How-to articles you'd like to see

[MattHiggins]

We have a bunch on tap, but we still need to know what you'd like to see.

[blizard05]

building and set up of FE,12cel,V hull brushed motor something to bring new people to raceing without spending BIG $$$

[Micho523]

Nitro Hammers are so popular, and many people want to know how to hop them up, so why not a how-to on the surface drive conversion?

[MattHiggins]

building and set up of FE,12cel,V hull brushed motor something to bring new people to raceing without spending BIG $$$

I think you'll find soething you like the August issue. We did a feature article right along those lines.

[MattHiggins]

Nitro Hammers are so popular, and many people want to know how to hop them up, so why not a how-to on the surface drive conversion?

We recently had a great (in my biased opinion) article on the Nitro Hammer.

I'm torn on doing a surface drive conversion article on boats like that. Bare hulls, specifically made for surface drive, aren't too expensive and I believe a better article might be about swapping running gear from a RTR to a new hull. You'd need some new hardware in addition to the new hull, but it would be a good way to transition or segway from RTRs to full kit boats.

[blizard05]

sounds great am intersted in geting into FE just spent $$$$ on AM Cyclone gas boat. getting older need somthing easer to transport and carry around wish yo would publish 12 mos can't wait for next issue

[Ron Olson]

How to prep a new prop. This seems to be one that the new boaters would like to do themselves but are afraid to do. A cheap and easy way to do it including sharpening and balancing. I know that some of ths stuff has been done before yet we have new boaters constantly coming into our sport/hobby that don't have the Library of RCBM's like I do.
One on servos, how much is needed for a throttle for Gas and Nitro carbs. How much is needed for rudders of different sized boats and outboard motors.
I had some other ones but I can't find them in my "Grey file" right now.

[Hydro Junkie]

Another one I would like to see is building plugs and making molds. I've got some cowlings to make and need some guidelines on how to go about it.

[MattHiggins]

How to prep a new prop. This seems to be one that the new boaters would like to do themselves but are afraid to do. A cheap and easy way to do it including sharpening and balancing. I know that some of ths stuff has been done before yet we have new boaters constantly coming into our sport/hobby that don't have the Library of RCBM's like I do.
One on servos, how much is needed for a throttle for Gas and Nitro carbs. How much is needed for rudders of different sized boats and outboard motors.
I had some other ones but I can't find them in my "Grey file" right now.

All good ideas. One of the above has coincidently been scheduled for the October issue.

[Ron Olson]

I've got one! This is one of the hardest things for me to do and would like to see an easy way to do it. Mounting a motor on isolated motor mounts! For anyone that has had to drill and tap one like the Speedmasters you know how hard it is to do. The Octura Humm-dinger mounts are easier but still can be trying at times.

[macleod]

I agree with Ron ideas,

My ideas are: Prop balancing, Positioning of motors and drive gear, servo setups (throttle and rudder).

More focus on scratch built boats (do and donts of construction) as I rather build than pay lots of money on glass hulls.
The best glues and building materials for scratch built boats.

Also I really enjoy every issue of RCBM that I get here downunder. :D :)

[BoatDoc]

Another one I would like to see is building plugs and making molds. I've got some cowlings to make and need some guidelines on how to go about it.

check out a company called "fiberglast". their web site is very informative. they have lots of free info for everyone from a beginner to expert. i'm looking into doing some molds too.

how 'bout more prop articles. maybe explaining what different mods can be done and explaining techniques a little better. i can balance, sharpen and polish but that's it. i'd like to know more about custumizing some of my props.

[Ron Olson]

We could use some of the very best articles saved on the RCBM site for future reference, both old and new. When we have a new or prospective boater with questions, us old guys with bad memories or something that you don't have to dig through a pile of old issues to find, it could be right at our fingertips. Maybe it's time for another big book in the R/C Store for more of the best and most popular articles.

Here's another one that I don't think that I've seen, safety at a race and/or at the pond. Matt, if you need some rough input on any of this, you know how to get ahold of me but I'm pretty sure that your regular help knows what I'm talking about.

[Doubledog]

If you look in the pages of this website, you'll see many build ups from engine swaps, to prop testing, to huge repairs. Why not dig through & ask the author of the thread if you can publish some of their work? Theres better info here than in the pages of the mag & until I get my wireless modem, I'm screwed because still can't take the puter to the JON so stuck with the magazine !

Thats what I don't understand. Guys go through lots of trouble to post helpful info here & it seems to get ignored in the pages. You want prop balancing, do a search. Finding CG, do a search. Tuned pipe length, search. That simple. Theres more stuff inside this forum than could ever be between the pages of that magazine.



Okay, so with that,
More in depth writing.
Seems as if you have a limit on whats allowed & naturally the pics take much space. Also seems like you cater real heavy to the primary sponsors.... Traaxas, Kyosho, Proboat & good Lord, Enforcer. Love them but theres other stuff out.

The writing is good, but its lacking. You can read an article in a few minutes and about the time it gets your interest, its done. No this ain't a book, but its not enough.

Thank goodness I'm learning to read German because they have three or four good rc boating mags that kick tail ! As it is, you've kinda got a hard grip on the American public so take advantage of it & blow this mag up !

Besides that, I'd like to see an article on two on those huge FE rigs that was done in the Feb '05 issue. Huge as in the AM Avenger etc...

[MattHiggins]

It didn't take too long for someone to flush this thread down the toilet.

If you look in the pages of this website, you'll see many build ups from engine swaps, to prop testing, to huge repairs. Why not dig through & ask the author of the thread if you can publish some of their work?
We have excellent writers working for RCBM that happen to be some of the most well-respected experts in the hobby.


Theres better info here than in the pages of the mag & until I get my wireless modem, I'm screwed because still can't take the puter to the JON so stuck with the magazine !
Sorry you're stuck with just the magazine. If it's not up to your standards, maybe it's not for you. We're here doing our best and putting out what I believe is a high-quality magazine full of great information. RCBM isn't written for one person—our mission is to serve the entire hobby as best we can.


Theres more stuff inside this forum than could ever be between the pages of that magazine.
I'm glad you like our website. It isn't here to compete with RCBM. It's here to compliment it and be a service to people just like you.


Also seems like you cater real heavy to the primary sponsors.... Traaxas, Kyosho, Proboat & good Lord, Enforcer. Love them but theres other stuff out.
This one gets old fast. You don't have to tell me there's other stuff out there. Basically, we review as many boats as we can get our hands on. Can we review every boat out there? No. We review and do general articles on a very wide variety of boats, but some people have blinders on and see what they want to see.


You can read an article in a few minutes and about the time it gets your interest, its done.
Well, that's because it's a magazine article. That's just how it works. We (or any magazine) can't publish twenty-page, single subject articles.

Sorry to vent. Let's get back to the subject at hand. What how-to or even feature articles would everyone like to see?

[Ron Olson]

Matt and Rick. Take a good look at a boat and see what those with experience already know or take for granted. Many of the new boaters are now buying the RTR or RTF boats. How many new boaters know how to do what I consider simple things like plumbing up a fuel tank properly for boat use? Things like this that are easier to show in a magazine with pix (well, I could if I wanted to put in the effort) but the pix help to go along with the words. The way that I do things may be completely different than how someone else does it.

[Doubledog]

Didn't mean to trash the thread. Looks worse reading than it would if you could hear a persons voice.

Back to the issue.......... More larger 36-50" FE build ups is what I'd like.

Ps,
Thanks for letting me share my view & at the same time, I'm a current subscriber & have been off & on for over 25 years. See, there's support.:)

Rock on RCBM.

[MattHiggins]

"Take a good look at a boat and see what those with experience already know or take for granted."

That's sound advice and an exercise we do perform. I try to put myself in the reader's shoes for every article.

I'm most interested specific articles people would like to see whether they are experienced or a beginner.

[MattHiggins]

"More larger 36-50" FE build ups is what I'd like."

Editor Matt Boyd has such a feature in the works.

[blizard05]

converting a trimer to boat use,how to water cool make mounts, change carb etc (you can teach an old dog new tricks) I read RCBM cover to cover I amm interested in all typs of boats 1-1 and model from all the posts you will have to publish 12 times a year

[Ron Olson]

How about one on spray painting for first-timers? Air brushes and touch-up guns? The real basics from how much air pressure to use, adjusting the mixture and good paints for the various types of boats, especially Nitro fuelproof. Prepping a hull for paint.

Maybe a little thing in the articles too, like suggested by ......... in the R/C Zone.

[bugfanatic]

I have to agree with DD, I think some articles should be multi-part or ongoing. There's no reason you have have to keep it short & simple just to fit it into the current issue. It looks like a lot of people need more in depth information than they feel they can get from a short article. After all, the car mags do it on their buildups or customization projects, & a few of the guys here have some great suggestions for ongoing articles. Why not a full in depth story on a single boat like buying the hull, prepping the hull, painting, motor break-in, radio & servo choice, radio installation & radio box building, hardware installation, fuel choices, testing (with radar gun), hopups, modifications & retesting? Then, when done, try a different type of boat. Start with a gas Deep-V, then a cat, then a hydro, then a nitro mono... This would be GREAT in my opinion. A lot of magazines for other hobbies do this because it seems this is what readers want. I want to know how to cup a prop, I want to know how much of a speed difference different nitro mixes make on the same motor & hull combo by testing with GPS or radar, I want to know the proper way to mount this or fix that or tune a pipe. The magazine is good, don't get me wrong, I love reading it. It touches on a lot of great stuff, but it looks like people want you to go further into it. Oh yeah, almost forgot, pictures, pictures pictures.

[MattHiggins]

How about one on spray painting for first-timers? Air brushes and touch-up guns? The real basics from how much air pressure to use, adjusting the mixture and good paints for the various types of boats, especially Nitro fuelproof. Prepping a hull for paint.

Maybe a little thing in the articles too, like suggested by ......... in the R/C Zone.

Good ideas.

[Doc]

I'd like to see more about scale and sailing.
- 'Doc

[Ron Olson]

I took an old issue of RCBM to work tonight, the September '95 copy. It had an article on prop work and another on building up a mono, a Steve Muck Spartan with a .21 and sub-surface drive, two of the things that some of you requested. :)
What I loved was the 37% scale Miss Bud in the Final Moorings section. The one year that I don't go to Toledo and that was there!

[Ron Olson]

I got to thinking about this thread at work tonight and came up with a few possibilities for articles.
One is what I call a "New To......." showing the basics of getting started in Nitro, Electrics, Steam, Scale and Sail boats for those that would like to try something different or for those just starting out.
There are some other things that most of us take for granted but to a new R/Cer they really don't know about. One thing is linkages to the rudders and throttles, it's hard to describe some things over the internet. I've seen a lot of questions in the forums as how to hook up a throttle for an outboard motor. Show a few ways and talk about the various ways that linkage hook-up can be done.

Matt, BTW, I'll try to IM you on Thursday, possibly in the late morning hours about you-know-what.

[zach54880]

I'd like to see more stuff about prop selection, maybe a list of general guidelines? Prop choice leaves me feeling dizzy. :eek:

More electric stuff is always good. :D

Maybe some basic construction tips, like how to set up surface drive monos, etc..maybe a comparison of the different ways to set up the hull, and the benefits and disadvantages of each??

I'm sure I've missed something, but these subjects would get my interest now.

ZRV

[fredhh47]

I'd like to see a short article investigating the difference in lubrication methods, grease versus oil. I've been a greaser for several years (Permatex SuperLube, with teflon) but recently decided to try forced oiling with an Irwin sump tank. I'm looking forward to not having to pull the flexshaft out after each heat to grease it. But does it really make a difference? What about different "oil" combinations, such as motor oil+STP, etc. Which is better? Just a thought.

[Burkey1000]

how about building a boat from the hull up, ie, Start with a hull and build it from there on up, over say, 4 issues. And more on gas boats, not just electric and nitro. How about home tunning, the motorbike mags used to do it.Its not that hard to get a very fast engine that will keep up with most tunned motors, and you dont need a cnc to do it. :)

[Doubledog]

To the top

[Hydro Junkie]

I think what it comes down to is the articles are normally good, but it takes someone with experience to really be able to use the quickly presented material. John, if I remember right, did a multipart article on a late 19th Century Russian yacht a while back. That article would be a good model for the kind of article that would help a beginner the most. Lots of info, presented in a way that wasn't overwhelming to a new boater, while still being instructional and informative. One of these over two or three issues, followed by something else over two or three issues would be fantastic.

[Ron Olson]

I had to bring this back up to page one. Here's one for the electric guru's at the magazine.
I'm not into electric boats for myself but could someone please explain brushless electric motors? What do those numbers mean? How does one know how many cells to use (minimum and maximum) and what BL motor is the right one for certain boats?
I got to where I could kind of figure out brushed motors but the brushless ones have thrown me for a loop!

[BoatDoc]

definitely a good one, ron. i think RCBM had an article about brushless a while back, but more would be good. a lot of times we have to rely on vendor information or talking to the experts (ah em...Fluid). seeing as how electric is pretty much moving entirely in that direction, it would be good to see some more basic stuff on the subject.

[Ron Olson]

I was at the Toledo show Saturday and after the postings that I've seen on other forum sites this was one question that kept coming up. With brushless motors becoming a big part of the hobby/sport, most that would like to try brushless don't have a clue as to where to start.
From what I heard also, the seminars there for the plane guys on how to switch over from nitro to electric didn't go over too well as the people that were teaching were arguing with each other. If the Pro's can't agree, then how are others supposed to be able to figure this stuff out? Some of the dealers were helpful to many customers but when they get busy, it's hard to talk to them for more than a couple of minutes.

[BoatDoc]

there's a lot of information to sift through. i built my 1st brushless boat last year. now i own a total of 5 or 6 motors for my growing fleet. some are easy to sort out, others use cryptic codes to identify their motors. when in doubt i call peter richards (climate models) or chris fines (fine design). peter doesn't deal in motors but his hulls are the best and he knows what set ups work. chris will not only tell you the best one to get, he'll sell it to you too. both of those guys know their stuff, and will tell you what you need to know without any B.S. there are a lot of other dealers that will help you, but i get most of my stuff through them and they have been the most helpful.

about the arguing...frustrating crap for the newbies. the fact that the FE guys i've talked too have been so great is half the reason i've been hooked into it. i had two many bad experiences with nitro "experts". no one gains a thing when you belittle someone for asking a question. (i think that count's as edition 2 of "BoatDoc's Soapbox"...a new column for RCBM???? :D )