Buying an RS200

   The RS published weight of 78kgs is for an unfitted bare hull. A hull with C/B, hatches, ropes and other fittings is nearer 90KG......bear that in mind if you weigh it. The 200 is not as light as RS would have us believe.

They can be a bit leaky particularly around the hatches. The rear hatch is mounted on a slightly curved surface, if not tightened or the "O" ring is slightly damaged it will leak. The "O" rings seem to be made of a piece of straight rubber that is glued end to end to form an O, this glued joint can crack open.

Try one before you buy because they are not for everyone. Not a brilliant sea boat IMO and a spinnaker that was added as an afterthought.

Edited by transient - 02 Sep 14 at 11:31am

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transient Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 21 Aug 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 715	Post Options Post Reply Quote transient Report Post Quote Reply Topic: Buying an RS200 Posted: 02 Sep 14 at 11:19am
	The RS published weight of 78kgs is for an unfitted bare hull. A hull with C/B, hatches, ropes and other fittings is nearer 90KG......bear that in mind if you weigh it. The 200 is not as light as RS would have us believe. They can be a bit leaky particularly around the hatches. The rear hatch is mounted on a slightly curved surface, if not tightened or the "O" ring is slightly damaged it will leak. The "O" rings seem to be made of a piece of straight rubber that is glued end to end to form an O, this glued joint can crack open. Try one before you buy because they are not for everyone. Not a brilliant sea boat IMO and a spinnaker that was added as an afterthought. Edited by transient - 02 Sep 14 at 11:31am

jaydub Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 06 Jan 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 267	Post Options Post Reply Quote jaydub Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Sep 14 at 1:27pm
	The boats were built in the UK by RMW Marine until around sail number 1150, when RMW subcontracted the production to Brazil. Production moved back to Synthesize on the IoW about sail no 1290. Thai boats started late 1300s, probably 1390ish. The 200 is basically quite a strong boat and old boats are competitive. RS have always been good at resolving any warranty issues, so any boats that have had problems will almost certainly have been replaced by RS. As always there is a bit more risk buying an older boat, but that is balanced by the lower purchase cost. If you can afford it I'd go for one of the Synthesize boats or a Thai boat, but there really isn't anything wrong with the older boats. You can pretty much tell whether a boat has been looked after properly when you inspect it.

kneewrecker Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 09 Apr 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1586	Post Options Post Reply Quote kneewrecker Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Sep 14 at 12:09pm
	You can phone RS directly and get information on any RS boat you are interested in by referencing the sail number - they are great at making sure you are still an RS customer even if the boat is second hand. As for Brazilian cracks- the overseas production in question was around 2006 and 2007 iirc. The problem stem from a sub-standard bonding paste between the hull and deck join being used by RMW marine (who were contracted to make them). The bonds gave way and then there were hull and/or deck stresses and cracks. RS did handle all the issues with affected boats, sometimes by bonding good decks with good hulls in their own workshop. Some of us received full refunds, so I'd say it's dealt with by now; but given the wide spread of boats usually available I'd avoid this era personally. Edited by kneewrecker - 01 Sep 14 at 12:10pm

JimC Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Really should get out more Joined: 17 May 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 6662	Post Options Post Reply Quote JimC Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Sep 14 at 11:48am
	I'd be quite surprised if there are many of the Brazil boats left: we had some at our club and I think all the hulls were replaced by RS in the end so none of them are Brazil boats now. Dodgy hull deck joins especially round the stern were the main issues as I recall.

Dave3165 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 01 Sep 14 Location: SW London Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote Dave3165 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 01 Sep 14 at 11:10am
	Hi, Eldest daughter is looking at RS200s'.. She want's a competitive boat to do open meetings and such. What advice is there on buying used ? How long do the hulls stay comeptitive? Should we get he boat weighed before we buy? I hear talk of a poor batch of boats from Brazil at some point? If this is true what numbers/build dates should we avoid? Thanks Dave