Encouraging youngsters to boat

[Stephen GarradParticipant @stephengarrad28964]

My 12yr old grandson & I have spent many a happy afternoon with a packet of lolly sticks and a tube of superglue making boats, only about 6″ long. He designs, I use the stanley knife & stick the pieces together, he does the finer shaping with sandpaper and then paints them with quick drying acrylics. We’ve built a fleet of warships, aircraft carrier complete with planes & helicopters, landing craft and others he can take home for mum to dust in his bedroom.

The point is that he can be fully involved, has something to show for his efforts and has an end product. He’s not really interested in helping on my full size models as there isnt really anything to show or take home at the end of the day.

Stephen

[Richard SimpsonParticipant @richardsimpson88330]

Precisely what I wanted Stephen, something for him to take home at the end of the week and have something to show his Mum and Dad what he has built.

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Excellent work Stephen. The sort of thing grandads should be doing. Awfully. The next crop of grandads may have no skills in that sort of department at all.

Colins observation…same old models at shows. I don’t attend that many shows but even I recognise some models at the various tables. Obviously not everyone builds as much as wot I do, however I could not bear to take the same old boats to shows.  Not sure what the answer is.

At the upcoming Egham show my portion of the table will be a better D-Day diorama (than that at the park). Perhaps spicing your stand up with interesting, but not necessarily boat related stuff could be a ploy? FOR INSTANCE. I have an extensive O gauge railway collection. And I could easily incorporate my repurposed Bushy park “train” ferry into a dockside display showing some of my collection. Easy to do a mock wharf or whatever

This might garner interest from non- boating walk-pasts and get them to stop and notice a boat or two. Certainly the incorporation of Disney/other characters into some of our boats gets the younger person’s stopping.

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

I think given time Model Boats will be made a section of RCM&E which is well supported and we will go back to the format of Model Maker magazine with something for everyone, the RC Flying market still has lots of new products to review, alas this is not so with model boats. The publication of magazines is market driven, no circulation = no magazine. Engineering in Minature has just bitten the dust 🙁

I’m looking forward to the Midlands Model Engineering Show in October a much more central location for maximum footfall 🙂

Regards   Ray

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ooh I hope not Ray! But who knows…

I for one would likely not bother putting articles in as they would probably be much reduced in scope (pages), unless the mag was expanded to suit the boating input.

Ashley

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Ashley,

This is not me being a prophet of doom, just being realistic, I hope it continues for both our sakes 🙂

But it’s getting rather bland, this months Dave Wiggins about ED aero diesels is scrapping the barrel a little !!

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

I think Lindsey has to take whatever she can get. A lot of previous regular contributors seem to have faded away, probably due to age, and they are not being replaced. There are very few shows now so not many reports as we were used to. There are hardly any kit reviews either which is a shame as I think they do attract quite a lot of interest. In fact there seem to be very few new kits coming onto the market at the moment but I think there would be scope for covering existing kits that have not been previously featured and might appeal to a lot of modellers. I think Lindsey should be inviting manufacturers to offer their products for review as used to happen in the past. It should be possible to find someone willing to do the review although, As Richard has said, this can entail expenditure in buying the running gear etc. But the reviewer does end up with a cut price boat plus a (reduced) fee for the article.

Colin

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi Colin,

Yes I agree, a while back I was asked to build the new SLEC Perkasa and review, but I wasn’t in a good place as you know, things are looking up now so may volunteer my services, as Richard knows if the kit doesn’t come with the running gear & drive train it can be a costly process. 🙂

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

if the kit doesn’t come with the running gear & drive train it can be a costly process

Yes, if you have to buy everything but a lot of us old timers do have a stock of spare items such as motors, couplings, receivers and even batteries plus other bits and bobs so the expense will depend on just how much new stuff you need or want to buy.

I have only ever reviewed kits that I found attractive and even bought one myself where I wanted to enhance it.  (the Deans Medea steam yacht). I was initially offered the SLEC Perkasa because I had reviewed the earlier Faireys. I knew it was a very good kit because Dave Milbourn shared some of the design process with me and others but I turned it down as it isn’t the type of subject I like to model.

My recent fishing boat wasn’t a kit but is powered perfectly adequately by a Monoperm motor I probably acquired around 1980 and the ‘coupling’ is made up of pulleys and ‘O’ rings from the bits box. I bought the propshaft and tube but already had some suitable propellers left over from other projects.

Ashley’s models don’t usually cost him very much to fit out either and he might like to comment on that.

Colin

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

Ooh yes Ashley WILL comment!
<p style=”text-align: left;”>Basically, most of my models use “the normal”…motor, coupling, shaft, esc, prop, servo, rvcr, tiller and rudder. So for a normal boat the costs are just about the same as anyone else’s. I do make my own rudder assemblies but that’s not a big saving in the grand scheme of things.</p>
Usually I use a cheap mini servo off ‘t Internet and they are very cheap. But a standard servo type is not expensive.

Big money is saved when you fo an air prop boat, as a prop is cheaper than a brass water prop (but not as cheap as an X or S two blader), however a brushless 28mm motor in 1000/1400 or 2200Kv with a forwards only esc  can be had for u,nder £15…and it comes with a prop adaptor.

I do however not usually buy much in the way of fittings other than cowlings, but this rather reflects the lack of fine detail in my boats…

Ashley

[ashley needhamParticipant @ashleyneedham69188]

…the other thing to mention is that “stuff” in your spares box is not free…it has usually been paid for at some time. Using a motor you gave had for years IS cheaper than buying new, but only because the price has/might have, gone up.

Ashley

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Yes, items have been paid for but could now have ‘might come in useful someday’ status. The ‘cost’ of using items you have in stock should be based on current value rather than original price. The ancient Monoperm in my Fishing boat is probably worth peanuts these days given that you can get better 285/385 brushed motors and low cost brushless types.

The basis of reviews has always been that you get a free kit with a varying amount of fittings depending on the model and are normally expected to fund the rest of it yourself. You then write about it and should end up with a nice model at around half the market price plus some pocket money for the article although pocket money rates are very meagre these days.

Values are a funny thing. In the mid 80s I reviewed Caldercraft’s Imara which was pretty well specified. I fitted it our with MFA motors, a single Bobs Board speed controller and a wet lead acid battery. I soon realised it was too big for me and sold it at Christie’s for £1,200! 35 years later you can buy used ones for £500.

Anyway, if you are given the opportunity to review a kit then find out what is included, what you will need to add yourself and then decide if it is worth proceeding with. I was delighted with my two Faireys as I loved the subject and it was an opportunity to familiarise myself with LiPo batteries and brushless motors so it was an educational experience and all round enjoyable. I turned down the Perkasa as it wasn’t really my type of subject and would otherwise have been a bit ‘been there – done that’.

Colin

[Bob WilsonParticipant @bobwilson59101]

I sold a lot at Christie’s in the past, but they discontinued their maritime sales years ago!    I am afraid interest in anything practical is on a steep decline.   My own model shipbuilding has now ceased because of glue and dust allergy, but I now keep busy drawing plans.   My local model ship society has now changed its title from North West Model Shipwrights, to North West Model Society, after 40 years,     The models are usually aircraft these days, with the occasional warboat, thrown in, subjects that I have never had much interest in.   

 

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All,

To be fair there are so many Imara tugs around these days because it was a mass produced kit over the years, I have always considered buying a part built kit is cheating ! even if I could justify the cost of the kit, having lots of boats I try not to build the same type of boat twice, variety is the spice of life 🙂

Oh and aeroplanes, model railways and steam engines as well.

Here is my club mate Peter Morris’s Imara at the recent Chantry Tug day, a nice example.

Regards Ray

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Quite right Ray, when Imara first came out it attracted a lot of attention and I benefited from that. It does demonstrate that, as with other things, cash value doesn’t always depend to any great extent on quality of workmanship and hours put in but is more about provenance and scarcity. That is why Bob’s models hold their value in what is actually quite a small market (literally!)

Colin

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