DF95 DF65 IOM US1M Star 45 PVC RC sailboat stand

Update 3/5/23: I have added a wider bulb holder for the IOM/US1M style boats. I also added Star 45 boat arms, bulb holder, plates, and clamps.

Update 2/4/22: I added a longer pipe catch piece to allow the stand to go into “narrow” mode. This is great for boat storage as it takes up much less floor space. I have both arms installed, as I still use the original arm as well for tuning and a wide base for outdoors. You may need to trim a bit off the back PVC feet if it is too tippy.

I designed this stand based on David Jensen IOM boat stand design and also out of a bit of frustration that the only other full DF95 stands as of yet on Thingiverse are designed for metric sized EMT or PVC pipe.

This is drawn in INCHES. You need to convert to millimeters if necessary.

I design in metric 99% of the time myself, but for this one all measurements and parts are presented in Imperial units. Further, this design uses 3/4" Schedule 40 PVC plumbing pipe, and Imperial-sized hardware. Your slicer may need you to convert the prints to metric. For Cura slicer, i use the Barbarian plug-in to convert the parts to millimeters for printing.

This stand will fit many boats besides a DF95 and there are several ways to make sizing adjustments by moving parts around and changing the PVC pipe lengths. It fits a DF65 with no problem as is.

Heck, you don't even need to print a single part. You can make the arms and keel board out of wood using paper printouts of the side views of the parts as a template and use stacks of washers as spacers, etc. I have even included David Jennings original design 2D print plans as a PDF showing how to build his stand in wood (see picture and PDF in the files).

Materials/Hardware needed:

3/4" PVC pipe - 13 feet, but allow a few feet more for waste

3/4" PVC tees - 6 pcs.

3/4" PVC caps (feet) - 4 pcs.

3" x 1/4" hex bolts - 2 pcs.

2-1/2" x 1/4" hex bolts - 4 pcs.

1-1/4"" x 1/4" hex bolts - 2 pcs.

1/4" nylon lock nuts - 8 pcs.

1/4" washers - 12 pcs.

1/8" thick x 1/2” width neoprene foam (adhesive backed) - 3 feet

1/4" thick x 1/2” width neoprene foam (adhesive backed) - 1 foot

1" double side Velcro strapping- 2 pcs. 10" long

Flexible medium clear super glue (Mercury adhesives brand on Amazon) and accelerator

Some substitutions:

All non-printed materials should be available at most home improvement stores. I ordered the foam from Amazon. I do not recommend glossy gray household weatherstripping as it can stick to your boat (look for a matte finish on the foam, not glossy), but you may be able to find a good closed cell foam in your local store than I did.

You can substitute some longer length bolts or use split lock washers and regular nuts. The cheaper zinc coated stuff is fine for most of us, no need to get higher strength or stainless hardware (except for saltwater use).

Also, you could just use the 1/8" foam only, you must use it for the bulb cradle, but it is optional for the arms. The 1/4' thickness really helps match the hull shape though (you could use two layers of 1/8").

You can use any adhesive you like, but flexible medium clear super glue is thin enough to wick into the PVC joints without disassembly (this is important later). It is also not brittle like regular super glue. But don't worry, regular super glue is fine.

3/4" PVC pipe cut list (pictured in gallery as well)

Large Frame -

2 x Uprights - 22-1/4"

1 x Cross bar - 18"

1 x Handle - 18-1/4"

2 x Feet - 2"

2 x Tees

2 x Caps (feet)

Small Frame -

2 x Uprights - 13"

2 x Cross bars - 15-1/2"

2 x Feet - 2"

2 x Connector pipes - 3"

4 x Tees

2 x Caps (feet)