Thanks SimpleSailor! Over on this side of the ocean there is a place called "Andy's Hobby Headquarters". Roughly 2,000 miles from me (too far) I heard about it on YouTube. So that seems to be their primary advertising method. However, it is a physical store, not an internet front and carries a lot of models and supplies. Not so much for boats however.

The opposite seems to be "MotionRC" which focuses mainly on RTRs (radio controlled tanks, planes, boats...) and some accessories. I don't think they have a physical store. They do a lot of advertising on YouTube, often several times a week.

Lew

https://www.motionrc.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorHdHttS0roGslQYILdtRVtI_1lEy4ISWblEm1jqp-z6UaeR40i

https://www.google.com/search?q=andy%27s+hobby+headquarters+photos&hl=en-US&ved=1t:200715&ictx=111&shopcct=1&udm=28

Hi. I agree with all of the sentiments model shops are having a tough time. I have a list of shops that are still going but I must confess to going to the great river shop more times than I should. One of the problems with the local shops is they cannot afford to advertise. I would hate to think how much an advert in a good hobbies magazine cost per page now days. Years ago I used to pay £1,000 a month per page to advertise a mail-order PC company and were advertising in three magazines. Here in the UK one guy has at least taken up the batten and is trying to promote model shops on his YouTube channel. Maybe that is the way to go.

Sounds about right ChrisF. Here in Florida some retirees buy the RTRs. Tired of sailing alone or in most cases can't find a decent pond, some will seek out others, perhaps clubs.

I have never bought a RTR. I have been given enough to run a small fleet. Some I pass on and some I keep, especially if they have prospects for looking good after upgrading.

Lew

I think there are two main user groups for RTR model boats. There are those, perhaps a father and son, or grandfather who just want to get a boat and use it and to make things as easy as possible buy one that comes complete with Tx and everything else and is ready to run out of the box after fitting/charging the battery.

Then there are the club members, who like me build their own models but also buy RTR and ARTR models as well. In my case it was so I had something to learn on, both powered and sail and to use down the club during my lengthy builds though I do have a couple of ready built models as well.

When the fast electric boats are out it's good to be able to join in with something you don't have to be worried about getting hit, turned over or even ending up on the bank which our water-jet models often do! Then you have racing with the Club 500 power boats and Dragonforce 65 etc. which are popular because they are relatively cheap but competitive and again you aren't precious about them. At our club meets there are many RTR amongst the models being used. One recent example being the small Glader water-jet. I went down one week and there was a couple of folks with them. I had a go and immediately bought one. A few weeks later there were a lot of them. They are not too fast, great fun and impromptu racing usually breaks out!

Model boats as a hobby is in decline but as a "toy" they seem to still be very popular given the number that are available and new ones being added.

So in conclusion I think that RTR and ARTR are very important for both casual users and for more serious modellers.

Chris

Here in eastern MA we have few hobby shops left. The RTR planes n boats are in the 500$ range. Getting Balsa wood even is a problem. I have two in my area and RC place in FoxBoro and in Norton Henry’s hobby. In CA Burbank hobbies and Smith Brothers

Good comments all! Looks like we have the same issues and thoughts on both sides of the "big pond".

Lew

Lewz,
I believe there is a place for both Model kits and RTR in the hobby. I have an Aquacraft Fire Rescue, Bristol Bay, Cajun Commander Airboat, Atlantic Tug, as well as Kyosho Jetski, Surfer Dude, and Streamliner.
These are all in my harbor alongside my kit-built boats.
Several Club members have the Proboat Horizon Harbor Tug, which they use as a rescue boat.
If being able to buy an RTR boat gets people into RC boating, I say, "Why not?"
Dave B

The decline in model shops in the U.K. has many causes - not all of them as obvious as you may think.

Firstly, shop lifting.
It is very difficult to display thousands of modelling kits and paints etc without a large percentage of them being stolen. No insurance is available to cover this and police support and recovery of goods is non existent as they declare it a low priority commercial (non criminal) case.

Mail order fraud is another huge loss maker
Goods are sold and sent out correctly to the confirmed delivery address only for the recipient to deny receiving them - even with the courier’s proof of delivery photograph and the recipients signature.
This is big low risk business for the criminals who are not challenged by the credit card issuers or the police (again not classified as a criminal activity)

Very low profit margins exist within the U.K. model trade, and the willingness of the shop keeper to try to match discount prices of others often shows the sale was made at a loss - ie sold for less than it was bought for

The store owner having no idea that the discounts on offer are false (the business offering the discount actually has no stock of the items on offer !).

Large Mail order suppliers can generally offer lower prices than the local model shop because they paid less for their stock - often making a higher profit that the model store even on the odd occasion when the store does achieve the “suggested retail price” that the suppliers base their trade prices on.

Local support for the model shops is also very low with customers seeking help and advise before buying elsewhere at a price the local store cannot offer.

Even worse, angry customers go to their local store demanding repairs and replacements - despite not even buying the items from the store concerned!

The better and more helpful and genuine the store keeper is, the more he is likely to be abused until forced to give up and try to earn a living to support his family elsewhere.

With high insurance premiums and high overheads and rates to pay, very few model shops have been able to survive despite often working very long hours and often failing to draw a wage - even with very good looking turnover figures.

I run ready-to-run model boats from time to time - especially when I am in between building/restoring and repairing my current projects.

Most of these are simple “flattie” type models that can be just taken it of the car and launched without any more effort that switching them on!

My current favourite is the Thunder Tigre AVANTI, but this is sadly no longer available - and much worse is the fact that there are No Spare Parts available to keep it running.

Not even the manufacturer has any spare parts, so in the longer term vulnerable unique parts such as the rudder assembly will need to be replaced with a non- standard part that has to be modified or fitted, and this partly negates the reason for buying it.

Ready-to-Run model boats need to be well supported with a good supply of easy to fit replacement parts or the reason for buying them as a quick and easy way to sail a model boat is lost.

As it is, my AVANTI models need as much looking after as my classic model power boats as the search for basic spare parts has proven to be fruitless