Future of RC's

[Hydro Junkie]

I have always thought that RC boating was under promoted to the general public. I stumbled on it in 1980 after seeing some roostertails on a pond by the Meadowbrook parkway in NY . Who really knows about RC boating ? Now with boats being available plug and play in the last 20 years many have become interested but racing is another story . It seems races are promoted within those that know and have been racing for a while . There is no magazine in a hobby shop to educate people on boating , and hobby shops themselves are dwindling due to the internet . RC Airplanes have a large national organization that is very instrumental in finding and keeping sites to fly . . not sure what the answer is but this site and other pages more recently have been very helpful in keeping me fired up . Random thoughts .

Random thoughts? I don't think so. I do disagree about the AMA as it's losing it's influence with R/C flyers, due to both the park flyer and multi-rotor surge. People don't have to go to clubs or have an AMA membership to fly with these two forms of aircraft so they don't spend the money on memberships like was once almost required

 

[Tom Foley]

How long have you been an AMA Member Mark ? I've been since 1980 and have followed it through their own magazine for that time . The park flyer movement is there for sure but if you want to fly larger aircraft in most areas you join AMA and then a club .

 

[Vince Fantauzzi]

Just my two cents... Unless you purchase off-the-shelf RTR, or fully complete kits, you have to be ready to do a lot research and a lot of tinkering and improvisation. Helps to be a hands on kind of type. A one off cowling is really not that difficult to build, there are tutorials on line and so forth. I usually build my own, 1/16 ply for base, dense Styrofoam for body of cowl, two part epoxy resin and medium glass cloth. No expensive tools needed... Long blade box cutter a rasp and sand paper. Layer foam block to rough size of cowl, epoxy to ply and carve out desired shape. Sand smooth, glass whole thing and and the dig out the foam. It's a bit involved, but also personally rewarding to know you created a one off.
Keeping in mind that if you plan to race it competitively, to stick to class guidelines. Good luck with your builds.

Vince

 

[Hydro Junkie]

How long have you been an AMA Member Mark ? I've been since 1980 and have followed it through their own magazine for that time . The park flyer movement is there for sure but if you want to fly larger aircraft in most areas you join AMA and then a club .

Whether I'm an AMA member or not is irrelevant. I'm a member of a couple of other forums that cover aircraft and I see the discord and arguments over what the AMA does or doesn't do, as well as how competent the EC and officers are. I'm not going to go into those forums and what's said, it's irrelevant to this thread. I do agree, large planes almost do have to be flown at a dedicated field and that normally means joining a club and, by default, the AMA. What you must remember is that, with Part 107, the FAA and Congress have pretty much given flyers a way to circumvent the AMA and having to join it.
I think that's enough on airplanes, what do you think?

 

[doug twaits]

Gentlemen there are tons of valid points and I have been trying to promote this sport for over 30 yrs BOB had a great starting post and agree with his statement. Most new guys that come around are not usually fresh off the street and unless it’s electric and he can purchase a rtr Motley Crue off the shelf for under 500 bucks (our biggest class by the way! ) I really don’t push a newbie to buy new there are always guys with old boats batteries engines etc that will sell you DIRT CHEAP EQUIPMENT to get you started! If that newbie stays with it he always invests more and then goes out and buys new equipment now you have a new boater ! Sounds easy right ,well it’s not I wish it was I think someone should put together some program or structure to attract people to the sport then have at least one avenue for them to race something in the line of if you ever won a National title you are excluded from this class of racing , this would keep the driving experience out of the let’s say beginner class. guys just my thoughts I am up for whatever promotes our hobby if anyone finds the secret to get more people involved let me know you have my full support !

 

[Josh Carlton]

Fun runs by club are a great way to get new people and allow people to get to run with other boats

 

[Tom Foley]

Mark the aircraft analogies were to illustrate the support and organization that is provided by AMA for clubs regarding all kinds of issues . I'll keep posting if I feel it's valid , if it is ok with you that is lol .

 

[LohringMiller]

I was first an AMA member in the late 1950s. Then the whole country supported model building as a great way to train future scientists and engineers. I loved the Navy Nationals. Today computer sciences are similar. Robotic competitions combine these skills. Model airplanes have embraced computer technologies more than model boating. Many of the new boaters our club attracts come from model car racing with a few from model airplanes. Model boating is the last of the no holds barred model racing formats. The fact that the boats are mostly contained in the pond helps with safety concerns. I think active boaters will love racing. Race fans are the pool we should recruit from.

Lohring Miller

 

[Hydro Junkie]

Mark the aircraft analogies were to illustrate the support and organization that is provided by AMA for clubs regarding all kinds of issues . I'll keep posting if I feel it's valid , if it is ok with you that is lol .

Feel free, Tom. I've got no objections. I've said my piece on the subject and, unlike what happens in the other forums, I don't want to see this thread degenerate into chaos.

 

[JimZaremski]

I often have people ask how much it costs to compete in the scale classes. When I tell them they mostly say WOW! My response is it's all relative. I then ask them have you checked out the price a new Harley or Mustang GT or other factory hot rod lately? Most of the people I know that have them are hobbyists and not using them for basic transportation.

but they can be. R/C boats aren't useful for anything else. but that's beside the point. people who can afford something like a Mustang as a second car or a toy like a Harley aren't hurting for money. There are a hell of a lot of people who could only dream of owning either, and spending $1,000 on an R/C boat would be taken out of the food budget.

 

[JimZaremski]

It's crazy isn't it I grew up in the seventies and I don't care what any body says those definitely were the good old days

OK Boomer

 

[Bill Gibson]

My first model race boat was a 20 Coyote with a K&B model airplane engine it, and the radio for it was a Futaba 2 stick 2 channel tan job on 26.995mhz We've come along way baby!
The boat kit was 60 bucks, engine was 100 bucks, and the radio was100 bucks..............i raced a 20 hydro for less than 300 bucks. Not bad. That was around '82/'83!! I do believe that money is part of the issue, but certainly not the whole issue.

 

[Grimracer]

1982 average median income was 23,430 (around 11.26 per hour)

2018 it was 63,179 (around 30.37 per.. or so)


If that’s true that meant it would take around 27 hours to make the 300 bucks in 1982

In 2018 that would equate to 1,705.00


Looks like not much has changed to me.. I could totally build my first hydro for 1,705.00


Grim


Disclaimer.. I suck at math so your results may vary.. somebody should check my work…LOL

 

[Bill Gibson]

Grim, I think you would find that there is a WHOLE buncha folks in this country that play with model boats that don't make anything close to 63,179 annually, which with all due respect sounds awfully steep to my simple mind The income wages versus the cost of living has been more disproportionate in the last 25 years than ever before......I will say that since Trump came into office things are better, but we also spend more money than ever before. I think the world of ya man, but as I said money is PART of the problem.......not ALL of it.....that being said, I do remember when full house radio systems for aircraft were well over 400 dollars..............in the 1960s and the 1970s!!!

 

[Grimracer]

I get that.. again. median to median.. i think this was HOUSEHOLD.. I should have said that.. so.. more then one income could be included... both then and now..

Never the less.. regardless of the actual numbers the variables remain.

Gas was at one point in 82 1.34 a gallon.. I know cus the old Z28 with the tunnel ram used 1 gallon for every 4 of them!..lol And I was making 7 bucks an hour..LOL extra 30 cents an hour night shift!

Always bugs me when people say.. think the world of ya, but... .. I did read your post.. and I did take into consideration the fact that its "part but not all".. I think I stated that in an early post too... I get your just... no real issue with me..

Eather way.. then or now.. its cost some bucks.. if one wants to own and operate an RC boat they will figure it out. If we continue to convince yourself that the cost is the issue we will reflect that to those looking in.. that just wont help a thing..

Expensive is relative!.. let those looking in make that judgment.. the best we can do is make sure they are supported in there new hobby.


Grim

 

[Brad Christy]

Guys,

I don't think cost is of much influence at all. We all know (at least know of) people who don't have two nickels to rub together that somehow find $150/mo for cigarettes. We all justify the things we want to spend our money on. People may not be able to dive right into that twin hydro right off the bat, but entry level boating is well within reach for nearly everybody who sees it worthy of their time. The only real correlation to cost is that we are trying to attract new boaters at a time in their life when they typically have the least amount of discretionary funds: When they are young.

This, coincidentally, is also when they are the most distracted. Even well into their twenties, they can't seem to get their noses off that bright little screen long enough to not walk into fountains. I've taken my son to races and the grand takeaway for him was "It seems kinda boring watching boats go in circles", as he thumbed up a new YouTube video about a video game. I have yet to be able to convince him to go to the pond and actually DRIVE one.

While this isn't a rant about "those damned millennials", it's definitely a major contributor to the issue. It is what it is.

Thanks. Brad.
Titan Racing Components
BlackJack Hydros
Model Machine and Precision LLC

 

[Wesleys Custom RC]

I would like to chime in on the scale side of things. I see many newbies excited about building a scale boat only to be shot down by the "experts" who preach that their boat is not "exactly " like the real boat. I know these guys are only trying to help but 1-not everyone is gonna race their boat. I can tell by the sales of my decal sets that only about half are for "race" boats. 2- the boats built.to race should not be criticized as long as they are within the legal definition. We need to listen to ourselves when we give 'advise' to a newbie. I know we are all experts but we dont need to tell everyone we are

 

[henry velasco]

Spot on Wes
At one time we had 22/24 Scale boats in our district ( NAMBA district 19 ) and in two years it was down to three boats , the experts started to knitpick
Scale was my favorite class

 

[Steven Kinney]

I am not sure why everything keeps going back to cost. As I said before racing rc boats is about the same as racing 1/8 scale offroad cars. If I go to Amain Hobbies you wont find a boat or boat parts that apply to racing rc boats. Its hard to find the guys that build boats and if you decide to build your own boat like I did its hard to find all the parts needed to complete one. The information is there but you have to dig for it. Google RC hydroplanes the first thing you see is Ebay and Amazon and they don't sell anything your looking for. Then there is RC boat company that is currently not making boats. There are lots of guys building boats and selling parts but there not on the first page when you google search stuff. Forums like this are a great help but I have found the key is to try and find someone that can help you and show you how to do the stuff you don't know how to do. I 100% agree with Wes especially if you new to the hobby cut them some slack on the scale stuff. You boat count will be up and everyone will have more fun. Who wants to race one other boat!

 

[Bill Brandt]

As a matter of information only I respond not to sell product but to help Scale Racers in finding parts a little harder to find in one place.

Since putting Rattlesnakerc online at Allrc1.com 4 years ago sales have grown to a level that i really don’t care to increase. If you don’t want to do ALL the searching and paying multiple shipping charges yet still find the parts that it takes to get your boat ready for race season ask a friend. I might have helped them. I’ve helped thousands now and want to help you, whether its parts or information on Scale racing, I’m here to help. Retired and 72, i hope I’m here to help for a long time.

My expertise is in 1/8 Scale Nitro and FE. I sell some related items for gas but there are more knowledgeable people than me for that.

I responded so as to let people know there are still some of us resellers out here that are here to help racers and stronger marine enthusiasts as opposed to just supplying a toy boat that once broken you’re done.
Bill Brandt