where has all the NItro gone

[Lay26]

is it me or is it sometihing that is becoming more popluar.....THe DEATH of NItro racing as gas boat become more popular and expand their classes,. nitro seems to have taken a hit are the number going down in your area? also where are you doing your racing? i can tell you Namba Dist 1 is almost all GAS the only two Nitro Classes i see surviving are Sport 40 and scale, what about your Dist

 

[Richard Dahlheimer]

is it me or is it sometihing that is becoming more popluar.....THe DEATH of NItro racing as gas boat become more popular and expand their classes,. nitro seems to have taken a hit are the number going down in your area also where

No, its not just you. I live in Minnesota, and have been running nitro boats since the 80s. Minnesota is called "the land of 10,000 lakes", but the weeds are overtaking many ponds in our area. Numbers of boaters are declining here, for sure. I also believe the younger people have found other interests than things mechanical. Just look at the for sale section on this site. Boats are being sold a lot cheaper now, than before. Richard D

 

[Don Ferrette]

Well for one thing you can go damn near anywhere & buy a Zenoah or CY gas motor for a rather reasonable price. When the CY motor hit the market the Zenoah prices dropped big time. CMB currently has a stranglehold on the nitro market and they know it so I hope the Pas brothers & CMDi get their motors out soon. I'm rootin' for both of them as we need more choices & competition to bring these prices back to reality.

 

[Norm Doerr]

Nitro is tough to figure out for newbies and it will throw even the best modeler curve balls all day. You don't need as much support equipment with a Gasser. Glowplugs are expensive and nitro based products are not as easy to come by as Gasser stuff. Products for Nitro boats are a "cottage" industry. Fuel is not as readily available for Nitro boats, (you can't go to Sunoco and buy a gallon of nitromethane). Gassers are easier to clean, and the list goes on and on. The Nitro catagories need more mentors too. Also in todays "plug and play" society people expect more for what they buy, they want instant gratification AND if it does not work they want thier money back etc. etc. This is a BIG can of worms to open but, nitro takes a LOT of work to run at the top level. You have to enjoy busting your aZZ working at it to have a competative boat. Once that is done THEN you have to drive. If you go practice with a Nitro Boat, you get five minutes then you have to bring it in to refuel. With a Gasser you run a LONG time and burn many practice laps.

 

[Roxyflash]

Well said Don the price of a stock nitro motor plugs fuel is out of hand!The stranglehold has got me building more gas boats.But in are dist 4 its mainly nitro.So if you want to race your fast nitro boat come to dist 4.I have the problem of no gas races close.Really dont matter as going to a race cost some big bucks just in fuel to get there.Im hoping that some of the bigger races here offer more gas races like the new Thunderboat class.

 

[namba276]

Guys, Here in district 9 we run both gas and nitro. about 10 classes of nitro and 6 or so of gas. I prefer nitro, but run a gas g1 sport. no other gas class appeals to me. nitro monos, sports, outboards... love nitro. Bob T.

 

[Mark Bullard]

There is a lot of truth in what Norm an Don had to say. But thats not all of it. We older boaters started out when there was not any boats or hardware. So we had to make our on. And you see these guys at the big races and they always run strong. Yes we do have the little bugs that come up and bite us on the you no what. And I see this in all types of boats Gas and Nitro. But I have seen many boaters come and go over the years that are not really modelers. I guess they are what you call the guys that say how much does it cost and when can I get one. And when they get it and it does not run right they get fustered and bored and then give up. The mentor is a must to. And more boaters need to start asking more questions from the older boaters because they have been there and done that at sometime or another. I know my tent has always been open. Yes the motor issuse is a problem right now also. But there is not alot to choose from in gas motors either.

I dont think that nitro is declining that much. I see that it is alot like it was about twenty years ago with about four big races a year that everyone travels to. And this is due to the fact that there has grown so many clubs and so many races with so few of time slots. The big races are starting to stand out. Altanta, Evansville, London New Orleans all have a good bunch of top boats and drivers with all of the classes covered and if you check the numbers you will find the nitro are the bigger classes. But there again there are more nitro classes than gas classes. A good example is Altanta, maybe they will print the classes and then you can look at the numbers in all of the classes.

You have to travel to support races. A hundred miles here and there will not do it. It never has and never will. You may be the big dog at your locate pond but you will have to travel 500 to a 1000 miles to play with other big dogs. And this is what promotes our hobby. And the well promoted races is where you will find the big dogs.

 

[robertpickard]

They keep saying gas boats are cheaper i do not see it maybe after you buy it and have it all together but by the time you get a good engine boat and all the back up stuff you could have gone out bought 2 nitro boats Norm i checked out James boat and a few others he has almost 3,000 dollars in it thats crazy. Robert

 

[anthony420]

It's gone gas. Gas costs 3dollars a gallon, aswell as a plug. They run much better most of the time but being a 2stroke just like dirtbikes etc, They both can be a challenge to run. Gas being less frequent. Also less field gear.

 

[Mark Bullard]

They keep saying gas boats are cheaper i do not see it maybe after you buy it and have it all together but by the time you get a good engine boat and all the back up stuff you could have gone out bought 2 nitro boats Norm i checked out James boat and a few others he has almost 3,000 dollars in it thats crazy. Robert

I agree with you. It blows my mine on what some of these people pay for these gas boats ready to run. And to see the level of performace that their money got them is just disapointing. But if you add up the money you may find that we all spend about the same for one boat to race for a year. But what I want to see is more boaters going out and buying wood or glass and building their own design boat. This is what it takes to build model boaters that will stay into the hobby.

 

[SayMikey]

They keep saying gas boats are cheaper i do not see it maybe after you buy it and have it all together but by the time you get a good engine boat and all the back up stuff you could have gone out bought 2 nitro boats Norm i checked out James boat and a few others he has almost 3,000 dollars in it thats crazy. Robert

I agree with you. It blows my mine on what some of these people pay for these gas boats ready to run. And to see the level of performace that their money got them is just disapointing. But if you add up the money you may find that we all spend about the same for one boat to race for a year. But what I want to see is more boaters going out and buying wood or glass and building their own design boat. This is what it takes to build model boaters that will stay into the hobby.

2 races last year with only about a dozen gas boats. One race had 175 boats NITRO IS NOT DEAD DONT KID YOURSELF. but GAS IS GROWING at a rate faster than ever with some big bucks being poured into racing..

 

[anthony420]

They keep saying gas boats are cheaper i do not see it maybe after you buy it and have it all together but by the time you get a good engine boat and all the back up stuff you could have gone out bought 2 nitro boats Norm i checked out James boat and a few others he has almost 3,000 dollars in it thats crazy. Robert

I agree with you. It blows my mine on what some of these people pay for these gas boats ready to run. And to see the level of performace that their money got them is just disapointing. But if you add up the money you may find that we all spend about the same for one boat to race for a year. But what I want to see is more boaters going out and buying wood or glass and building their own design boat. This is what it takes to build model boaters that will stay into the hobby.

Their 2 different motor's aswell as boats. Gas being larger, and a bit heavier. I like the highstrungness of the good runnin nitro motor, aswelll as the small challenge of getting it running properly. They make the same rated less torque hp, as they're double cc cousins. Gas is a different beast. You can get a 60-70mph racegasboat for around $600 if you know were to look or know how to buildone yourself. For $3000 you can build(yourself) a pretty nice 60-80" twin 26cc cat or deepvee!

 

[AndyBrown]

Ten years ago there was a big nitro club 80 miles East of Live Oak in Jacksonville, Fla. that put on two big races every year.

There was also a small club in Tallahassee, Fla. 80 miles West of Live Oak.

Both club are long gone!

One reason the first CMDi gas hydro (Freebird) will come out of our new mold this weekend!

 

[Dan_Cousin]

They keep saying gas boats are cheaper i do not see it maybe after you buy it and have it all together but by the time you get a good engine boat and all the back up stuff you could have gone out bought 2 nitro boats Norm i checked out James boat and a few others he has almost 3,000 dollars in it thats crazy. Robert

I agree with you. It blows my mine on what some of these people pay for these gas boats ready to run. And to see the level of performace that their money got them is just disapointing. But if you add up the money you may find that we all spend about the same for one boat to race for a year. But what I want to see is more boaters going out and buying wood or glass and building their own design boat. This is what it takes to build model boaters that will stay into the hobby.

Thats what I think is missing. When you're building you're own boat you get teh satisfaction of seeing your ideas running against other folks ideas. All of the same type of boat racing is kind of boring to me.

When I first was getting ito racing it really excited me to see all different kinds of boat designs (Slidell around 1987) running. some ran better that others but you could it looked fun as heck. And it was.

 

[AndyBrown]

They keep saying gas boats are cheaper i do not see it maybe after you buy it and have it all together but by the time you get a good engine boat and all the back up stuff you could have gone out bought 2 nitro boats Norm i checked out James boat and a few others he has almost 3,000 dollars in it thats crazy. Robert

I agree with you. It blows my mine on what some of these people pay for these gas boats ready to run. And to see the level of performace that their money got them is just disapointing. But if you add up the money you may find that we all spend about the same for one boat to race for a year. But what I want to see is more boaters going out and buying wood or glass and building their own design boat. This is what it takes to build model boaters that will stay into the hobby.

Thats what I think is missing. When you're building you're own boat you get teh satisfaction of seeing your ideas running against other folks ideas. All of the same type of boat racing is kind of boring to me.

When I first was getting ito racing it really excited me to see all different kinds of boat designs (Slidell around 1987) running. some ran better that others but you could it looked fun as heck. And it was.

I agree, but too many youngsters, just want to "click & play"!

As Mark B. noted, the machanically minded guys are less abundant!

If you do a survey I think you'll find that most boaters over 45 started out in Control Line airplanes.

P.S. There is now a pic or our new AB.15 nitro pipe at cmdracing.com. Designed for .12, .15, .18 hydros and riggers.

 

[Ronald van Essen]

If I may speak for my country, the Netherlands, nitro never was big and it isn't big. Lots of gasboats, since nitro fuel costs more then gold...

It seems, price has a lot to do with nitro racing or gas. Setup of the engine comes in as factor too..

Ronald.

 

[Ron Olson]

In IMPBA D-4 from what I've seen especially around the Chicago area, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of gas boating, they love their nitro! D-2 is getting a LOT more gas than ever. I'm starting to worry a little about where gas is going right now also in some of their classes. The Crackerbox class used to be a build-it-youself boat class from wood and now it's a high-dollar 'glas class. The new Thunderboat class started out as using a cheap wood kit and has quickly expanded into expensive 'glas hulls.

People are looking at less support equipment with the gassers, no glow ignitors or hand-held electric starters that you have to tow not only to the race but to the hot pits. The high cost of buying a decent nitro engine to be competitive has gone through the roof when for less you can buy a big Zen or Sikk for less. glow plugs that might last a heat locally go for $5.50 a pop, a spark plug is cheaper and lasts a long time plus I can score them at about 6 places within 2 miles of my house. Some things are going pu in price and down in other places. Go through and old copy of RCBM and see what a mooded Homelite used to go for or even a Zen a few years back. I'm kind of liking the idea of having a better shot at driving a gas boat back to shore as I won't have to play with needles as much.

I still plan on keeping a nitro boat or two around but gas is so tempting. Larger parts help us old farts out with assembly and seeing them better on the water.

 

[Tony Jacuzzi]

I am curious to know what the trends are in RC Airplanes and Helicopters. It seems that there is still a very strong nitro presence and a lot of different engine manufacturers, for these disciplines. Does anyone on Iwaters have any insight into the flyers??

I run both gas and nitro and think the gas growth is all about the plug and play aspect. My observation is that all of the new Gas boaters are 40+ yr olds not teens or kids. Deep pockets and not much modelling experience but very anxious to be competitive. With gas boats you can pretty much buy all the parts, and assemble a nationally competitive boat/motor regardless if you can drive it, or understand your limitations or the boats. The gas hardware, hull, and engine manufacturers and even the resellers really do an unreal job of supporting and promoting the hobby. At the Gas Nats this year I have never seen so many door prizes and class awards, that included hulls, hardware, engines etc. Zenoah supplied a new engine for each National class etc.

I also found that the Gas Nats attendees were a very social group with the Friday night pot luck dinner for all just a wonderful experience. People from all around the country brought food from Crabs and Lobster from the south to steak from Texas to pork etc. etc. That social atmosphere is really very appealling and makes the hobby even more enjoyable. I think there is a lot that we nitro guys could learn from the gas boaters in making our world more appealing to the newcomer.. Tony J

 

[Tim Kish]

Were have all the Nitro's gone?

Well once a year they all come to London for the Northern Nats.

Last year they had a number of classes with three full heats and more twins than I have seen in years .

Tim K

 

[Bill Gibson]

I am curious to know what the trends are in RC Airplanes and Helicopters. It seems that there is still a very strong nitro presence and a lot of different engine manufacturers, for these disciplines. Does anyone on Iwaters have any insight into the flyers??
I run both gas and nitro and think the gas growth is all about the plug and play aspect. My observation is that all of the new Gas boaters are 40+ yr olds not teens or kids. Deep pockets and not much modelling experience but very anxious to be competitive. With gas boats you can pretty much buy all the parts, and assemble a nationally competitive boat/motor regardless if you can drive it, or understand your limitations or the boats. The gas hardware, hull, and engine manufacturers and even the resellers really do an unreal job of supporting and promoting the hobby. At the Gas Nats this year I have never seen so many door prizes and class awards, that included hulls, hardware, engines etc. Zenoah supplied a new engine for each National class etc.

I also found that the Gas Nats attendees were a very social group with the Friday night pot luck dinner for all just a wonderful experience. People from all around the country brought food from Crabs and Lobster from the south to steak from Texas to pork etc. etc. That social atmosphere is really very appealling and makes the hobby even more enjoyable. I think there is a lot that we nitro guys could learn from the gas boaters in making our world more appealing to the newcomer.. Tony J

I belong to an rc airplane club in pasco county and i can tell you that there has been in a huge increase in electric airplane and helicopter activity....some time ago i purchased a couple of electric airplanes and i can tell you they are fantastic!! much less maintanance...I have also just purchased my first electric hydro kit....BUT im not about to retire any of my nitro stuff..boats or aircraft...I am one of those 40 plus year old guys who started in this hobby as a kid playing with guess what...control line airplanes!!(you nailed that one,Andy!) I would like to build and race a gas boat someday....here in Fla. there is a new class... i believe its called classic thunderboat and at least at this point you have to use a STOCK engine and i think there is a company that sells a wood kit at a very reasonable price, but i dont see myself ever not running nito boats, unless nitro racing dissapears completly....I do absolutly agree with your last statement!!!!