Future of RC's

[Bob Blazer]

I've put this thread in for the last 3-4 years and still think it's the way to go. Just think about it.
As I observe the direction that RC boating has progressed over the last few years I feel compelled to voice my opinion.
I am all in favor to go faster within the current written rules, but not to make changes to the rules to go faster. My question is, are we going too fast? I think that we do need classes that go super fast but how many of the drivers have the necessary skill set to go that fast? I have heard this comment numerous times, “I have an 80mph boat and a 60mph brain”.
Also, consider the cost. When we all are out running our boats and some spectators come up the first thing they ask is “How fast does that thing go?” The second question is “How much does it cost?” The RC Sport is in competition, like it or not, with all other sports and hobbies. We don’t want to price ourselves out of the market for a newbe.
An example of this would be the twin riggers. Everyone stops what they are doing to watch them run at a race. They are exciting! So why aren’t there more of them as compared to the stock classes? There are not many drivers with the skill set to drive a twin rigger and the cost is extremely high.
I am going to rely on my experience with the real hydros. They priced themselves out of the market, along with a lot of other motor sports. I would hope that this does not happen to our RC’s.
Now I am going to talk out of both sides of my mouth. I think we have too many classses due to engine size, hull configuration or whatever. On the other hand a stock gas sport class would be great. It would lower the speeds and make the available engines more economical. I would also like to promote a minimum weight limit on most classes. This would keep the people with deep pockets from building boats with costly composites and level the playing field. Pure speed is one thing but a close neck to neck race is what it is all about. Two or three guys coming down for the finish is exciting.
Also, consider eliminating the tuned pipes on certain stock classes. For example, the Cracker. Have a maximum diameter on the straight exhaust pipe. This would cut about $100 off the cost of the boat.
I’m not trying to ruffle any feathers or stir the pot. I’m just trying to make the RC boats more enticing to the average Joe. I am posting this because I want RC boating to remain a great sport. My intention is not to reinvent the wheel but to keep the sport healthy and strong.

Making roostertails longer for years. Bob Blazer

 

[Mark Poole ModVP]

When gas boats first showed up at the races in Florida they ran a class called super stock mono (not super sport mono). Out of the box motors with can exhaust in big offshore style boats. In a 8 boat heat the winner would cross the finish and the last place boat would be at the end of the back stretch. Hardly ever broke either.

 

[Grimracer]

I was looking at a super stock mono back when they ran it... for me... as in intro into Gas racing.. about that time they voted in to allow pipes.. that ended it for me.

Its not that I can or can not setup and run a piped boat.. faster speeds were not the draw for me.. didn't care about that.. just wanted a simple running Mono.. with the "Challenge" to go as fast as I could.. with a muffler.. (why.. because I knew runaway heats were not going to be often!)

O well.. thats just me.. and thats OK.

Grim

 

[Joe Warren]

Well if you travel to most races as most do. The travel expenses way far exceed the boating cost. Fact is it has never been cheap...

 

[Grimracer]

Joe is dead on.. in around 91 or so.. lets call it 20 years or so.. I was buying 25% Byrons for 22.50 a gallon. 45 was 28.00.. that was local "LSH" pricing. As we started to travel more fuel was cheaper BUT.. we were using more.. so.. the Red max I was buying for 19 per.. I was using 15 to 20 gal a year. (380 bucks) and all on 10 bucks an hour.. just for fuel.. no hotel, parts, pipes, memberships, whatever..

So.. Joe is dead on.. I have never felt RC boating was cheap.. as a matter of fact.. to me.. its been costly. (I have had my fare share of breaks in this deal too).

RC boating has never been cheap.. speeds are just one of those elusive deals.. like yardage in golf.. most will always chase that... speed is FUN!.. its a GOAL... its BRAGGING RIGHTS... so is yardage!

Times change.. money is not the issue with RC boating.. its in competition with our attention...

Grim

 

[dr gary turner]

Travel costs are the major cost.
Gas food lodging

We recently have lowered our lodging cost for races where with open water and a 3 day race by renting a house.

Also saves on food unless there is a culinary/ chef expert and food can get expensive

RC boat racing is not expensive compared to other hobbies
GOLF: green fees clubs Country Club fees
Fishing: Equipment( my son fly fishes and I bought a pole, same price as. 101. Of course one needs a bass boat and outboard
Racing anything froM FROGS TO Ferrari’s is not cheap

So there is significant cost with any hobby.
BTW twins are actually easy to drive.
It’s the challenge to get a good running twin( I have ran twins for more than 30 years)

A bad fast 45 hydro can be a REAL CHALLENGE

 

[John Seybold]

I was looking at a super stock mono back when they ran it... for me... as in intro into Gas racing.. about that time they voted in to allow pipes.. that ended it for me.

Its not that I can or can not setup and run a piped boat.. faster speeds were not the draw for me.. didn't care about that.. just wanted a simple running Mono.. with the "Challenge" to go as fast as I could.. with a muffler.. (why.. because I knew runaway heats were not going to be often!)

O well.. thats just me.. and thats OK.

Grim

I would love to see the class come back, stock gas motor, muffler, minimum weight class. I have three kids that I’m trying to get more involved in boating. My oldest (just turned 16) has been racing on and off for a few years. I know it’s important to teach kids that you need to put in hard work and effort to succeed in life and that nothing comes easy, but this is a hobby and we should have a class where everyone will be competitive to start. Once my son became competitive it was a heck of a lot more fun for him. Now he wants a gas rigger!

Lets get this class back in D4!

 

[SayMikey]

In the end lets heat race then DRINK A BEER and be friends who race.

 

[Ricky Neal]

Bob, you make a good point but can I give you a different perspective.

In my opinion, cost is rarely the barrier to entry for anyone who may want to enter the hobby - the capability to build a model is.

This is not to say that cost is not a factor but when compared to other hobbies, RC boats are not that expensive. I have found that any hobby that is taken seriously will be as expensive as anyone is willing to spend.

Look at high-end stereo systems for example? I work in the coffee industry and we supply coffee equipment for people to use at home that cost in excess of $20K just to make a coffee in the morning.

My brother is into cycling and he has more than one bike that costs more than $10k.

Also, consider that I have found most people that are in the RC hobby have done other sections of the hobby. I started in RC cars but have also done free flight, RC planes, RC helicopter and am looking at doing tether cars soon.

I now mostly do tether hydros and we have a sport class where only cheap commercially available engines are allowed to be used and the boats are simplified. We even made a set of plans for this boat to help get beginners into tether hydros. We have a club boat that people can use if they just want to have a go at the hobby but I am not sure we have been able to entice a single person to join and take part with this tactic because the sport class is slow and the excitement comes from the speed and impressive engineering of the competitive boats - that is what gets people interested.

I don't know what the solution is but I think making it technically accessible while keeping it interesting and exciting is more important than reducing the cost to the bare minimum

 

[Ray Sametz]

We could always get Dizzy, 1 lap and race is over.

 

[RaceMechaniX]

I would be very much in favor of a true stock class with a box stock motor and canister muffler. The emphasis would be on getting new boaters into the club level racing. I know this point has been brought up in the past that even a stock class will attract the most competitive racers and then perhaps it's not attractive for a novice boater. In light of that I would like to see a specific novice stock class. Let new boaters run a cat, mono, TB, but exclude riggers and keep seasoned veterans out of the race. Keep the class at the club/regional level and try to get the seasoned club members to pit and mentor the novices. There are too many gas classes in opinion already, but a single stock novice class would be better than 5 additional stock classes.

I am also against the idea of a minimum weight if the stock class is open to seasoned racers. A wood built mono will surely be lighter than a polyester mono, but it gives up some robustness for racing rash. Building a light race capable hull is part of the challenge in running any "limited" power class. Of course someone could build a 1 lb vacuum bagged composite mono that dominates.

Regarding the costs I don't think boats are really too bad. Any decent RC hobby that excites people often gets expensive. Even RC cars approach $2k for a competitive 1/10 or 1/8 scale when you include tires and all the accessories. Heli's and planes can be horrifying expensive. Let's not get into jets and large scale stuff. So when people ask "hey mister how much is that boat?" I will tell them the entry level cost and give them a scale of what to expect. I will also point out that it's mostly upfront cost to buy the components and hull. Once you have a built, running boat they are pretty cheap to run.

-Tyler

 

[Hydro Junkie]

So when people ask "hey mister how much is that boat?" I will tell them the entry level cost and give them a scale of what to expect. I will also point out that it's mostly upfront cost to buy the components and hull. Once you have a built, running boat they are pretty cheap to run.

-Tyler

I would agree with you on this, BUT, most people don't want to spend the kind of cash needed to get a competitive "beginner boat". Like you, I've had people ask and I give them a range to build, buy a new FG and buy a used boat and watch them turn white. The "cool" factor of a scale hydroplane just isn't enough to get them to spend the money on one. The idea of going smaller and saving some cash doesn't seem to work either, not sure why. Then again, every time I tell the wife I want to spend some money, SHE TURNS WHITE BECAUSE SHE KNOWS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BOATS IS CHEAP!!!!!!!
Where things get even funnier is when I talk airplanes. I can get a Kadet MkII kit for around $100, an engine for around $150, servos and receiver for less than $300 and I'm good to go. That would barely buy a bare FG boat from RCBC

 

[Tom Foley]

I would agree with you on this, BUT, most people don't want to spend the kind of cash needed to get a competitive "beginner boat". Like you, I've had people ask and I give them a range to build, buy a new FG and buy a used boat and watch them turn white. The "cool" factor of a scale hydroplane just isn't enough to get them to spend the money on one. The idea of going smaller and saving some cash doesn't seem to work either, not sure why. Then again, every time I tell the wife I want to spend some money, SHE TURNS WHITE BECAUSE SHE KNOWS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BOATS IS CHEAP!!!!!!!
Where things get even funnier is when I talk airplanes. I can get a Kadet MkII kit for around $100, an engine for around $150, servos and receiver for less than $300 and I'm good to go. That would barely buy a bare FG boat from RCBC

And then you crash it first time out . It all gets expensive it all boils down to interest and opportunity . Its getting harder and harder to find field to fly but we find places and fly . Boats are another story if you live in a congested area . Fortunately I have a good airplane club field close by and a few small lakes I can test if I bring my own boat to go out in and run a bit .
It's tough and not everyone wants to do all the work , that's what it boils down to .

 

[Steve White]

And then you crash it first time out . It all gets expensive it all boils down to interest and opportunity . Its getting harder and harder to find field to fly but we find places and fly . Boats are another story if you live in a congested area . Fortunately I have a good airplane club field close by and a few small lakes I can test if I bring my own boat to go out in and run a bit .
It's tough and not everyone wants to do all the work , that's what it boils down to .

That's how I got my start. Bent more 3/16" driveshaft stubs than I can remember running JG F/G/H-25 props. Rudders, driveshafts & props. Don't even remember what I used to run into, rocks on the bank, driftwood, other boats, submerged UFO's....

Either this hobby interests you or it doesn't. I think it's just that simple. For me, returning after a near 20 year break due to lifestyle changes from career.

 

[Mark Stein]

How much work are you willing to do with what you have? That is the question. None of us in nitro power have all the answers...apart from a lucky few. Stay with me.......
There are a lucky few in the fast lane to find the all out speed.
Money, time, expertise,will rule over time.
There are new ideas that will punctuate this with bumps in performance.. it is the crucible of motorsport (ala.. Top Gear).
It takes a new direction against the known to find the new direction even if it is slight at that point. Torque, horsepower, grip, aero, hydrodynamics, ground effects rule speed. The balance in what you acomplish is the gain
There are Alot of variables on any given day.
My days of rc truck car racing were controlled by battery and motor of the week as an amature.
Its not the money but the time and thought put into what you want to achieve.

 

[Steve White]

^^^^ That's what I enjoy about it - Nitro is the ultimate tuner environment and on the water is probably the most challenging. Pure bliss...

 

[Rich Jones]

I love the idea of a sport hydro with a stock Zenoah. Similar to the T-Boat class but without the limitation of appearances and hull style. There is a lot of fun to be had running 50-60 mph with 4 or 5 other boats out there or even alone. I always enjoyed Sport 40 because of the class popularity even though alot of the boats weren’t necessarily stock. I think an entry level class like this could be a lot like Sport 40 popularity wise. With stock Zens available for 200.00-250.00, it definitely holds the startup cost down when you consider having to buy a radio, servos, glue, paint, etc... I agree with the others though, perception of cost is relative to interest. Almost any type of hobby is pretty expensive these days. Heck you can drop a couple grand on a guitar without trying all that hard.

Rich

 

[Grimracer]

Richard.. HOW can this NOT BE your avatar?.. LOL

Grim

 

[Josh Carlton]

I would love to see the class come back, stock gas motor, muffler, minimum weight class. I have three kids that I’m trying to get more involved in boating. My oldest (just turned 16) has been racing on and off for a few years. I know it’s important to teach kids that you need to put in hard work and effort to succeed in life and that nothing comes easy, but this is a hobby and we should have a class where everyone will be competitive to start. Once my son became competitive it was a heck of a lot more fun for him. Now he wants a gas rigger!

Lets get this class back in D4!

John there is at least 5-6 gas riggers in d4 this year

 

[jaxracer]

Guys, all great ideas, but honestly the most glaring answer, and possibly the easiest one to fix is AWARENESS. As the times have moved, RC boating has not. We're in an electronic generation where all news and information comes from the internet and fact of the matter is outside of Intlwaters and some Facebook threads, no one knows about our hobby.

You want to attract a younger generation? As much as people hate to hear it, social media could be the catalyst to grow this hobby. The hobby as a whole needs to get on Instagram and Facebook and build the social media and Google presence. The car scene has been steadily thriving. Why? Go to Traxxas's Instagram page, they have 350,000 followers. AMain Hobbies, 53,700 followers, Losi, 86,300 followers, Tower Hobbies, 52,800 followers. Go to NovaRossi marine and they have 677(this isn't a bash on NovaRossi, at least they took an initiative to get one out there), or go to IMPBA's and they... oh wait, they don't have one.

You know for $20 you can run an ad on Instagram that reaches 30,000 people? Oh and btw, setting up the page is FREE.

Just like in business, fact of the matter is no matter how good or how cheap your product or cause is, if no one knows about it, it doesn't matter.

We're in an Amazon generation where younger people want to point, click and have their answer or their product delivered to their doorstep. If it takes any longer than that, you've lost their interest.

Reflect and think about how you yourself got into the hobby and how if it weren't by chance, a friend or a family member being in it, or randomly seeing Bill down the road running his boat in a pond on the side of the road, would you be in RC boating today?

I used to work for multiple add agencies so if anyone has questions on how to do this stuff for IMPBA or their own boating business, please feel free to reach out. Someone needs to take the lead on this, I just unfortunately don't have the time to manage a bunch of social media platforms but more than willing to offer advice on how to accomplish this.