How many steam boat modellers are there in UK

[Andy StonemanParticipant @andystoneman15177]

[Andy StonemanParticipant @andystoneman15177]

It got me old and an old pal thinking as to how many steam boat modelers are out there just in the UK. I know that the cost of steam plant is fairly expensive and its far cheaper and easier to install an electric drive. But it just got me wondering how many enthusiasts there are out there and how many model steam boats there might be ?

Andy.

[lnvisiblemanParticipant @lnvisibleman]

I'm one !!

[Andy StonemanParticipant @andystoneman15177]

That's at least two then, I would have thought that a few club members might have indicated how many there might have been clubwise, We are in the minority then, but thanks for that

Andy

[Tony HadleyParticipant @tonyhadley]

Andy,

Minus one here –

**LINK**dy,

Reasons for de-steaming and electric conversion are described in the post/thread. I hope one day in the future, the Wilesco steam plant will see use again, perhaps in some kind of open paddle launch along the designs of Basil Harley's Nina design.

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Without wishing to generalise too much, those people seriously into steam engines tend to have something of a traditional outlook which doesn't include model boating forums!

Colin

[Eric Moffat 1Participant @ericmoffat1]

As soon as I can get started on my boat, I'll be one!

Eric

[david taylorParticipant @davidtaylor]

I have had one for years love it, i all ways start of with it when I go sailing.

david

[mrsgogginsParticipant @mrsgoggins14041]

Building my second one now, including the steam plant. Our club has two other steamies and boasts some 6 or 7 boats.

Keith

[Andy StonemanParticipant @andystoneman15177]

Looks like your wrong Colin and maybe a bit out of touch.

Andy

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Not necessarily, there are certainly quite a few model boat steam enthusiasts around but they are not very prominent on model boat forums. There is however a lot of interest via the model boating magazines. In fact one of the most informative writers on model boat steam rarely posts on forums at all!

Surprisingly enough, the number of people participating in model boating forums is far lower that the number of people who purchase the magazines. Then again, there are people who frequent the forums who do not buy the magazines (which have often covered the questions that frequently come up on the forums – Dave Milbourn's article on electric/electronics being a good example.)

Active participation on model boat forums is no more than a few hundred at best, magazine circulation is in the thousands.

Colin

[shipwrightParticipant @shipwright]

Hello Colin,

Re your last sentence. I am one of the small group which is on the forum but not magazine purchasers. I enjoy reading the magazine articles on line and I am not filling shelves with paper. The on line forum enables interaction with other boat modellers – something that is more difficult to do with a magazine (no doubt there is a letter to the editor page in the magazine though I haven't noticed it – I'll admit that I only skim through the magazine to see whether there is a subject that grabs my attention).

Ian

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Ian,

It's horses for courses but you would not be able to read the magazine articles online (which are only there to encourage sales & subscriptions) if there were not a magazine to take them from and you are using a forum which is funded from the income derived from the magazine and which the publishers are under no obligation to maintain. Our competitor magazine does not offer a forum.

Forums are certainly very useful in all sorts of ways and are greatly valued but one universal feature (common to model boating and many other subjects) is that virtually all the 'work' in terms of posting information, giving advice and answering questions is down to a tiny minority compared with the overall registered membership. In other words the vast majority of people who visit or register with the forum take but do not give! It's very similar to the situation in many hobby clubs where a small minority of the members do all the work for the benefit of the others. It's just the way things are I'm afraid!

Just to throw in another interesting thought: A recent commercial survey indicated that the average age of people purchasing model boating magazines is over 65. This morning the BBC said that 40% of people in this age group do not have access to the internet! I have a bus pass myself but when I visit the Warwick show which is probably as typical a collection of active model boaters as you will find anywhere in the UK I find that I am easily in the youngest half those present. The marine entrants to the Model Engineer Exhibition have an average age of around 75!

This does rather suggest that in 15 years or so, model boating as we know it today will have declined into very much a niche activity as those falling off the perch are not being replaced by newcomers in anything like the same numbers.

And on that cheerful note….

Colin

Edited By Colin Bishop, Website Forum Moderator on 27/05/2014 14:10:23

[Len Morris 2Participant @lenmorris2]

Hi Andy,

Chalk up another one. I have a Miranda. She's some thirty odd years old but still sails a treat. Dad built the hull (he was a carpenter) and I built the plant being the engineer. She's been in dry dock for a while and is half way through a meths to butane conversion.

And Colin, thanks for your last comment on this thread! It made me feel quite good! I have mi bus pass too but I'm below the average age! Must be about the only thing left where I am below the aa!

I actually really enjoy the fact that when I go to boat shows it's a mature gathering. I suspect that the instinct to build models is inbuilt at an early age but maybe younger people get fed up of crashing their cars and planes and eventually seek something more sedate. Fresh people will come along, they will simply be on buses! Don't be pessimistic!

Len

[Andy StonemanParticipant @andystoneman15177]

Hi Len,

I think that you will see a marked improvement in your steam launch Miranda when you convert to butane, Including less mess. I use a butane/propane mix which seems to burn a lot hotter, On my two pass boiler the funnel exhaust temperature rose by another 15c from previously using butane. From 50c to 65c . Its nice to hear there are still a few of us steamies left Len, Miranda never seems to age judging by how often the name crops up. Keep up the good work.

Andy.

[Ray Wood 3Participant @raywood3]

Hi All

I'm late to this thread but I'm interested in the way people are keen to categorize modelling interests into special interest groups, I am fortunate in having interests in pretty much every aspect of modelling over the past 50 years and find it interesting to try and see where the clubs and associations I belong too will be in say 20 years. I suppose my generation with me being now 59 years old have been lucky enough to make a living using computers for the last 25 years.

I do support most of the published model magazine titles by buying them, which cover RC Boats,Aeroplanes and Trains of all sorts.

On the plus side my grandchildren 2 boys and 3 girls are much happier in grandads workshop making things than being on their Xbox's & Playstations

Ray

[frazer heslop 2Participant @frazerheslop2]

Hi, I enjoy scratch building model steam launches although now side lined building hot air engines.

I have built Miranda , Bat, River Queen and keep plodding away at Victoria although the engine has been totally redesigned

http://i981.photobucket.com/albums/ae299/frazerheslop/victoria/Victoriaplantfinished024_zpse320f274.jpg

Not sure how to attach pics?

Edited By frazer heslop 1 on 15/11/2014 19:10:36

[Colin BishopModerator @colinbishop34627]

Frazer,

Check out the FAQ section for adding photos (bottom of right hand column). Basically you either need to create an album on the site or provide a link to an external hosting service.

Colin

[steve KParticipant @stevek50314]

Posted by Andy Stoneman on 05/02/2014 19:05:37:

It got me old and an old pal thinking as to how many steam boat modelers are out there just in the UK. I know that the cost of steam plant is fairly expensive and its far cheaper and easier to install an electric drive. But it just got me wondering how many enthusiasts there are out there and how many model steam boats there might be ?

Andy.

[steve KParticipant @stevek50314]

Well that makes two of us now…

[Philip HaleParticipant @philiphale]

I am interested in building a steam boat including the plant but Im training at the moment by building a 1.5X Tiddler tug boat – electric drive.

PhilH

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