Tempted to go for one these The Serenity being around £100 less and 2.4 R/c makes it seem the better buy .But which in you guys opinion should or could be the better one ie build and sailing attributes .Not into any kind of competition type sailing purely for pleasure. I only like a boat that looks something like a boat
and the Serenity and the Fairwind fit that well I think. I have the read the article buy the guy that bought one
I have owned both boats. They are very similar in quality and finish. Sadly, both boats have been discontinued by their manufacturers here in the US.
I purchased the Serenity some time ago when I couldn't find a Fairwind lll. There are a few differences in deck design and the amount of detail, but they both are beautifully made and have the best gel-coat finish I have seen on production RC yachts. The Serenity was furnished with a good quality 2.4 ghz radio vs. the Fairwind's 27 mhz old style radio.
Sometime after getting the Serenity the Fairwind lll became available again and I was able to purchase one. I had the both for a while, later selling the Serenity to a close friend. As you can see from the photos, the hulls styles are very similar. The Serenity has a few features over the Fairwind such a mechanical/adjustable boom vang vs. the Fairwind's which uses line and a clete. The stanchions on the Serenity are metal vs. the plastic stanchions furnished on the Fairwind. Both have some deck detail. The Fairwind has a more "ginger bread" as some might call it.
Both are fiberglass construction at it's best. These boats a great for display as well as sailing. The Serenity had a much lower purchase price which is a bit hard to understand. The Fairwind lll is listed at $540 USD on the Kyosho web site which is much higher than the Serenity that came with a much better radio.
I opted for to sell the Serenity only because my friend kept "bugging me" sell it to him, so I gave in. It turns out I can still sail it when I want so, it turned out to be a good deal for all. I now have two Fairwind llls, one has been converted into a motor sailor - the other is still new. They are very hard to find here in the US and bring top dollar - I got it just encase the conversion didn't turn out. Good news it worked out great - so I guess at some point I'll be selling the extra boat.
Both are nice boats and I am comfortable thinking you'd be happy with either boat. If you pressed me, I'd give the edge to the Fairwind. These are not terribly fast boats, but are graceful and fun to sail. The Fairwind has been around for about 20 years is an AMYA racing class boat and has been raced around the globe for years - previous models were made out of ABS and sold as kits. The Fairwind lll has been modified - larger keel and is as mentioned made out of Fiberglass. Truly beautifully made!
If you have any questions about either boat, let me know.