit-based one-design class that beginning sailors often start with and yet it remains challenging enough that most advanced racers still race their Soling.
The hull, deck, keel, and rudder are made from vacuum formed polystyrene plastic. 3DRC Boats offers an aluminum rig kit with or without sails. Wood rigs are still allowed and se very often in the Class . Only flat single-paneled sails are approved by the Soling Class, for reduced cost.
Only two transmitter channels are used to control the boat - one channel for both sails and the other for the rudder. Transmitters may have additional channels but they are not allowed to be used in sanctioned races.
The boat is 1-Meter (39.37") long and has a minimum weight requirement of ten pounds.
Class History:
The Soling 1 Meter was originally designed from the Soling 50 (or Soling M, or Soling Olympic) a 1970's-vintage version of the 50" Marblehead Class boat. The Soling "Olympic" sailed in the 50/600 "Marblehead" World Championship in the early 1970s, winning first place. Thereafter the 50/600 International Class Rules were established, and the design was no longer competitive.
The Soling 50 (still a sanctioned AMYA Class) is 50" long, and weighs 17 lbs. (50" is about the width of the interior of a medium-sized SUV like a Ford Explorer). So the Soling 50 is heavy- and hard to fit into many vehicles
In the late 1980's Victor Model Products of Southern California designed a smaller, lighter version they called the "Soling 1m". The new boat was about 10" shorter and 40% lighter- and easier to carry, store, and transport than the Soling 50. The new boat was an almost instant success, but as a toy.
By the early 1990's, two RC sailing AMYA Clubs in the Northeast (Stowe Model Yacht Club, Stowe, VT, and Minuteman Model Yacht Club - Massachusetts) adopted the new boat ("Soling 1m) as a club racing boat. The Charter Owners of the Soling 1 Meter numbered their boats 0- 40. Those numbers are being "retired" as the original owners or families no longer own them.
Soon, many other clubs also were featuring the Soling 1 Meter, and in 1993, the AMYA sanctioned the Class. By the early-2000s, the Soling 1 Meter was the most popular RC boat sanctioned by the AMYA. Victor Model Products reportedly sold around 13,000 kits from 1987 to 2018, over 39 years, and about 6000 of those ended up built, Registered, and owned by AMYA Members. The others were either sailed as pond toys, were never Registered with the Class, or a significant number were never built. (Typical Christmas morning comment: (i)"Thanks honey, this is awesome!! Let me open it up....(long pause).... "I'll just put this in the closet until I have time to build it."(/i)) The VMP Kit had Dacron polyester sails, stainless rigging wire, and everything needed to build the boat except sandpaper, glues and paint.
Victor Model moved from California to Louisiana (closing for months in during the move), then dropped models from their line to where they were making just two or three- the Soling among them. VMP announced they were closing in 2017, then re-opened after about 60 days, before finally closing in 2018. It is still possible to come across one of these unbuilt Victor Kits, and they can be a great buy. Victor was a great supplier because they maintained the same quality kit for all those years, never compromising to save costs, but that would have been to the detriment of the Class.
Also, over time, as the modelers in North American moved toward ready-built models in every category- including trains, model airplanes, and finally RC sailboats, fewer Solings were sold. The VMP Soling 1m was a "craftsman kit"- it had 110 or so parts, counting the fasteners. But a project taking hours, days and weeks is no longer as popular as it was years ago.
After VMP closed, the Soling 1 Meter Class Secretary (starting with Frank Vella, then Franks' successor Tim Stone), assisted by a Committee of dedicated RC sailors, solicited the "market" for a replacement manufacturer. Part of the published requirements were (a) to simplify the build, (b) to reduce or eliminate the use of wood (requiring cutting, sanding, fitting and sealing), and that the Class retained control over the molds used to vacuum-form the boats. Fortunately, TWO manufacturers came forward - initially Vac-U-Boat from Georgia, and secondly, 3DRC Boats of Elyria in Northern Ohio.
Class Rules evolution: The Soling 1 Meter Class Rules remain pretty much identical to what they have been since the 1990s. Originally, they referenced the Victor Model Products Assembly Manual as part of the Rules, but that has been removed and specific requirements added to replace those references. The Rules prohibit any "innovation" that would make the boat faster or perform any better than previous models.
Here are some Class Rules changes over time:
- 2010 The original bulkheads ( a bulkhead is "an upright wall within the hull of a ship or within the fuselage of an airplane") were used as structural reinforcement of the hull. The Class voted to make these optional in the Victor-built boat, IF some other form of reinforcement was used under the mast, and at the point of the mainsheet exit from the deck. (The current boats do not use “bulkheads” – they use a hull liner (Vac-U-Boat) or internal space frames (3DRC).)
- 2014 - 2020: several Rules changes were made as the sailcloth available in the market changed. As of 2022, there is no specified minimum weight of sailcloth, only that is must be “woven polyester”. That means it cannot be Mylar, Kevlar, or Nylon.
- 2019: minimum beam measurements, and minimum thicknesses for the keel and rudder were added.
- 2021: The Class voted to make aluminum rigs optional, in addition to the wooden masts, and booms as in the original kits. This made assembly of the rig FAR faster and easier, with no sanding, sealing, or finishing. There is no discernible performance advantage for either.
Today: both approved manufacturers’ boats are significantly better than any Soling ever offered. You can order and receive an AMYA Soling 1 Meter Kit in as little as ten days. And the kits go together well, with little or no measuring, sanding, filling or fitting. The result is a minimum-weight, “fair” and durable Soling, regardless of which of the two offerings you might select.
Enjoy sailing your AMYA Soling 1 Meter!!
TM- "AMYA Soling 1 Meter" is a trademark and selling mark of the American Model Yachting Association. (AMYA) The name cannot be used except by AMYA Members, Clubs, Authorized Manufacturers, and owners without the expressed written consent of the Soling 1 Meter Class Secretary or the president, AMYA.