NAMBA October 2021 Web.pub

PROPWASH 16 October 2021 Entry Fees...What a Deal! By Dave Rychalsky NAMBA History Chairman Editors Note: Please take in to consideration that Dave Rychalsky was District 1 Director many moons a go and the cost of everything today is more expense than in the 90’s. However, he makes a great point that still stands relative to this day. After being elected as the Director in District l, I thought it would be beneficial to speak to model boaters in search of ideas on how to "improve" model boat racing. A few guys had hinted that the entry fees were too high! That made me sit down and think. Could the entry fees be lowered? Are they really too high? Hmmm... Let's examine the break down of costs for the typical entry fee. In District l, the Mono / Hydro entry fees were $6.00 per boat for four rounds of racing. All of the other classes were $7.00 per boat, and R/C Unlimited was $9.00 in March 1996. Now, since we ran four rounds, that's $1.50 to $1.75 per boat per round, respectively. Since the drivers were required to race for five laps, that is a mere 30 to 35 cents per lap. The club sponsoring the race would offer to "time" the driver's boat for all five laps, assist in the starting and launching of his boat if needed, and keep an eye on the boat for the entire time it's on the water! Here's the kicker! If the boat failed to finish the five laps and the courtesy lap, someone will go out in a retrieve boat and row to his boat, carefully pick up his boat, and bring it right back to him! WOW!!! What a deal. Now, that's what I call a lot of Bang for your Buck and a Half'! In addition, if he raced exceptionally well in all four rounds, and did not require the services of the boat retriever, he would probably be awarded a trophy for his prized $750 boat! Therefore, the next time someone asks to have the entry fees lowered, you can surely explain the excellent service provided by a hosting club at a race which dwarfs that irrelevant $6.00 entry fee! Editors Note: Due to economic factors since the 90’s, District 1 races fees have increased by $2.00 per boat. One-Off Epoxy Glass Parts By Lohring Miller NAMBA Safety Chairman The hardest job in making epoxy glass models is building the plug and mold. The standard method involves a lot of sanding, finishing, more sanding, and polishing on both the plug and the mold. Any changes require a repeat of the whole process. This is fine for an expected production run of many boats, but is very time consuming for one or two. It also doesn’t allow easy modification for experimental projects. Recently, Dave Solway asked me, as the former Leecraft builder, if I could make an XT-120 cowl. I got rid of the Leecraft molds and plugs a long time ago but still have an old XT-120. I decided to try 3D printing as a faster way to build a duplicate. The first step is to model the cowl. I measured my cowl as well as I could and created a model in Fusion 360. Compare this to my original. Dave’s from Washington, so the duck is a no no.