R/C Naval Combat

I was going to let this go with a simple "good luck to you", but the more I read that last post, the angrier I get.

First of all, this hobby has been around since the 70s.  Dying off in the near future?  I don't think so.  You analysis of the "problems" with RC combat are WAY off base.  The primary drawback to our hobby (which you would know had you built an actual combat ship and participated in a battle) is the lack of ready to fight ships on the market.  As a society today, we are all about instant gratification.  Look to RC aircraft for an example.  You can go into just about any hobby shop these days, and walk out with a ready to fly aircraft, to include warbirds...with everything including the transmitter.  You take it out of the box, charge the batteries and go fly.  Simple.  No wait.  Very little patience in construction required.  If RC naval combat had the same thing, it would be much bigger.  Bottom line.

As far as simulating real big gun naval combat, simply adding a gunner and someone to do what the captain says doesnt even come close to simulating the real thing.  With no aircraft (tell the crews of Oklahoma, Arizona, Yamato and Musashi that you dont need to worry about airplanes), no ability to safely simulate plunging fire (the greatest ship killer among surface to surface battles...ask the survivors of Hood...all three of them...), no effective submarines, no long range fire control etc you can't simulate a real battle.  Perhaps, Battlestations: Midway on your PC or XBOX-360 is more up your alley.  That's a better simulation of the real thing for you.

The complete arrogance you show is quite frankly, insulting.  You're never built a ship, you've never participated in a battle and yet you have the audacity to come here and tell us we're doing it all wrong?  We see this ALL the time.  Some new guy who doesnt know a poppet valve from an ESC, comes in with some REVOLUTIONARY new idea that's going to change the RC combat world, and they THINK that everyone who's been doing this is just too stupid to have thought of those things themselves already...then they get all butthurt when people don't like the idea.

Feel free to bring your three headed monster out here and put it on the water.  It's not illegal.  We've already established that, but you want to FORCE your idea on everyone else which is what's not cool.  Nothing is stopping you from putting a crewed ship out there, other then your desire to have forced everyone else to play the game YOUR way instead of the way we've been playing it for years.

I'll be happy to blow it out of the water for you.  I'll even hold your three transmitters when you go out to get it.

EDIT:  Sorry Justin, feel free to delete this post if necessary.

Its all about picking,building and fighting your own ship i have 4 and have no problem letting someone use one for a battle or two.
You dont drive a car with two people We still all drive. You do have a point tho you can play with your wife/girlfriend or kid to get them started
then thay get there own ship. Dont nok what you don't know

I agree with you Froggy if it works for you then I say great but remember that it may not work for everyone. The idea of a two person boat would work for letting spectaters have a go at the hobby if no spare ships are present. Would it invigorate the hobby I do not think so. The lack of pre built ready to go ships keeps this hobby from becoming as large as model planes or helicopters. I there was a place you could buy them even online for a reasonable price I think the hobby might grow but that is just my two cents.

In my particular club, we've seen amazing growth in the past year (over 20%). One of the main reasons is that we have actively sought to recruit all ages, and have added three boys under 11 years of age since May, bringing our number of kids under 12 to a total of 5. Of course, those kids' parents become their "crew" (so-to-speak), so we naturally will recruit the parents, as well. What is happening is that, in our club, at any rate, family involvement is becoming increasingly important. The way I see it, this approach will revitalize any club, and it's basically a very simple approach. It just takes an attitude adjustment on the part of the club members - not a technological adjustment.

Let me say that I love experimenting, and I love technology. I love to tinker, and to try out new things - especially things that other people say are not possible. I was one of the first people in my club to get a destroyer to be an effective fighting vessel. I built a PT boat (although haven't yet figured out how to arm it). I built a working 1:144 LST that can deliver an RC tank to the shore. But I have learned that technology is only good as it supports the mission, and to me, the mission is to get 20 - 25 ships on the water in battle, each and every combat event. In my club, we're steadily moving toward that goal.

Consider the logistical problems with each ship having a three-person crew. 25 ships x 3 = 75 people required to meet my goal, as opposed to 25. How would the 3-person teams communicate? What would happen if one receiver failed? That would mean three people out of action, as opposed to one. Do I think it would be fun to have multiple people attempt to operate an RC warship combat ship in battle? Sure! Is that what's needed to grow a club (which is, after all, growing the hobby)? No. It's a novelty that could be entertaining in a public demo, though.

This is what I think, for what it's worth: If you want to grow your club, focus on the family and community dynamics, and promote yourselves that way. Just looking at the incredible growth of social media, it's obvious that people are hungry for a community to become a part of. Grow your club's heart, and reach out to people around you - especially kids and their parents - and your club - and the hobby as a whole - will grow.

One last thought, though, and that is the idea of off-the-shelf "ARF" (Almost Ready to Fight) combat boats that could be mass-produced and purchased in hobby stores, and the effect it would have on growth of the hobby. I don't share the enthusiasm that others seem to have for this idea. As it stands, people need to learn to build, engineer, repair and maintain combat ships. It's the last of the RC DIY avenues left. It's also not expensive at all, compared to virtually any other RC hobby. People routinely spend hundreds of dollars for RC airplanes and helicopters, which at any moment can become trash. Our ships, if built and engineered carefully, can last a lifetime. If you want to jump-start a new recruit, maintain some club loaners, and develop a mentor program, pairing a veteran with a greenhorn for that first built project. The fact that our ships are so hands-on is bringing our young club members and parents together, because they have to work together to succeed. Take that away, and we will have lost something that I believe is really important.

Rob

Liability is a main reason that RTR ships wont be sold in hobby shops. IMHO the safest way is to sell ARTR ships that are already tested to fit with a cannon set that could be ordered and installed on their own. If the owner arms the ship then its their problem not the store that sold it (yes I know you can sue anyone for any reason so what is different). An additional reason is that it would keep some mischievious teenager from just walking in with money and walking out to the pond and killing all the waterfowl or shooting swimmers. They could do that regardless of course but if they have to go to the trouble to order to have their parents order the cannons then the parents would at least be aware of what they could do. In addition it would most likely require veteran assistance to get them working properly anyway so any new user would at least get basic safety instruction.

Lets not forget about all the RTR Boat and Car guys that wanted something better and later built their own boat or bought a rolling race chassis and customized it. The same would apply to our hobby. I for one would have purchased an RTR and armed it. I of course would then want a different ship and with the basic knowledge of how the air system worked and such I would be able to better choose my ship and its components.

In the end you have to think about what the target market or end result is.

A large number of guys working in their garages, mostly alone, preppign for a battle with a few other boats

OR

Fewer guys in the workshop prepping for a battle with a lot of boats on the water to shoot.

We are in Model Warship Combat not Model Warship Construction and as I see it its all about the COMBAT !!! Woooo Hoooooo! (I had a blast at my last battle, only my second.. sorry)

So maybe we should work on this?