Model boat for 7 & 9 year old

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allan@yates.ca - 04 Aug 2005 01:09 GMT

Apologies in advance, as this is not quite RC specific, but it seemed
the best place.

I am looking for boat kits to build with my two daughters, aged 7 and
9. I'd love to get them into radio control one day, but that's not the
stage we are at. A static model would be OK, but a floating or electric
powered one might tweak their interest a bit more. Ideally a simpler
kit for the 7 year old and a more complex one for the 9 year old.

My local hobby store wasn't overally helpful. I looked at a number of
online stores (e.g. Tower Hobbies, Great Hobbies) and while they have a
lot of kits listed, no indication of age appropriateness is given.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks,

Allan.

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Pat March - 04 Aug 2005 07:46 GMT

> Apologies in advance, as this is not quite RC specific, but it seemed
> the best place.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Allan.

In similar situations I have done well designing my own unit and
"kitting" it.

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C G - 07 Aug 2005 00:17 GMT

> Apologies in advance, as this is not quite RC specific, but it seemed
> the best place.
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> Does anybody have any suggestions?

What kind of kits, what material, and how complicated?

Dumas http://www.dumasproducts.com has a bunch of wooden kits.
Depending on their patience, something like the Half-Pint Cabin Cruiser
with an electric motor might be a possibility. Should be big enough to
add small R/C components. I built an SK Daddle Jr a long time ago, this
would be another option for electric power.

There should be some choices for plastic electric boats also.

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allan@yates.ca - 08 Aug 2005 03:24 GMT

This is a good possibility. I also found a sailboat aimed a younger
kids:
http://www.dumasproducts.com/cgi-bin/dumas.storefront/42f67efb07bfc0be271d40d409
6806e5/Product/View/1007

Thanks,

Allan.

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Chuck Jones - 07 Aug 2005 23:11 GMT

I think R/C would be OK at their age but, I'd look for two things in the
boat. First would be the difficulty of building it. It needs to be "their
size" and fairly easy for them to assemble with parental help. Second would
be it should be a slower boat. Not some race or high speed type. It can be
something that moves along but not so fast that it gets away form them.

There are a lot to choose from out there. A web search should bring up a
lot. Also, a good source for motors are the drive units used by the Park
Flyer class of airplanes. A company called GWS (Grand Wing Servo) produces
some really good units that work great in smaller power boats.

> Apologies in advance, as this is not quite RC specific, but it seemed
> the best place.
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
> Allan.

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Model Forum / Radio Controlled / Water Models / August 2005

Model boat for 7 & 9 year old