Gift Ideas

Depends on what he already has of course. Binoculars can be useful. Some of the online shopping sites like WestMarine have a "holiday" section just for gift ideas. Or you could take the easy way out and give him a gift card ....

Kelly Cook

Yeti,
A gift I received once and will treasure (due to the person that gave it also because it's neat) is a Leatherman Super Tool. It's basically a swiss army knife on steroids. Has all the items (knives, scredrivers, file, saw, etc) plus it's a pliers/cutter. Also has a ruler (doesn't sound like much but when you need it, it's there). And a handy pouch that goes on the belt. Great for those little jobs when you don't want to lug out the toolbox, or it's not available.
If you want it for the boat, get a good clock/barometer/humidity/whatever set in brass that you can mount on a wall. Many on the market, but I think Wheams & Plath (sp?) make a nice set. Safety kits are always welcome, or how about a hand-held radio?
That should give you a few ideas.
Happy Holidays!

Neat suggestion from CaptTom, a knife makes a great stocking-stuffer. If you want to go all "salty" with this there are also rigging knives, that have a big marlinspike (awl) for working out knots in lines ...

http://images.westmarine.com/full/007_217_001_502.jpg

Kelly

What about a bikini model photoshoot on his boat for a day.
Pictures that would always leave him with a smile.

for knives i recommend http://www.spyderco.com/ they are one of the best. but for fathers in general, quality tools like http://www.facom.com/ make great presents and are usually well received.

there are also many nice led torches that make great presents.

i second the binoculars though

Hi everybody... I'm totally new to the whole forum phenomenon and was wondering the steps I need to take to go about posting a new "thread". I've tried to find the section of this site where I can do to do that but I've come up empty-handed so far. Any help would be appreciated!

As far as gift ideas go...
http://www.blenderblaster.com/blenderblaster/order.asp

Welcome to YachtForums.com Caltain Silva,

To post a new thread just find the forum pertaining to what you want to ask (General Yachting Discussion, Technical Discussions, etc) and then once in that section click the "New Thread" button.

Thanks Kevin!

I just posted a new thread finally. I appreciate your help!

Hi Yeti and welcome,

It seems the like hottest gift of the year is the PlayStation 3 or the Wii. I'm not much into video games, unless the skills you develop while playing them serves a useful purpose. Case in point... allow me to introduce you to "RealFlight G3.5". This simulator is the current r/c equivilent to the PS3 or Wii. It is absolutely stunning!!! Totally realistic and completely proportionate. Take my word for this... I've logged 1000's of hours with r/c helicopters.

While it's not yacht related, if your dad has an interest in r/c, this would keep him occupied for weeks. The flight characteristics of each aircraft are equally as good as the graphics. The sim is under $200 and it comes with a controller. Just plug into a USB port and fly!

Here's a few screen shots to give you an example of detail and resolution.

My addiction is r/c helicopters. Real Flight comes with dozens of aircraft, including a number of helicopters. Each one of them fly EXACTLY like the real thing. Here's the Bell 222 that comes with the program...

And for anyone that knows me, this is the position I'm most often seen in...

... which is usually followed by this position!

Carl,
Those screenshots are fantastic. I have Flight Simulator 98 and can't get near the clarity you have. Let me ask you, if someone wanted to get into r/c helicopters, the real things, what's a good entry level copter? If I ever get enought dough (and time) I would learn to fly a real helo, but until them I'll fly off into the sunset with a r/c.
Thanks

Carl, Do you buy blades in bulk?

My Heli flying seems similar to yours, skilled for a while then falls apart.
I have wrecked many blades on boom strikes when flaring out of auto rotations (Doesn't help when fuel runs out when you are 300ft up!!)

These are good fun, but the PC version will cost you NIL after a crash landing.
Have to see if that software is here in the UK.

Jay,

I was actually poking a little fun at myself. I got started in the hobby in 1987. I've had around 50 heli's over the years and I've buried about 20 birds. Of that number, 10 of them were over the course of 10 years of competitive flying. The remaining 10 lost their lives all in one year, while I was learning to fly inverted.

I can't emphasize how important a good simulator is. It will save you a huge amount of time, money and aggravation. I only wish sims were around when I was learning to fly. That said... I don't think any of the sims are truly realistic during autorotation. Best thing to do is buy a pair of expensive, glass, weighted blades and spend every session shooting autos until you perfect it.

Also, you'd be much better off using a .60 size heli for autos. The .30 size are good for training and 3-D, but lousy for autos. Of the .30 size birds, the Raptor is BY FAR the best choice. If you're using a Shuttle (or equivalent)... you'll continue to accumulate kindling wood.

Carl, I know you were, I am the one who used to buy many blades at a time! (Perhaps I should stop trimming hedges with the blades)

Unfortunatley my dated flying skills could do with the simulator before I start up my heli's again.
Your'e right the 60 size engines are far far better for auto, alas I got rid of mine when someone saw me flying and asked to buy it!!!

X -Plane also has 2 RC aircraft on, 1 plane and 1 Raptor heli.

dont forget Cold Steel, SOG, Microtech, Hill Knives eh, better stop here, could go on for pages i'm afraid.

Hi Tom,

Sorry so late responding. In & out all week. With South Florida getting soaked, I'm staying close the keyboard today.

Regarding which heli to start with? Easy answer... hand's down, without question... the Thunder Tiger Raptor 30. This is the clear & obvious choice for more reasons than our bandwidth will allow. In your neck of the woods, I strongly suggest visiting S.E. R/C Hobbies on Copans Road, just west of I-95.
This shop is owned by Geoff Weiner. Technically, he is one of the best versed people you'll find and he's a really nice guy. Equally importantly, his prices match mail order and his staff is knowledgeable.

But first, point your browser to www.rotory.com. This site (and forum) is owned by Mike Mas, the publisher of Rotory Magazine. Mike is one of the fathers of r/c heli's and one of my oldest friends. We flew together for 10 years. Good times.