First Boats?
What kind of full size vessels are you interested in:? Military, commercial, pleasure, subs or sail? That will generally drive the direction of your model boating desires. Also you local running/sailing waters has a lot to do with it. Many municipalities don't allow model boating on their city ponds or lakes. Here are some sources to look at:
AMYA- American Model Yachting Association
SSMA - Scale Ship Modelers Association
Tower Hobbies
Horizon Hobby
Hobby King
West Valley R/C Mariners
Dumas Products
Traxas
Aquacraft
I do both scale and sail, specializing in high performance sailboats and PT boats from World War II.