April Propwash 2018 web.pub

take aim and fire just like in a real combat battle. What I found to be really interesting at the Maker Faire were the questions that spectators would ask of me. Nothing like how fast, how much, and where can I get one? I was asked if I made the fiberglass boats. I replied with a no and how and where the boats could be obtained. So they moved on to questions about my scratch built wooden hulls. It did not matter if it was an aerospace engineer, children or even housewives. They were interested in the making of the boats. Conversations changed to sponson angles of attack, center of gravity, anhedrals and dihedrals. Afterplane, strut depths, and tuned pipe character- istics. Props became a whole another animal to talk about. Where was our NAMBA Propwash tech writer Lohring Miller when I needed him? This particular Maker Faire was held at Balboa Park in San Diego, California. There are 18 museums on location of which the most notable are the Rueben H. Fleet, Museum of Man, Air and Space, History and Automotive museums. There was an estimated crowd of over 25,000 people for the weekend due in part that a purchased ticket allowed entrance not only to the Maker Faire , but to all of the museums as well. Like many displays I have been to, they are usually static. However, Rob Wood took it to the next level big time. Not only did he have on hand his cannon display, he with the help of Mike Weber, Scale Director of the San Diego Argonauts designed and built the “Bottle Boat Regatta”. I guess that we would have to call them a “Maker”. All that was needed now was “Maker” imagination. That is where the kids came in which with all of the kibitzing going on, a mom’s and eventually a dad’s division needed to be created. Kids would take one of the sheets of paper and create their During 2015, 2016 and 2017, the NAMBA membership fell about 12.5%. This is a significant drop. There will always be some people who stop running their boats. Maybe it is age, maybe it is health, and maybe they move away. But, we should be attracting new people to maintain the NAMBA membership and hopefully increase membership. Often, we wonder how to go about attracting new members to model boating and to NAMBA. The biggest influence on membership growth is you, the NAMBA member. Most NAMBA members have more than one interest. People play golf, play tennis, ride motorcycles, enjoy shooting sports, ski, fish and/or hunt as well as run their radio controlled model boats. Maybe you are into classic cars, hot rods, camping, or something else entirely. We all meet other people as we enjoy our different hobbies and interests. Frequently, when I tell my ski buddies that I spend a lot of time with my R/C boats, they ask me about the hobby. Probably you have also been asked about the time you spend with your boats. Most people do what they think is fun. They pursue hobbies that offer them an interesting time. When people find out how much fun we have running our boats, they become more interested themselves. There is so much that goes into model boating. From the time spent in the shop building the boat, painting, installing radio equipment, and setting up the boat, there are many attractions involved. Many of us truly enjoy shop time. Many enjoy testing. Many enjoy the competition. When our acquaintances find out how much enjoyment we get out of our boats, they either shrug their shoulders and change the subject, or they do want to learn more about it. When someone comes to the pond to watch a race or testing, if you are having fun, it shows. When someone sees you having fun, they are automatically more interested in what you are doing. The biggest way to attract new members is to make sure you and the others with you are having fun at the pond. Keep your model boating fun; fun for you and fun for those around you. You may be surprised how many new members you can attract. Are You AMaker? By Al Waters NAMBA Executive Secretary What is a Maker? It is a person who is exploratory and uses hands on creativity. So what is a Maker Faire ? It’s a celebration of people who create. It could be robotics or technological. It can be the incorporation, engineering and design thinking principles used to solve a problem. That can encompass home solutions, electric travel, and even our own radio controlled model boats whether they be wind powered, battery powered, or gas and nitro powered. I was asked by our NAMBA Combat Chairman, Rob Wood if I would participate in the Maker Faire in San Diego this past September. Between the San Diego Argonauts Sail Division, the Western Warship Combat Club, and myself representing NAMBA, we had over 30 boats on display. Everything from destroyers, aircraft carriers, tug boats, fishing vessels, my own gas monos, gas sport hydros, and Classic Thunderboats, to the Queen Mary. I supplied a big screen television with 6000 still pictures of model boat racing dating back to the early nineties. Rob Wood supplied a cannon from one of his ships in an enclosed area with safety netting where spectators were able to PROPWASH Page 14 April 2018 Maintaining the NAMBAMembership By Alan Hobbs NAMBA President NAMBA Combat Chairman Rob Wood with his many combat ships There was a little bit of everything displayed. Crackerbox, Classic Thunderboat, Sport Hydro and Monos