Do hobby shops stock International One Meter yachts that are sailed in the GRCYC?

Short answer = NO.
So often when people start becoming enthusiastic about radio sailing, they head to the local hobby store and see a 'one meter' sailing yacht on the shelf for a couple of hundred and think that's a cheap way into the scene.

WRONG!!!!

Those models (and I emphasise 'models') apart from being one meter in length are nothing like the boats that are sailed at the GRCYC and all over the world. They are cheap, scaled down versions of larger yachts that don't cope with any water chop or general conditions. With heavy cloth sails and plastic fittings these would not last two minutes in the marina, where we sail, without tipping over and sinking. These are designed to float in a sheltered lake or your bath tub. - DON'T GET SUCKED IN!

The IOM is not a model of anything. It is a strictly designed, purpose built yacht in it's own right and is not a scaled down version of a larger yacht. There are professional boat builders all over the world that are attempting to design better IOM's every day within a strict set of class rules.

Yes the cost is considerably more, but you get what you pay for.... Talk to a member of the GRCYC. We're here to help give you a better understanding.