Model Boat Mayhem

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length.
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Down

Author Topic: Average age of members ?  (Read 6792 times)

Captain Povey

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #25 on: August 23, 2007, 11:26:29 am »

Hello all. There are lots of valid points on this thread. From my personal experience of spending years trying to interest youngsters in another passon of mine target rifle shooting which also takes months and years to be proficient and at requires thought, physical and mental control the problem is that once they get to 16/17 they discover girls are not so bad after all and much more fun to lie down with compared to a rifle.  ;D Cheers Graham  :)
Logged

Tom Eccles

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #26 on: August 23, 2007, 01:09:23 pm »

I want to add my twopence worth to this thread.

My Grandson is 10 (born on 30th Dec) Like many of his contemporaries he is an Xbox fan.
We have noticed over the years that he enjoyed "action" toys with mickey mouse r/c or cable control systems. Sadly we also noticed that these toys cost a lot of money and some times lasted a whole day before breaking.

Late last year I took my grandson to our local model shop and told him to choose his RTR. He chose a Carlson Tug as a Christmas present and I bought him membership of our club as part of his birthday present. You know what? He LOVES it! He lives about 50 miles away and does not get over too often but his first questions are always on the progress of the latest build followed by "when are we going sailing Grandad?

As the youngest member he is treated with great indulgence by the old guys and enjoys every minute of sailing the Carlson or my Yorkshireman. He brings the average age of our club membership down a few notches and I hope that one day he is going to tell me he wants to build one himself.

As for encouraging the youngsters, I think you either enjoy models or they leave you cold. the only young men we will encourage are those who are already of the modelling mentality.

Clegg
Logged

Bryan Young

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 6,883
  • Location: Whitley Bay
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #27 on: August 23, 2007, 11:48:09 pm »

Age does not really come into it.
Youngsters come into the hobby because a) it is fun and/or (b) dad does it.
The prolferation of "ready to sail" or "ready to fly" straight out of the box does not help the modelling fraternity at all. I guess we must all face the inevitable, that this generation of ours will see the demise (in general) of a generation willing to spend time and effort building something unique. I can lay some of this on the doorsteps of the "kit"manufacturers as they all seem to promise a "quick" way of producing a working model. No experience required. No need to do any research, just read the instructions.
Is that really the way that model boating is heading? I think it is.
The majority of members on this forum seem to build "out of the box", and are therefore building a boat that is somebody elses.
Quick and easy.
The Kit manufactuters do (in general) a pretty good job......but of necessity their range has to be limited. It is not really surprising that newcomers to the hobby think that all boats are "kits".
MODERATED

Brian
The thread is about the age of members on the forum, not your thoughts on building kits.

Brian
Logged
Notes from a simple seaman

Ghost in the shell

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,704
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #28 on: August 24, 2007, 12:04:22 am »

brian, not all of us have the skill to build from a set of plans, I know I dont!

Logged
Go Nuclear!  you'll love it

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #29 on: August 24, 2007, 12:07:24 am »

Bryan, that is a more reasoned argument that some of your earlier posts and you do make a valid point. However, the situation has been like that for years. I don't object to kits for the following reasons:

1. They encourage people into the hobby.
2. Building a kit is better than building nothing and simply sitting in front of a computer game. Many kits do stretch the builder - if only because of the incomprehensible instructions and badly fitting parts! They do provide a valuable learning experience and frequently something to be proud of.
3. I think it's fair to say that most scratchbuilders started on kits whether Airfix or something more sophisticated. They learned from them and went on to improve their skills. Everyone has to start somewhere and some continue further down the road than others - that's life.
4. Taken to its logical conclusion, scratchbuilders who build from plans are simply replicating somebody else's design and not creating something new. OK, it's a step up from building kits but is it really any different in principle?

A good friend of mine, now sadly passed on, used to design and build his own liner models. He was criticised because they were not "authentic"! There are no rights and wrongs in this hobby, just different viewpoints. You are entitled to yours but that doesn't mean that it is "right" - it's just different.
Logged

Ghost in the shell

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2,704
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #30 on: August 24, 2007, 01:02:24 am »


A good friend of mine, now sadly passed on, used to design and build his own liner models. He was criticised because they were not "authentic"! There are no rights and wrongs in this hobby, just different viewpoints. You are entitled to yours but that doesn't mean that it is "right" - it's just different.

Colin, I go on something simple, If it looks right, it probably is!
Logged
Go Nuclear!  you'll love it

Peter Fitness

  • Global Moderator
  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 7,376
  • Location: Wyrallah, near Lismore NSW Australia
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #31 on: August 24, 2007, 08:10:17 am »

We seem to be getting away from the original subject here, the age of members, and into an area that has caused debate in many forms of modelling - kit versus scratch. Bryan seems to be saying that we are not true modellers unless we do the lot, design the subject, draw the plan, and build the model, and he may be right. However, how many of us have the skills, or the desire, to do this? I know I don't. I have always derived greater enjoyment from building from plans (someone else's), whether it be aircraft or boats, but I have also built from kits, mainly because I don't have the necessary skills to build the particular model any other way. It is an argument that will continue as long as there are enough of us older modellers to know the difference between scratch built, kit built or RTR, and it is all rather futile as, by definition, we are all modellers in the end - because, by whatever means, we make models. ;)
Peter.
Logged

Colin Bishop

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 12,171
  • Location: SW Surrey, UK
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #32 on: August 24, 2007, 08:31:13 am »

Quote
If it looks right, it probably is!

Or, "If it looks right, you've probably got the wrong idea!"  ;)
Logged

chas

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #33 on: August 24, 2007, 09:42:03 am »

Cmon, surely model boating is only about one thing, enjoying whatever you do. Scratch built or kit, speed or scale, static or working, It doesn't matter if you enjoy it. I will never forget a youngster on his first visit to a club, years ago who got a scathing remark from an 'old git' ( now long gone) we never saw that lad again. This forum is famous for being friendly and helpful, that's the most important thing we can do to bring in the young 'uns.
   Just a thought, but perhaps some clubs could invite cub and scout groups to visit, I think they can still earn a craft badge. What's the betting that some clubs already do this?
 Charlie
Logged

Made it to 80 (25p Richer now)

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 729
  • Location: Lincolnshire
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #34 on: August 24, 2007, 11:05:00 am »

Well said Chas :police:
Logged
I'm not old I'm mature middle aged

DickyD

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9,423
  • www.srcmbc.org.uk
  • Location: Southampton UK
    • SRCMBC
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #35 on: August 24, 2007, 12:03:03 pm »

Mark and Hannah were down our way the other weekend and came to our lake on the Sunday morning.
We dont have too many young members but I think I am right in saying that us old fellers made them welcome and that even our dedicated scratch builders were very impressed with Hannah and her Springer tug.
We have 100 members and a waiting list and are known as a friendly and helpful club to all ages.
Infact several of the more senior members of the club offered to help my nipper, by throwing him  into the middle of the lake to retrieve my PT boat superstructure he'd lost. ???
Logged
Richard Solent Radio Controlled Model Boat Club http://www.srcmbc.org.uk

Captain Povey

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #36 on: August 24, 2007, 01:16:04 pm »

Hello all, Well in my time I have designed, made the prototypes and put the product into production for my company so I suppose I can claim to have all he required skills for scratch building but what I lack is the time. The last kit build took me 6 months by which time I wanted to get it finished and on the water. It was not that easy to build and did require some builder input. Each to their own I say. Cheers Graham  :)
Logged

Guy Bagley

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1,218
  • Location: thames valley
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #37 on: August 24, 2007, 01:53:50 pm »

i can only speak from experience, my 4 yr old son wanted a boat 'cos dad has one ( well actually several ! )

 i thought about the ready to run option for him , something he could basically slip the lid on , stick the stickers on and get wet and get running, after all he is only 4....

 but imagine my surprise when in the local modelshop ( sadly now clsed !) when he started picking at styrene sheets and telling me he also needed some wood for his boat......  and he then started to look at the more unusual extruded sections of plastruct.... he had no idea what he was going to make but he wanted these materials.....i nearly steered him away from these bits and bobs and then the penny dropped.... he wanted to 'create' and not just  'buiLd'-

 i was sure something  brightly coloured , sporty looking with aerofiols and fins on would be what he would go for in the shop- you know the stuff that frequents  the windows of most hobby shops and  some trade stands at shows, ... the stuff made in their thousands in the land of the rising sun.....

after a minute or two i decided not to dampen his idea, we bought several types of  material, and glues, and paints and took it all home, we then purchased a GRP hull on line about a week later,  not of anything in particular but one he liked the look of !- he then sketched ( well more of a well meaning scribble) an idea of what he wanted to build, and then he started to mark out on the materials what he planned to make,  carefully the boat began to take shape,

 but his enthusiasm to build, and to solve the problems as he went along was worth every penny- that to me was the most worthwhile bit , ok , what he actually put together is  just a 3d version of what he had in his head, its a  slow plodder of a boat, its a twin screw vessel, very boxy type superstructure,pretty ugly in fact, looks a bit like a house boat !!! but he loves it.... and hopefully the true model boater  in him has been let loose, and as he gets older he may build something else,  but the pride  he takes over his boat in unreal,at shows he tells everyone ' i made this'

a ready to run boat would have been alot quicker to build but i bet by now it would be in the bottom of the wardrobe in its polystyrene box..... he however has his boat pride of place on show in his bedroom....

so whatever you decide  lets not tar everyone with the same brush, not all youngsters want to sit and play xbox, or playstation,  not all want to operate model boats..... not everyone can or wants to scratch build,  thats fine, whatever we do lets agree on one thing -and that is model boating in whatever form it takes is a rewarding pastime,  and hopefully long may it continue !- at least now my son knows how to mix araldite and how to carefully score and snap plasticard... valuable skills in later life ! O0


Logged
all in all its just another brick in the wall......

Tom Eccles

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #38 on: August 24, 2007, 05:16:36 pm »

Very well put Guy.

As for your closing sentiments - I could not agree more.

Clegg
Logged

bigfella

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #39 on: August 25, 2007, 11:54:43 pm »

Hi All

I have observed over the years that there can be two reasons for the younger generation not willing to join our hobby, one is as mentioned the Instent gratification factor. The other is what I call the fear of failure, I know it sounds silly and many may disagree but these days youngsters are so competitive that they will not venture into something that they don't know and there fore might fail.

Another observation is that the American Indians had the right idea when it came to raising children. Whilst the parents went out hunting and doing the necessary things for survival the children were taught by their grandparents instilling the skills and ways needed. If only this could be used in todays society, I think, the world would be a better place.

Just my thoughts

Regards David
Logged

bigford

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #40 on: August 26, 2007, 02:44:35 am »

at 34 i enjoy building things cars boats models anything. 
    i think as age goes it a speed thing
a scale tug is not as fast as a nitro car or as cool as a 4x4 with brushless motors. so you wont see
to many young kids here in the states into scale anything
Logged

anmo

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 299
  • That's unpossible!
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #41 on: August 26, 2007, 11:04:17 am »



Another observation is that the American Indians had the right idea when it came to raising children. Whilst the parents went out hunting and doing the necessary things for survival the children were taught by their grandparents instilling the skills and ways needed. If only this could be used in todays society, I think, the world would be a better place.




I like the idea of parents going out hunting for food, but it wouldn't be good news for the dog and cat population in UK towns and cities. Also, if that caught on here, it would have a very bad effect on Tesco's share price
Logged
caution, may contain traces of nuts .....

bigfella

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #42 on: August 26, 2007, 01:11:34 pm »

I don't know, at least you would know that what you are eating is fresh and hasn't got some terrible preservative in it.  :D :D

Some how I don't think that the American Indians go hunting anymore that is left to the crazies who have the RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS so they hunt college students just for fun.

I was referring to the way they lived before being herded onto reservations (just in case you could not figure it out for yourself) ::) ::)

Regards David
Logged

anmo

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 299
  • That's unpossible!
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #43 on: August 26, 2007, 02:13:18 pm »


 the RIGHT TO BARE ARMS


Well, that's certainly the reason that short-sleeved shirts and T shirts were invented.....
Logged
caution, may contain traces of nuts .....

catengineman

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #44 on: August 26, 2007, 08:19:34 pm »

The average age of members? and there is yet another thread on the subject of kit verses scratch or should I just say scratched record?

I myself am now a 38 year old who has four grand children one a boy who has asked "G'dad Richard can I help you make the next boat"? he is at the grand age of 6 1/2 now.
If I lived closer then he would be by my side at every chance to learn as much as he could just like HIS dad MY son so Jay's age would bring the average down....

As for kits etc etc I have built a car from some kit some my own design but it IS UNIQUE then there are the tugs I have constructed, yes from kits but then when you look at the modifications you would know that there is a lot of know how to do that used, I am at the moment constructing a model of a dredger totally from plans (originals) but that is what I can do and I don't normally bark on about it

I enjoy this HOBBY and enjoy the help that others can and do give FREE I try not to say what is wrong and what is not as it is not MY build

Long may the average age drop lower and lower
Logged

Capt Jack

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 219
  • Location: Southampton
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #45 on: August 26, 2007, 09:00:42 pm »

38 ?,my 'bottom' !!!!!
Logged

DickyD

  • Full Mayhemer
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 9,423
  • www.srcmbc.org.uk
  • Location: Southampton UK
    • SRCMBC
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #46 on: August 26, 2007, 09:05:03 pm »

I myself am now a 38 year old who has four grand children one a boy who has asked "G'dad Richard can I help you make the next boat"? he is at the grand age of 6 1/2 now.
Long may the average age drop lower and lower

Do you think your average age might have dropped too low ?? ??? ::)
Logged
Richard Solent Radio Controlled Model Boat Club http://www.srcmbc.org.uk

catengineman

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #47 on: August 26, 2007, 09:12:40 pm »

OK sorry TYPO             48
Logged

catengineman

  • Guest
Re: Average age of members ?
« Reply #48 on: August 26, 2007, 09:15:29 pm »

OK sorry TYPO             48


Now I'm  having palpitations so I'll GO BACK TO 38

IF the female persuasion can get away with it SO CAN US UNEMPLOYED
Logged
Pages: 1 [2]   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.097 seconds with 22 queries.