The St. Louis Admirals R/C Model Boat Club is a group of hobbyists dedicated to sharing the knowledge and fun of the R/C model boat hobby. The depth and breadth of experience the club offers, combined with its laid-back atmosphere, attracts the beginner modeler and master builder alike.

by Commodore Jim

April 15, 2008

April has finally arrived and with it, hopefully, better weather to go sailing. A week ago I got my first opportunity to join other Boat Club members at St. Ferdinand Park and test the waters. That was quite a change from March when I not only didn't go sailing, but also called off the Club meeting due to the impending snow and ice storm. Nasty weather to be out on slippery roads!

But last week it was a different story, still cool and a little windy, but great to see three members with sailboats moving swiftly across the pond, along with a great paddlewheeler and a neat tug with smoke and engine sound. I just wasn't up to lugging the big submarine up out of the basement, so I decided to try my captain skills with a very basic boat, in fact a "toy" Nkok boat that I had gotten from Tower Hobbies for just over $100 including the RC radio gear. Now this is no work of art nor museum piece, but it is a good looking model of a 110' Coast Guard patrol boat. And it's the same scale as my big sub.

My whole point in doing this was to try out an RC boat that came ready-to-run and available to an absolute novice for a relatively small investment. It is very basic in its controls - forward, back, left and right and with no speed control - but it is a boat that runs on the water. It steers by stopping one of the twin props, so it takes a little getting used to turning the boat and then giving it full forward, and off you go. Our Admirals Constitution calls for having an interest in model boating, and with this boat as a first acquaintance with the hobby, one can have a lot of simple fun and maybe even get more involved with some nicer models.

I have also purchased a second boat just like this one, but I am in the process of some serious modifications to make it into a 110' subchaser. I have removed the twin motor pods and filled in the hull, and I plan to have rudders, twin screws with Graupner drives, and a real RC set for more realistic controls. But underneath, it will still have its origin as another Nkok toy boat.

Last month the Admirals lost another long-time member, Frank Berchek. I had worked briefly with Frank when we undertook to revise and update our Constitution and Bylaws. He had a great deal of helpful historic information about the Club, and the end result is our new Constitution and Bylaws. Thanks for your help, Frank - smooth sailing and calm winds. You will be missed.

Looking forward, we had a Regatta committee meeting to discuss plans for our 20th Regatta on September 20-21 at Union Station. We looked at things that worked well in the past and some things that we felt could be improved. We are experiencing the same cost increases as everyone else, so this year will unfortunately bring some additional expenses for Regatta participants. You are going to have to pay for parking this year, but we have been able to get participants a fee of $5 per day, as opposed to the standard fee of $16. While having to pay anything isn't good, at least we won't be paying anything near the standard price.

And since we are an operating RC model boat club, we are going to insist on seeing award entries actually be IN THE WATER AND OPERATING before they will be considered eligible for judging and competing for awards. You want an award - you have got to get your boat wet!

I am looking forward to a busy season of model boating, so stay busy, get your boats and ships out on the pond, and enjoy the great Midwest outdoors.

Commodore Jim