A Parent's View on Model Boating
Misc Article ...
A little bit on how I got involved in RC and my views on it now from a parent's point of view...
I can still remember my first radio controlled (RC) car. I
was about 12 years old and my parents had bought
me this RC car for Christmas.
The kind you can buy at Sears or Walmart, you know the kind. I played with that
car a lot and loved it but it didn’t last very long. Luckily for me it was long
enough to get me seriously interested in RC. It didn’t take long for me to
realize I wanted a better quality RC car, something faster and tougher. Of
course, with that came a higher, much higher price tag! I immediately started
saving my money. At that time I worked summers on a neighbor’s farm and also
delivered the local newspaper. When I finally had enough money raised my father
took me to the one and only hobby shop within 100 miles from where we lived. It
wasn’t all that easy to convince my parents to let me buy the $600 car back
then though! I remember one thing my father said when he and my mother were
discussing it. He said “I rather he spent his time playing with these RC cars
than be wasting his time hanging out on sidewalks downtown.” I think that sold
the idea to my mother then and there, and it stuck in my mind ever since.
I don’t really play with RC cars anymore, although I buy the occasional one and end up selling it after a few runs! I just don’t really like all the maintenance involved with cars anymore. I like the simplicity of boats but for me it all started with RC cars. For others it might be planes, boats or helicopters. Regardless, it is all RC and it’s all fun!
My first RC boat was a scratch built outboard nitro powered
hydro. I was 14 or 15 yrs old. I built it from plans in a magazine.
I had only one friend who was also into RC boats back then. To this day
we both still run boats, and he is my racing partner. We attend a few big races
every year together and run our boats together when we can.
Today I am married and have two wonderful daughters which I truly hope will become involved in the sport of RC. I would obviously prefer they get into RC boats, but I will encourage them whatever they decide to try. They like to come to the lake with me when I run boats and we have just recently built a Crackerbox together. They are still a little bit young for actually driving the boats, but they are around them and developing an interest and that is a good thing. Both my daughters have RC cars and play with them regularly. It is helping them develop their driving skills. Funny thing is I didn’t buy them these cars, my parents did!
I really think that getting into RC helped keep me away from
some other “not so good” environments when growing up. I also learned a lot
from radio controlled models. I learn electrical and electronics, developed
mechanical skills and it always kept my mind at work thinking of new and better
ways of doing things. When the time came
to start thinking about my future and what kind of work I wanted to get into,
my hobby had a big influence on my decisions. I ended up enrolling in Robotics
in college and later in Industrial Instrumentation. One might be surprised how
many things I already knew in these fields, all because of my love for radio
controlled models!
I recently had the opportunity to take some boats to a local
school during student-parent week. The kids had a chance to see and touch the
boats. We also started one to show them what they sound like. I explained to
the kids the major components and functions of the boat and remote controller.
Needless to say they all really enjoyed this. Next time I will organize something
at the lake! These children are only in kinder garden but it won’t be long
before they can be the next generation of RC boaters!
To all you parents out there wondering if you should let your kids get into radio controlled boats (or any form of RC for that matter) I say guide and encourage them! It is a good hobby, from which your kids will learn many skills and meet a lot of good people!
Happy Boating!
