Model Boating - getting started
A model boat club like Basingstoke Model Boat Club, offers you the chance to see boats of all kind in operation and to talk to members about their experience and seek their guidance. Modellers love to talk to other people and offer their help.
Though we welcome new members it is not imperative that you join the club, just come along and meet members, view the range of models on display and talk about your interests. Members are always willing to help.
Getting started in model boating
Many people starting out in boating will go to a model shop and buy a ready to go model, probably with a radio set included. These offer great value for money, get you on the water immediately and develop your initial interest in the hobby. Like all things, you get what you pay for and what you buy will depend on who it is for. The market is vast and there are a number of really good shops that can help you with your questions and guide you in what to buy.
There are a whole range of considerations. Here are just a few;
- Do you prefer sailing over power boating?
- Will the boat be used by children and if so consider its speed and the fact that the number and life of batteries will play a part in how long it will run before recharging.
If you want to get started immediately, consider whether you will buy a ready to go boat with radio or buy separate radio equipment.
2.4GHz radios
In the past crystal controlled 27MHz and 40MHz two channel AM/FM radios had been the staple form of radio control within the model boating scene. Nowadays new 2.4GHz radios are available at reasonable cost and are in use by a number of members. 2.4GHz radios are totally different in that the transmitter is digitally coded to the receiver and has no requirement for a crystal. Simply put, there can be as many radios as modellers at the pond without a worry of another modeller switching on his transmitter on your frequency and crashing your model as it takes over.