Great to see you back Kim, you've been missed.

The problem you describe seems intractable though. While Covid put a stop to most outdoor model boating activiities, there was a noticeable increase of people coming into the hobby and asking for advice on the forums. However it seems that most of these were either people with time on their hands or early tretirees revisiting their youth! Whilst all very welcome, there has not been much evidence of an increase in the younger generations and the winding down of many club activities and absence of most of the major showsoffers less opportuntites to promote interest..

There has been a lot of discussion about this but no real solutions. The youth of todayt end to have other interests.

In the meantime we continue to share experiences and enjoy ourselves on here!

Colin

Hi All,

I don't think the cost is an issue these days, my 5 grandchildren are all equipped with the lastest version i phones and the 3 older ones ranging from 12 – 17 have either gaming PC's or laptops circa £600 – £800 .

The advent of ready to run boats has also made getting on the water much easier but a 5 minute wonder !! RC cars are a better option not needing water

We older folk had to make something to float in the 1960's and generally progressed through the hobbies be it boats, planes and trains for some, with some sense of satisfaction at actually creating something which worked, and we keep doing it, the practical skills are being lost and not taught, I was probably around 7 years old when half an old razor blade was the best way of cutting balsa, I can't see that happening today But when you have cut your finger a few times we learned not to do it again ??

Sadly I think Colin is right times have moved on !!

Regards Ray

Sorry to be negative but unfortunately I can see this hobby only going one way. Apart from the spike that Colin mentions, in the 5 years that I've been involved I've seen a dramatic drop-off in the amount of builds and discussion on the forums. Many builds that were started during Covid have not been mentioned again.

I know forums shouldn't be used as the only yardstick and it would be interesting to see what suppliers say. Good that some of you are doing what you can to get others interested but sadly it is only a drop in the ocean or lake! Model boat are another measure but were partly affected by Covid but many have not returned.

Most of those in the hobby are from a completely different generation who grew up making and fixing things, motorbikes and cars in my case (both my son's have started off with brand new cars!) and some served/worked at sea.

I like many youngsters had a phase where I was interested in models but then moved on to other things and it was mostly by chance that I got interested at age 64 when thinking about a winter hobby.

Many youngsters do have expensive phones etc. but it has become acceptable to pay the high price for those but mention £100 for a "toy boat" and there is a reluctance. There will always be some interest because of family members but it will become less and less. It is a good job that we can use many components that are used for RC planes and cars which still have a healthy and younger following.

Chris

Edited By Chris Fellows on 22/11/2022 11:22:27

This is an interesting discussion.

Possibly the key point whch emerges is the difference between physically constructing things as us oldies are used to and enjoy and the shift to 'virtual',computer generated environments such as online games which come naturally to younger generations. The reality is that model boating over the next few years will decline to a small niche interest as the older generation dies off but not disappear altogether. Hopefully it will last long enough to see me out! There will always be an interest in making things physically as in other hobby areas as it produces unique items and the value of hand made items always trumps the value of mass manufacture.

The other key issue is that many of us older modellers remember and relate to full time prototypes which predate the majority of the population today. I enjoy watching model railways because I recall the end of the age of steam and just how impressive those engines were in service. As a boy I used to go trainspotting at Surbiton on the Southern Region Main Line and thrilled to seeing the Atlantic Coast Express, Cunarder and other named trains thundering through the railway cutting leading to the station. An unforgettable sight. Likewise my Dad used to take me to Southampton Docks where we watched the famous ocean liners of the day arriving and leaving. It made an incredible impression on me and one whch today's generations will never see.

We had the ability to recreate some of these sights in miniature in our ship models, model railways and with commercial models such as the Triang Ships collection and they inspired our imagination.

Those of us who experienced this were very lucky in gaining rich memories that are now long gone.

Younger generations who never experienced the reality can never really fully appreciate it in model form.

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop on 22/11/2022 19:25:01

I used to think that schools were the root cause of the decline in manual hobby pursuits as they shy away from any potential cause of litigation but the more I think about it the more I realise it goes further back from that.

I spent quite a lot of my childhood learning from my Father, from the first steps in plastic models when I was around five years old, to spending many an hour holding a selection of tools in one hand and a torch in another while my Dad had a go at another DIY job. When I look back now at the things he tackled such as removing a staircase and turning it around, removing a fireplace and turning it into an alcove to house the cooker, removing a wall in the kitchen to open it up to the dining room, which entailed the fitting of a supporting beam to hold up the floor. All things very few people would consider tackling on their own nowadays but it meant that I was brought up in an environment where anything could be done. An interesting aspect of that was also that we never had much money in those days and my Dad, being a Yorkshireman, wouldn't pay anyone for anything he could do himself. Today generally it could be argued that people have more disposable income so perhaps tend to pay someone to do something for them.

This then followed me into my early life when I also removed garage walls and rebuilt it and rewired a house myself etc..

As Colin says, interesting conversation.

Hi All,

I agree with most of the comments so far, most of us had a access to dad's shed with tools & materials to produce models, but society has changed after Mr Saville & co, so any proper contact with is children is viewed with suspicion and DBS checks are the norm these days.

But given the tools and materials they still make things, my grandchildren have always been given the run of my workshop and produce interesting stuff.. actually try keeping them out !!

So the children havn't changed but access to whats required has

Regards Ray (my grandaughter is keen on horses !!!)

The situation is much the same in my other hobby, deltiology, or postcard collecting, which I have been doing for about 30 years. The hobby is populated by loads of old men, all eagerly seeking the elusive cards, and no-one under the age of 50 in sight. Youngsters are simply not interested in spending hours looking through thousands of cards to complete a collection as I was doing last weekend at a fair with about 30-40 dealers. The average age of the collectors has increased as my own age has increased. There have been many discussions as to how to attract youngsters into the hobby pretty well with no success at all. The number and size of postcard fairs is decreasing. Sadly not exciting enough for the youngsters of today with very short attention spans.

Stephen

Ashley

Yes you bumper boats are great fun, easily attract a crowd and I am sure that you could generate a queue anywhere to have a go but I am not sure that many will actually get built by anyone who isn't already a model boater. I just don't see the commitment. skill, ability or desire to get involved beyond a very transitory interest..

We are talking about this as if it were a modern phenomenon. I recently was given a book on British Model Boats since 1920 and that has made it very clear that the hobby was at its strongest in the 1930's and has been in decline ever since.

It`s been interesting reading all the comments on the subject

I have to plead guilty to being one of those who says “ how much? “ Not about model boats , but my other interest, model railways. The price being asked for locos etc these days is eye watering, but obviously the business has to make a profit to keep going,so trying to get youngsters into that hobby is not easy either I should think. I feel sorry for those younger than me ( 80 ) who are keen to build something but might find the hobby dwindling to the point where a support business might say it`s not worth it anymore and close , so taking the required bits and pieces away.

As others have said, the older ones amongst us had a very different start in life.

Jim.

Hi Dodgy,

I think it goes deeper than that, it's the interest in the subject that spurs folk on to build little replica's , I was raised in the 50's & 60's Spitfire's and MTB's were my dream of recreating, with no computers your hands were all you had, I came back to modelling in my early twenties when I'd learned a trade started a family and had a few bob to start RC flying, It's been downhill ever since

Probably my hobbies have cost me 100k over the last 50 yeras , but money well spent in my view

Regards Ray

The pond 'shortage' is a real problem. There is nothing nearby for me and I resort to meeting Ashley and the Bushy Boaters which is an hour's drive away and you need to get there early to be sure of a parking spot.. There are other options but all involve an equally long drive and my knees are now such that I need a bit of assistance when launching.

Something else not so far mentioned: Just a few years ago there was a good selection of model boating and general modelling shows to attend around the country which were a good opportunity to spark interest. Even before Covid there was a very rapid decline, partly in my view due to organisers being unwilling to combine their efforts and consolidate which led to a number of shows becoming unviable, never to return. Opportunities to diversify by covering wider areas of modelling were also lost with just some half hearted efforts to include trucking on top of model boating for example.

On top of all this, a number of traders, who are often small family run businesses, simply found they were being priced out of the more commercial shows and stopped attending. Clubs were also finding problems in organising and managing stands with a declining and aging membership so the two main 'planks' of shows, traders and clubs were becoming seriously weakened. To top it all, the average age of model boaters is rapidly increasing and many are no longer willing to travel long distances to events, often due to medical conditions.

For this year, as far as I am aware, the only big model boating show to go ahead was Blackpool thanks to the sterling efforts of Iain Lewis of Component Shop and all credit to him for that. Alas it was too far for me down in darkest Surrey. The Warwick show was scheduled to go ahead but was cancelled due to the untimely death of the organiser. Hopefully it will return next year.

This has left us with a patchwork of localised club and trader events, the latter including Deans Marine and Mobile Marine Models. Again, those responsible are to be applauded but the general situation is only a shadow of what it was only five years or so ago.

The whole infrastructure of model boating has been irretrivably weakened and the role of the MPBA in particular has virtually vanished. The glory days of the late 70s and 1980s with the National; Scale Championships which drew in hundreds of participants are just a distant memory now. Great fun at the time though (sigh!)

Model boating as a hobby is still in decline. It won't vanish altogether but will become very much a niche interest as the older generations die off. For those of us still involved, let's enjoy and support it while we can.

Colin