Tweet
Hi!
I am recovering from some medical issues, and have been diving back into the sub projects to get some builds lined up for the winter. While I'm relatively new to the hobby, I have a few observations prompted by some threads on growing the hobby and some questions I have received while running my sub.
First. This stuff is fun, especially when you finally have a boat running well.
The learning curve is step. I had wanted to build an RC sub for years, an had a number of ideas of how to build it.. Then I found that the hobby was much more advanced. The tutorial books, videos, and forums are essential in teaching people what is possible.
Having established sources of subs (i.e. vendors), that stock components to kits to ready to run is critical. The RTR R10 I got from the Drydocks has been a good learning setup and accelerated my dive into the hobby. The damage done to that model by UPS has improved my skills working with these kinds of kit based models. I finally chased out a wiring issue caused by UPS shock testing that was causing ballast pump controller issues. The experience repairing and tuning up a boat to run reliably has provided good instruction for progressing to my next projects.
The jump into building a sub from components is fairly large. WTCs are critical. There are essentially custom sources, but the selection of the right WTC is not necessarily easy, given the limited selection, especially for an odd model. For some of the "mass produced" components, it is frustrating that suppliers don't list dimensional data or specifications. A specific example here is the Arkmodel offerings. Fortunately most of the custom builders give this information.
Radios. The 75MHz barrier has been a major problem. The new 915 MHz radios are a boon.
Venues. having a place to run the sub is critical. Fortunately there is a swim area on a river outlet from a lake about 5 minutes from here. There are swimmers, sometime kayakers, and on one occasion an RC boat. I am semi-retired so I can go when there is no crowd. The water is mostly clear with a mild current, so good for running the sub. I have lost the sub on the bottom twice, and the fact that the space is swimmable was critical in retrieving it. The problem leading to those two occasions is hopefully now fixed, so I am letting it run further afield. I need to find some other areas to run the subs, but here in southern Wisconsin we have a lot of lakes.
Cost is a major hurdle buying in to the RC sub hobby. RC subs are not unique in this. Most hobbies and sports requiring real equipment are not cheap. With all these hobbies, having a low cost barrier to enter helps a lot, especially while learning. I have also done medieval armored combat for over 40 years. I compete, and make custom gear. Tell a new guy they have to shell out a couple grand for a custom rig that they have to wait 6 months for and may use for just a year before they know what they actually want, and they go looking for other sports. Get them setup in some basic low cost gear to get out and have fun, and they will keep coming back, stepping up as they get more invested. What I don't see with the RC subs are off the shelf RTR subs that are relatively affordable ($500-$900 with radio) and give a fun intro the hobby.
Finally, a big shout out to the forums and masters of the hobby for answering stupid newbie questions and helping to trouble shoot items.
Thanks
Chris
I am recovering from some medical issues, and have been diving back into the sub projects to get some builds lined up for the winter. While I'm relatively new to the hobby, I have a few observations prompted by some threads on growing the hobby and some questions I have received while running my sub.
First. This stuff is fun, especially when you finally have a boat running well.
The learning curve is step. I had wanted to build an RC sub for years, an had a number of ideas of how to build it.. Then I found that the hobby was much more advanced. The tutorial books, videos, and forums are essential in teaching people what is possible.
Having established sources of subs (i.e. vendors), that stock components to kits to ready to run is critical. The RTR R10 I got from the Drydocks has been a good learning setup and accelerated my dive into the hobby. The damage done to that model by UPS has improved my skills working with these kinds of kit based models. I finally chased out a wiring issue caused by UPS shock testing that was causing ballast pump controller issues. The experience repairing and tuning up a boat to run reliably has provided good instruction for progressing to my next projects.
The jump into building a sub from components is fairly large. WTCs are critical. There are essentially custom sources, but the selection of the right WTC is not necessarily easy, given the limited selection, especially for an odd model. For some of the "mass produced" components, it is frustrating that suppliers don't list dimensional data or specifications. A specific example here is the Arkmodel offerings. Fortunately most of the custom builders give this information.
Radios. The 75MHz barrier has been a major problem. The new 915 MHz radios are a boon.
Venues. having a place to run the sub is critical. Fortunately there is a swim area on a river outlet from a lake about 5 minutes from here. There are swimmers, sometime kayakers, and on one occasion an RC boat. I am semi-retired so I can go when there is no crowd. The water is mostly clear with a mild current, so good for running the sub. I have lost the sub on the bottom twice, and the fact that the space is swimmable was critical in retrieving it. The problem leading to those two occasions is hopefully now fixed, so I am letting it run further afield. I need to find some other areas to run the subs, but here in southern Wisconsin we have a lot of lakes.
Cost is a major hurdle buying in to the RC sub hobby. RC subs are not unique in this. Most hobbies and sports requiring real equipment are not cheap. With all these hobbies, having a low cost barrier to enter helps a lot, especially while learning. I have also done medieval armored combat for over 40 years. I compete, and make custom gear. Tell a new guy they have to shell out a couple grand for a custom rig that they have to wait 6 months for and may use for just a year before they know what they actually want, and they go looking for other sports. Get them setup in some basic low cost gear to get out and have fun, and they will keep coming back, stepping up as they get more invested. What I don't see with the RC subs are off the shelf RTR subs that are relatively affordable ($500-$900 with radio) and give a fun intro the hobby.
Finally, a big shout out to the forums and masters of the hobby for answering stupid newbie questions and helping to trouble shoot items.
Thanks
Chris
Comment