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Having combed the Internet this day and age trying to gather more knowledge of the RC hobby, it has become apparent that serious RC scale-modeling has not much of a following here in America these days.

Most RC-related stuff sold in US hobby shops is non-scale airplanes, helicopters (with those stupid-looking unrealistic dual stacked main rotors), boats and vehicles or non-hobby-grade toys at best.

It seems as the English and Germans, and perhaps the Aussies Down Under, have the most serious devotion to high-end scale RC modeling.

Most high-end hobby retailers seem to be based in Europe.

Most American young men and boys want some relatively cheap China-made toy, the faster the better, to show off that does not take much skill, money or patience to build. Such "RC model" is not exhibiting much pride in ownership also.

Today's America is a culture of instant gratification.

A couple decades ago, it seemed as if retired old men in America made the bulk of the hobby-grade scale-model RC market here.


By contrast, guns, sport shooting, hunting and fishing and off-roading are recreations which have a very strong cultural following here in the US
as far as expensive hobbies can go.I am OK with all the above, however, since I am pro-gun and pro-outdoors.

If I were rich, I would own a real fishing boat and not just a RC scale model one.

Hydro Junkie

I will agree with you, but only to a point. Most of the younger people that want to get into the R/C hobby do fall into the instant gratification category. Unfortunately, there are several reasons for this:
1) It's nothing more than a passing fad for them so why invest the time to build anything
2) Many are just starting out with their own place/apartment, new wife/family, new job and can't afford to go whole hog
3) Many fear the costs involved in buying all the tools they think they will need to make anything themselves
4) Many fear they won't have enough room to actually build anything
5) Too many other things are attracting their attention and money so buying what amounts to toy grade is what they think they can afford.
6) Most feel that building from plans or a kit is way over their head since they have never had to do anything like this in their life. If they can't find a "how to" telling every step and showing how to do them on the internet, building something just can't be done.

If you look at Europe, the lifestyle is much slower than in the US. This means those that want to get into the hobby have more time and, in many cases, more money to buy the materials and parts to build something they want. It is very rare to read an article in a European magazine about an ARF while, here in the US, they are almost as common as the manufacturer's ads showing the product.

mfr02

The model boat scene over here is largely populated by scale because the age demographic of modellers tends to be my generation. There are some very talented youngsters (and I mean under 25s) but in that age group there is a lot of instant gratification wanted. Then there is all the "fun" of making a living, paying for somewhere to live and raising a family until, often, retirement beckons. By that time, hopefully, you tend to have gained some skills, time and cash to indulge in a craft hobby. There is also the consideration that very few places allow go-faster boats, especially internal combustion.
Some appreciate that there is a sense of pride in displaying the results of your skill (sailing mostly happens on lakes in public parks, so every sail is a public show) rather than just playing with a toy off the store shelf.

martin5465

The "old men" the OP referred to grew up in a time when there weren't as many alternatives to building
something yourself. The world and life was a lot simpler then. Most of the alternative things to modeling
were not even invented or very difficult to get for the average kid. If you look at some of the other scale
forums (RCSB) you'll find that there are younger guys scale building. Not as many as decades ago, but
they are still here, whether it's trains, planes or boats. For some reason, scale cars don't grab too many people.

Rafael23cc

My Feedback: (6)

I think that you are making a big assumption. "Scale" and "store-bought" simply do not fit on the same concept. Yes, there _seems_ to be more "store-bought" basic stuff for scale applications outside of the US. But scanning internet stores will not be a gauge of the _scale_ scene here in the States. you need to get out to a Competition. Have you seen reports of Top Gun?

Rafael

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

The trend comes and goes to an extent. There are not a whole lot of large scale builders in the US as the emphasis is more toward the racing circuit and the organizations that support that end of the hobby. And indeed Europe and Australia IMO took an early lead in developing the larger end of the hobby. But the US has a number of builders of hulls etc.

I started out my love of the hobby in Australia and have had a boat in my hand as long as I could walk. http://photos.imageevent.com/justadd.../bIMG_0021.jpg

I have as many boats as anyone I know and some nice ones among them. I have no complaints about the resources we have available here in the US. To be honest - the hobby is almost 1/2 the price as it is in Australia and certainly more affordable than in Europe too. There are plenty of choices to buy a RTR or parts to build be it in the US, Europe, Or asia.

Have to say there have never been more resources available to us than there are today. Any part is just a mouse click away. My first gasser I had to make my own prop, drive, rudder, hull, and mod my own motor. Only thing commercially available was a RC unit - made for a car.

I recommend embracing the opportunities available and if you need help finding something - just ask - there are plenty around with different ideas and suggestions.

Hydro Junkie

Nice post JAW. Well said and thought out

Rafael23cc

My Feedback: (6)

Sorry, I did not notice that we were in the boat Forum. Top Gun is an aircraft Competition.

Rafael

mfr02

Your foray from the dark side is noted and appreciated here. Wanna buy a boat?

martin5465

What would be nice is if there was a "Top Gun" type of events for boats......

1sgt

I think the biggest problem with all model hobbies are the manufacturers pricing out the youth from the market. When I was a kid, I could always scrape together a couple bucks and buy a nice Revelle model ship or tank. Same thing with HO train locomotives. At those prices, you could chop up, detail, buy two ( one for extra parts ) or kitbash for a specific model. That was how I learned what model building skills I have ( in my mind, I'm a master builder ) Now days the prices have just about priced me out of the market, let alone thinking of chopping one up.

If we lose the youth, we will ultimately lose the hobby.

martin5465

The technology from those days has gone way up,
but unfortunately, so have the prices.

Hydro Junkie

Something else that has driven up the prices is the lack of competition. The few shops that are left that can make/supply parts we need have been, in some ways, forced to raise their prices. Between material costs and needing to hire additional workers(in some cases) to meet demand, prices have skyrocketed.

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

I think the expectation is also a little high with those starting out. Was talking with a guy (in his 40's) today about my RC boats. I have some nice ones. But he had seen a video on youtube of a twin turbine and thinks that would be the way to go. He has run a car - never seen a boat running in person.

I built dozens of balsa wood kits before buying wood and scratch building my own designs. I am just not sure kids today would have the patience to nut out a balsa kit and scratch together a drive line to make something move at a (literal) crawling pace across a pool. When there are videos of RTR electrics running 60mph out of the box I just do not see a kid getting excited by anything less. Judging by the "first boat' inquiries on this site I just do not see much interest in starting with anything less.

Hydro Junkie

With today's "Instant Gratification" society, that is getting to be the norm rather than the exception. Patience is something no one seems to have anymore

Justaddwata

My Feedback: (3)

So true sadly. It manifests its self in so many ways today!

Hydro Junkie

And those that do have it are ridiculed by the one's that don't. That's why many of the guys that make kits are doing so much business. Why do any of more of the work than you have to or at least that's the way many look at doing anything.

Dodgy Geezer

See this site for beginner model boat plans suitable for young kids... http://eezebilt.tk

canabus

Hi All
I was into model power boats in the 80's, but, returned a few years ago!!
I rather build from a plan as I get more out of the hobby and myself.
I am luckily one of our members collects and swaps boat plans.
We have scale and semi scale plans.
I like my boats quick but not looking to crack 100mph.
A few of the plans I have are old Aerokit Swordsman, Sea Rover, Pirana and Sea Hornet.
We have had to draft the frames from the plans, but, a bit more fun.
A few I have rescanned to make them a bit bigger.
EG. Sea Hornet 25and 1/4 to 31 and 3/4 inches.
I finished to smaller size Sea Hornet last year with a 28mm 1900kv brushless motor on 3S 2650 mah Lipo battery(32mm 1.4 pitch prop).
It runs around 35mph so it's a 50year old sleeper!!!

bensid54

Interesting thread a lot of good points made. The youth in any generation always want things right now but this was not possible in older generations because cash and product just wasn't there for most. Yes kids, jobs and home buying requires priority over hobbies I myself went twenty years without any serious model building. For me buying something RTR has little interest to me so I build my toys. When my builds are done I test it for a bit, get the bugs out then quickly lose interest and start my next build. The pictures show my last RC boat which I will get the bugs out of this summer, then probably sell it. It's a Greek Bireme 250 BC remote control with 44 oars that has the ability to turn around without leaving the space it sits in.

expresscraft

I do not agree with the statement that manufactures have went way up in price, My single mom of 3 kids bought our 4 bed room house on Merritt island Florida, and the payment back in the 70's was 118.00 a month. the profit across the board in the hobby business is very low, just think about it....How many people would love to have a hobby shop? there are lots of those but very few shops left. It is a cash flow business only. plenty of people buying things to play with but there is almost 0 difference between dealer pricing and internet prices. I use to have people come in with broke cars or heli's or what ever. I would spend time rounding up what they needed and what they needed to be ordered, they would take my list including what I had in stock and say thanks I will go home and order this with no regard to having a hobby shop near bye full of supplies. This is not just young people this is older people as well, All overlook value and just shop price, So today our shop like many others are gone, Most shops today are big box RTR stores with very little building supplies.
never for get gas boats got started with scratch built door skin boats, weed eater power and in expensive radio's or hardware, there is nothing stopping people from still doing that.

Hydro Junkie

Sure there is. It's called DESIRE. You make boats for others so they don't have to. I build boats from plans so I can have exactly what I want. That's because we both have the DESIRE to make something ourselves. Most people today don't have the desire to actually do things for themselves because they don't have to. I work with many people in their 20s and 30s and, with very few exceptions, they don't want to have to do anything for themselves. For example:
1) Car needs maintenance........I do it myself, most spend 10 times as much and take it to a shop so they don't get oil on their hands
2) Lamp cord goes bad.............I replace the cord, most replace the lamp so they don't have to figure out how to hook up the wires
3) Garage door roller jumps......I fix the track after replacing the roller, most call a service company for a 5 minute fix

expresscraft

I think a really big part of what you are seeing is a demise of the middle class, If you are poor like a lot of people are then just filling your needs is a big job in itself and there is very little time or money for wants. If you are doing well then you make more per hour then it cost to just pay someone to fix your car, garage door or build you a model. I sell boats to all types young and old. So I do not really care to classify anyone. Across this great country of ours there are a lot of scratch builders. That said they are not all concentrated enough to support a local hobby shop. But there are local computer stores and really in today's world they are a really big past time for many these days as opposed to modeling. I play World of tanks quite a bit myself and there are 25,000 people on at one time on the north american server pretty often. plus I have met people from all over the world, I do not replace modeling with it but it sure is fun.

Hydro Junkie

I'm not classifying anyone either, just putting out what I've both seen and been told.
That being said, what I'm seeing in both my hobbies, R/C and as a dancer, is that many don't want to spend the time on lessons or building. As far as dance classes, most would rather go to the local bar, learn a line dance and dance it all night long, whether it fits the music or not. I see the same thing in R/C, be it boats or planes. Since ARF's are available, both in planes and boats, why spend the time doing the construction, testing and fine tuning. If you buy an ARF and it doesn't work, it has to be a defective ARF as it's supposed to be fine tuned and ready to go. When you look at the so-called 1:12th scale Pro Boat Budweiser series from a couple of years back, the boat wasn't a real runner and many were returned or sold on Fleabay due to rookie mistakes. In contrast, a boat built by someone that knows how to set up and tune it, it will perform right out of the box, IF THE PURCHASER READS AND FOLLOWS THE INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

expresscraft

I do agree that things have changed, after 20 plus years of owning a store front hobby shop, ARF's sold. They also came covered, with tanks,mounts,wheels even motors and engines with radio's installed. So for probably 99% of the days of selling a kit like your SIG kadet were over, as well as selling all the little parts and covering as well as the tools to build those great kits that was the benefit of even selling kits. most planes and cars can be ordered just over dealer cost. I would say about 12% over on a average, The problem is that a common rule in retail is overhead is 15% of your sales. And that is if you wear a very tight belt. Then you add sales tax compared to free shipping with a order over 100.00 and most hobby shops are screwed as well as the face to face representation of our hobbies. So really why and were would building your self even have help were there is desire? Hobby shops and bars have always done well in bad times, this saying goes back many years. But a basic of business is find a need and fill it. customers made a choice to remove the need. And now they pay the cost to be the boss. To me I would and do now that I no longer have my shop, see a ton of value in not having to have a room in my house being full of supplies for modeling. So because of the choices customers have made you have to order every little things these days and then wait. That is and never will be good for the future of our hobby. Even when I raced at competitors rc car tracks I bought my parts from them, and I owned a hobby shop. But supporting that track also supported me. and paying more was not the issue.
Really we are making the same choice by supporting wal-mart. sure its a great store, But were are your local shoe stores these days?as well as many other sole proprietor shops that mom's and dad's owned and supported there house holds with as well as employed people? In your town. I paid my people 10.00 a hour in my hobby shop. I also let them keep what ever labor they made fixing things. I had a mom that worked at my shop, she had a dental problem that cost her 700.00. I as well as her did not have insurance. I paid that bill for her. show me were your corporation would do that. I am not talking about real professional careers. i am talking about people like me with no college, I got my start in the Marine infantry. I am just saying that if you take the real value out of your buying habits our hobby going down will just be a start.