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[JamieV]

Hi Everyone,


I joined this site yesterday.  I have had an interest in model boats for a long time.  I used to go to a local park when I was a kid to watch, I was fascinated by these small boats that would whizz around the lake.  It was also fascinating when it broke down and its owner could perform emergency surgery to get it going again.  After I never lived in areas where there was model boating and I never got to own one.  I went to a family funday in Somerset last weekend and there were model boats there.  It made me think of those times years ago in the local park.  Some of the models they had looked amazing, more detailed than I remember.  I was talking to one of the owners and he said how much fun it is and that you sometimes have to repair the boats.  I thought straight away I wanted to get one.  So I;m here to learn more, get to know some people and hopefully see some of you at a boating lake soon!  I'll put a post in the beginners section.  Please be aware I'm not new to model boats but I am new to how they work so I might ask some obvious questions.


Jamie

[JamieV]

Hi,
 
I really am new to this.  I've seen remote controlled model boats being used in lakes many times and always thought I would like to own one.  I went to a family day out last weekend where there were boats being used in a lake and and I finally decided I wanted to get one.  I looked online but as often happens there's so much information I got lost with it all.  I would just like to know when I'm looking online or in a shop what should I look out for or beware of before buying anything.  I don't yet have a preference over what type of boat to own.  Is there anything a boat should definitely have before purchasing?  I know there's different tastes but any help or do's and don'ts about buying my first boat would be really helpful.
 
Thanks for any advice anyone can offer
 
Jamie

[Capt Podge]

Hi there Jamie, my first mistake when I started out was to choose an experienced builders kit (Smit Nederland tug) and it took me 5 years to complete!


So, take your time when choosing and, if there's a model boat club near you, go and have a chat with members who can help you. You might even see a model or two that take your fancy.


... and welcome to the forum by the way 


Ray.

[Peter57]

Hi Jamie,


I started out on the hobby a couple of years ago, so I am still very much a novice.


The first boat I bought was a ready-to-run Hobby Engine Southampton tug. This was a much easier start (at least for me) than building a kit. It also gave me a chance to see whether I actually enjoyed sailing an RC boat. So, depending on your interests, maybe a R-T-R boat of some type would be a reasonable start?


Amongst the follow-ups were a couple of kits that had been built, but in which I replaced a lot of the electronics. I thought this might be easier than building a kit from scratch, but maybe not!  Since then I have had a go at building a couple of reasonably straightforward kits including a Palaform hovercraft and a submarine.


I have found this forum to be a great source of expertise and advice!


Regards
Peter 

[barriew]

Jamie


The first question to have to ask yourself - and answer - is are you just interested in sailing a model, or do you want to build one?
If you intend to buy a ready to run model, make sure there is a suitable lake or other water for the model you choose. Very few lakes allow internal combustion engine models, and quite a few don't allow fast electric speedboats.
The best advice is already stated - try to find a local club who will have lots of advice and probably a suitable lake.


Barrie

[jaymac]

Jamie show your location never know who might be near by

[Colin Bishop]

Jamie,

Bear in mind that the people reading your post on here are often the same ones responding on the Model Boats magazine site. Many of us belong to both forums.

Your original question was very broad in scope a and you would definitely benefit from browsing through both forums, including the feature articles I recommened on the Model Boats site.

Your best option is to do a bit of exploring on both forums and then see what appeals to you. At that stage our members will be better placed to give you some advice on taking things forward.

Colin

[JamieV]

Thanks everyone for your replies and advice.  I feel most welcome!!  I agree my original post was too broad.  I'll have a look around the site and the forum and post again when I've got more of an idea of what type of boats I'm interested in.  I'm near Glastonbury in Somerset.


Jamie

[jaymac]

Portishead Jamie

[meechingman]

Welcome to the forum.


I too started with an RTR 'Southampton' just to see if I'd enjoy sailing it - I did! (Well, I suppose I should say that I really started as a kid driving my Dad's 1:1 real 163 ton twin screw tug! I was going to follow in his footsteps and gain four gold rings on my sleeve too, but that's another story!)


My modelling skills weren't great and RSI and a touch of arthritis didn't help. So instead of building a boat from a kit or from scratch, I decided to buy a second hand boat that was in sore need of some serious TLC. It was a very dilapidated 'Smit Nederland' and over a Winter it was rebuilt internally (only the motors and propshafts stayed in place), with all the electronics completely replaced. Externally, a complete strip and repaint, extra details added and she became fully illuminated, inside and out. I was very pleased with what I could do with even my limited skills. Photo of final result attached.


Great fun sailing her on the lake and in the next Winter I added a bow thruster. Even more fun on the lake. I can do all the things I used to do with the real full sized tug.


Currently in dry dock awaiting repairs to a broken rudder and Kort nozzle support. Beyond my skill set so I'll visit a friend who is an expert. He'll sort that and repack the propshafts in no time at all.


So if you're unsure and don't want to go for an RTR, I'd recommend looking for a used model that you can repair/refurbish/repaint and make 'yours'. I'd second the suggestion of joining a local club and this may well pay dividends, as there may be something for sale that takes your fancy.