So where do we go now?

[Terry Keeley]

I can add that the new guy doesn't need the "latest/greatest" to have fun either. Work with what he has or can afford, it doesn't matter if it's top shelf equipment to peg the fun meter.

 

[dr gary turner]

John you are correct. The Huntsville club has grown dramatically

A great running lake

Many new members. We help each other and have a great time with our practice sessions

Boats have been built for new members and help with set up and we have new members running 45 hydros 75-80 and can compete.

We are also an inclusive club with many running electric and gas

 

[John Finch]

John you are correct. The Huntsville club has grown dramatically

A great running lake

Many new members. We help each other and have a great time with our practice sessions

Boats have been built for new members and help with set up and we have new members running 45 hydros 75-80 and can compete.

We are also an inclusive club with many running electric and gas

Yes, Doc......we need to include the electric boaters and gas boaters along with the nitro interest. We have had quite a few modelers here in District 12 who have started out with electric and changed over to gas or nitro and we have had other nitro and gas folks run electrics. We need to foster all modes of model boating.

John

 

[Jeff Lutz]

John you are correct. The Huntsville club has grown dramatically

A great running lake

Many new members. We help each other and have a great time with our practice sessions

Boats have been built for new members and help with set up and we have new members running 45 hydros 75-80 and can compete.

We are also an inclusive club with many running electric and gas

Yes, Doc......we need to include the electric boaters and gas boaters along with the nitro interest. We have had quite a few modelers here in District 12 who have started out with electric and changed over to gas or nitro and we have had other nitro and gas folks run electrics. We need to foster all modes of model boating.
John

. John, what your saying today makes a lot of sense. Some of your comments in the past have been surprising to me, like “ we need to except power plants are changing” . I know you have said basically that you can’t run nitro anymore, but there is nothing wrong with nitro boaters trying to promote nitro. The gas guys have plenty of classes to choice from, plenty of races, even props have been catered to them, a good ol’ 1667 is now so thick you can shuck oyster shells with them ‘just for’ the gas guys, and octura doesn’t even offer the original prop? Go figure on that one.

 

[John Finch]

Jeff,

I have a bunch of 1667s cut at different widths from my twin nitro rigger days but I am still hanging on to them in case my nitro allergy subsides. I am becoming more tolerant to the nitro fumes after being away from it for a bunch of years. I guess a better choice of words might have been.........a lot of different power plant choices are available.

John

 

[dwilfong]

I have had my hands on a few of the new CMB eng. The .91 and the .21 Thy are ready to go up front and are very nice indeed.

Thy are not cheep but you get what you pay for.

I don't think any one would have trouble learning how to run nitro with this eng. CMB has made many improvements in there eng line up in the last few years.

No long and laborious break in procedures or modifications to scare the new guy. Just a few tanks and off you go to the races.

I think that getting involved in nitro has bin scary for most after hearing all the story's about blown up engs.

A zip kits rigger and a CMB BETA eng is a great start up rig for any one wanting to get there feet wet.

It will give you nitro fever for sure..................

I think promoting what is available now to get the hobby going is the ticket .

Time to throw the old ways to the side and move on.

No need to try and start some on off with old crap that is a pain to get working.

It will do nothing but leave a bad taste in there mouth and thy will move on.

 

[Matt Krieger]

Thanks Terry for posting the millennial videos, made my day, funniest thing I've seen in a while..lol

 

[Jay Stone]

What it boils down to are the people involved. You can sit and blame generations and continually use examples to fuel your argument. In some cases that might be right. But what it all truly boils down to are the people involved.

Just reading through these comments tells me who these guys are at the pond. Every club has them. Club work is tough. Being in charge of local clubs is like the cellar dweller position in boating. It takes tons of work to keep it all going. Making sure that your club leaders are personable and friendly should be priority #1. If you have a negative Nancy as the face of your organization, they will turn away new perspective boaters faster than anything. The first impression and interaction with new boaters is vital to luring them in. Having an active club that promotes regularly scheduled outings and even social events (BBQ, Club meetings at local restaurants, Christmas party, Holiday weekend cookouts) are important. Regular meetings and giving a solid accounting of every dollar that comes and goes is also important.

Too many feel that growth of the hobby starts with racers attending district races. That is the biggest fallacy around. Where boating growth starts is at the club level. Providing fun play day events with personable people that are willing to help is crucial. Many boaters will never attend a district race. That is fine. They shouldn't be pressured to attend if they aren't interested. As long as they are able to have fun at what ever level of activity they desire, they will remain active. The more active members you have, they more likely you are to have when it comes time to hold your local district racing event. These people will help, just don't push them to race.

The introduction of Stock Mono has been a huge help in NAMBA areas. This class will offer a more affordable entry level gas class to start off with. I'm presently working on getting a standardized boat for a RTR electric that local hobby shops could offer. Then in return have the clubs and even districts make it know they will offer a class at those races for these boats. It's about giving people clear and concise options that fill most price ranges. A RTR Electric Mono for under $400 is a great option. The SD Gassers boat club in San Diego has grown tremendously the past 18 months due to the efforts of a few club members. These guys show up with boats and are visible every chance possible. They now offer stock mono as well as a stock zipp kit spec cracker box class. They are having a race this Sunday, New Year's Eve day and will have 35+ entries.....for a club race! These guys are having a blast and learning about boating. In a year or even maybe two, several may race a district schedule. But right now they are enjoying getting introduced to racing, rules and the organization. They have fun play days and regularly meet up. It's been great to witness their growth.

 

[John Finch]

That is great news Jay! The best times I have ever had is at the local pond with regular heat racing and just plain running for fun. We have got to introduce folks to the fun side of model boating and like you said, not that many will travel to the district races but that is ok. When I think back to the most successful years of ODMBA I can truly say maybe 5 out of 30 people raced district wide. The majority were happy racing the one day local race. We usually ran 6 to 10 races a year and hosted one district race per year. The non travelers helped with the district race.

John

 

[Andy Greene]

What it boils down to are the people involved. You can sit and blame generations and continually use examples to fuel your argument. In some cases that might be right. But what it all truly boils down to are the people involved.

Just reading through these comments tells me who these guys are at the pond. Every club has them. Club work is tough. Being in charge of local clubs is like the cellar dweller position in boating. It takes tons of work to keep it all going. Making sure that your club leaders are personable and friendly should be priority #1. If you have a negative Nancy as the face of your organization, they will turn away new perspective boaters faster than anything. The first impression and interaction with new boaters is vital to luring them in. Having an active club that promotes regularly scheduled outings and even social events (BBQ, Club meetings at local restaurants, Christmas party, Holiday weekend cookouts) are important. Regular meetings and giving a solid accounting of every dollar that comes and goes is also important.

Too many feel that growth of the hobby starts with racers attending district races. That is the biggest fallacy around. Where boating growth starts is at the club level. Providing fun play day events with personable people that are willing to help is crucial. Many boaters will never attend a district race. That is fine. They shouldn't be pressured to attend if they aren't interested. As long as they are able to have fun at what ever level of activity they desire, they will remain active. The more active members you have, they more likely you are to have when it comes time to hold your local district racing event. These people will help, just don't push them to race.

Well said , and very true.

 

[Hydro Junkie]

What it boils down to are the people involved. You can sit and blame generations and continually use examples to fuel your argument. In some cases that might be right. But what it all truly boils down to are the people involved.

Just reading through these comments tells me who these guys are at the pond. Every club has them. Club work is tough. Being in charge of local clubs is like the cellar dweller position in boating. It takes tons of work to keep it all going. Making sure that your club leaders are personable and friendly should be priority #1. If you have a negative Nancy as the face of your organization, they will turn away new perspective boaters faster than anything. The first impression and interaction with new boaters is vital to luring them in. Having an active club that promotes regularly scheduled outings and even social events (BBQ, Club meetings at local restaurants, Christmas party, Holiday weekend cookouts) are important. Regular meetings and giving a solid accounting of every dollar that comes and goes is also important.

Too many feel that growth of the hobby starts with racers attending district races. That is the biggest fallacy around. Where boating growth starts is at the club level. Providing fun play day events with personable people that are willing to help is crucial. Many boaters will never attend a district race. That is fine. They shouldn't be pressured to attend if they aren't interested. As long as they are able to have fun at what ever level of activity they desire, they will remain active. The more active members you have, they more likely you are to have when it comes time to hold your local district racing event. These people will help, just don't push them to race.

Well said , and very true.

Couldn't have said it better, Jay.

When I go to a race, it's normal to have several show up with multiple boats. They are so busy getting the boats ready prior to and between heats that they don't have time to talk to others that aren't directly next to them in the pits. Then add in a roped off pit area, done in the name of safety. Now add the non-boater that has questions and is interested. Telling him/her they can't come inside the roped off area or that you don't have time to talk to them is basically telling them to go away. It's definitely not the way to get new people into the hobby. My thought on this is simple. If someone shows interest, bring them into the pits and stay with them so they aren't wondering around unsupervised. Next, show them a boat, what's in it and a simplified version of what's involved in getting it ready to run. Lastly, let them see the race from as close to the drivers stand as possible, preferably in front where they can see what the drivers are seeing. If someone as a boat they aren't running, maybe have the interested person give it a try between heats or while a draw is being done when there is a little extra time. The club could help by maybe giving the owner a little cash back to cover the fuel used, a small price to pay if it gets new boaters

 

[David Bryant]

The introduction of Stock Mono has been a huge help in NAMBA areas. This class will offer a more affordable entry level gas class to start off with

yes, "stock" mono class is a great way to promote RC Boating. That's how I was introduced (back in early 1970's). Seems like that was the most popular introduction to RC boating

 

[joelauletta]

I agree Jay. Get back to the Basics . Beginners are afraid that their entry level boats arent good enough to race. Remember we all started with one of those.

We need to welcome them in and help them along.

Remember in the end "It's Toy Boats"

Things have gotten way to serious we all need to put the FUN back in the sport.

 

[Terry Keeley]

Thanks Terry for posting the millennial videos, made my day, funniest thing I've seen in a while..lol

There's a few left to sponsor if you hurry!