The DF Concept was initially conceived quite a few years back by John Tushingham and Mike Weston who had a desire to produce an affordable radio sailing yacht which sailed well, had all the tuning aids that a larger radio yacht had and that was available off the shelf so that fleets could grow quickly.

The concept came to fruition in 2013 with the DF65, based on the Ice RG65 by Mark Dicks. Produced by Joysway Hobby Co in China the DF65 was an instant hit and to date (early 2016) there are over 12,000 boats out there sailing and racing. Whilst the DF65 was finding its feet John Tushingham was approached again by Joysway to produce a large radio yacht.

A great deal of development work on the DF95 took place. The original lines came again from Mark Dicks with JT and Buzz Coleman spending many hours perfecting the design and layout of the new yacht. Production prototypes arrived for testing and evaluation in August 2015 and since then there has been a flurry of activity to make sure that the final production boats are absolutely correct. 

The DragonFlite 95 is constructed of several cutting edge components and composite materials not found in similar priced RC yachts produced by any other manufacturer. With carbon fibre keel fin, advanced design keel bulb, shroudless keel step, one piece carbon mast and mylar sails this all new racer has the kind of light wind performance most other radio yachts can only dream of.

Its lightweight and long, narrow hull would normally mean an inability to perform in strong winds, however this has been countered by designing low aspect, lightweight rigs with careful sail plan development to ensure awesome handling and balance. Even when the boat is overpowered it still remains easily controllable to windward and always has astonishing speed downwind with almost no tendency to ‘nosedive’.

Visit the Australian DF Radio Sailing Association website to apply as a new member and for boat registration information. This is fresh and has so much more for anyone interested in buying or just researching RC yacht racing anywhere around Australia. Nearly every club that has a mention of DF Class boats is listed with their website link or their Facebook page contacts. 

DF 95 Class Rules and Repair Guidance

DF 95 Class Rules v1.5 showing changes with explanations (effective date January 1st 2024)

Tuning guides are varied and can be subjective. Sailors are advised to take from them what works best for them.

Phil Burgess DF95 Tuning Guide

Click here for a useful chart providing rig setting distances for A through D rigs   

Craig Richards Tuning Guide 

Click here for an interesting article explaining the boat setup used by Craig Richards who won the 2023 DF95 Global Championship.

Simple Tuning Guide by David Odlum

David has put together this simplified guide to setting up a DF95 to assist newcomers to the class. Click here