Would there be any interest V2.0 ??

I brought this up in the Boat Building Talk forum and the silence was deafening, so I thought I would raise the question here and see if the results were different.

As you all know, I’m a great fan of the micros. In a manner of speaking, I feel like I’m picking up the torch Trent Hare left off for someone else to carry. :bowdown: :bowdown: I have developed AutoCAD files to laser-cut parts for a 1/20 Atlas “Blue Blaster” based on Garry Finlay's plans and a 16” version of Jesse J’s modified Shockerman cat. Now comes the conundrum: Randy has offered me the molds and tooling to produce his line of micro hulls at a VERY REASONABLE price. The drawback is I’d have to drive from SoCal to the Bay Area to get them. Additionally, the designs are a bit dated by today’s standards, but the success of the Micro Turbine Hydro and the Micro Scat Cat that are the subjects of prior threads are testimony that while dated, the designs are still solid and dependable.

If I were to make this deal with Randy, it is patently clear that I would not just be building hulls for my personal use. :olleyes: Obviously, I’d want to sell some hulls to amortize my investment. I could combine laser-cut internal plywood structure like I did for the Micro Turbine SSSH build; I could incorporate the lower profile I did for my Micro Scat Cat build. I could spec out modern hardware (Steve sells much of it here at the OSE store), I could even come up with new molds for completely new designs in the future. So here’s a question I’d like to pose, and it’s the same question posed by Stinson68 earlier in this forum with rather few responses:

Would there be any interest in building “Old School” micros? :confused2: I could do either all wood or vacuum-formed or both. If so, which would you prefer to build?

Send me a PM, or if you think your response would be good to share with everybody here, feel free to respond to this post.

Finally, I have a VERY SHORT window of opportunity to make this deal happen (One week). Speak up NOW! You snooze, we all lose…

Wow,..... 50 views and not a single reply. :crying:

I guess that answers my question though. It looks like I don't have to make that long drive and there will not be a line of micro kits coming out of Southern California. :sorry:

The twin mini cat is awsome. For some reason interest in the minis has died over the years. It seems everyone is looking for a 6s boat these days.

I love minis, but as a racer I either roller own, or run the latest and greatest thing my fellow racers rolled.

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Originally Posted by Steven Vaccaro

The twin mini cat is awesome. For some reason interest in the minis has died over the years. It seems everyone is looking for a 6s boat these days.

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You are right. The Micro Twin IS awesome. It goes like stink and corners like it's on rails. You are also right in that everybody wants bigger and faster. And here I thought racing on a budget was something that was appealing. :olleyes:

I'll let Randy know that the deal is a no-go. That's really a shame as I had some great ideas to update the kits. :sinking-guy:

It would be awesome to see those micros manufactured again. I e-mailed Randy a while back and he said he would make them for me, but the minimum order was more than I wanted to spend. I understand where he was coming from. Should have picked up more back in the day...

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Originally Posted by cjs

It would be awesome to see those micros manufactured again. I e-mailed Randy a while back and he said he would make them for me, but the minimum order was more than I wanted to spend. I understand where he was coming from. Should have picked up more back in the day...

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Well, the vacuum-formed BBY ones are off the table for now unless Randy wants to make a few. He may have another prospective buyer more local to him, but it's not who has the ABILITY to produce them, it's who has the DESIRE to build them. Selling one kit every two months or so isn't really worth Randy's (or anybody else's) time to set-up all the equipment to make just one. I fully understand his minimum order thing.

I thought there would be more interest in my all laser-cut micros, but I assumed it was the cost (wood is insanely expensive, and so is all the intricate cutting) that was turning most people off. Time-wise, it's about the same effort involved in building a wood kit and building a nice vacuum-formed kit. It turns out that my casual polling data tells me that virtually no one really wants to build anything that they can't race in sanctioned classes. Fun-running and club-racing are things of the past. San Diego County has a HUGE population base, yet I can't find a single soul here that has the slightest interest.

There are over 17,000 members here, and how many REALLY have an interest in building the little guys? Half a dozen maybe? Perhaps twice that number?

I'll continue building them as I think they are challenging, cheap, and fun. I don't need to prove anything by building a 1:6 scale monster; hell, I fly 1:1 scale.

Some clubs race them - I do see both sides of the argument.... (but I'm not going to debate any of that here) Instead lets enjoy some mini action. :thumbup1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyx4R1IUS_4&t=3s

There is no argument, just the facts; the little boats aren't very popular. I did like that video, there was some really good driving. One guy (the winner?) was always right on the buoys.

No argument from me either.

Jet, I thought I showed interest in a laser-cut kit a while back, but I must have missed something after that, I don't recall even seeing a price. I also don't get on the board too often.

Send me a PM and we can discuss it. :wink:

I love the minis, but the lake I have easy access to is big, and I am on the windy side.
The minis have a rough time with it.

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Originally Posted by larryrose11

I love the minis, but the lake I have easy access to is big, and I am on the windy side.
The minis have a rough time with it.

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Yes. Big water and big wind is not good for the minis..... Like running your 1/8 scale hydro in water like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUfMgiZjybU

That is what I like about the mini classes, in average race water you can get to the hulls limits, whereas the bigger classes are power limited unless the water is unusually big, so you have to do more driving.

A self-righting mini in the rough is a LOT of fun without a lot of hassle.

You guys nailed it. Must have a small sheltered or calm day to race mini.

I still have the molds and the mold machine set up. I have one sheet of plastic. If any one wants one I have several singles at the shop . If the particular design is out of stock I will need to build a waiting list to take any orders. Pricing is still on web site though I do not list the drop sponson shovel. But it is for sale.

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Originally Posted by NativePaul

That is what I like about the mini classes, in average race water you can get to the hulls limits, whereas the bigger classes are power limited unless the water is unusually big, so you have to do more driving.

A self-righting mini in the rough is a LOT of fun without a lot of hassle.

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The little Gecko is self-righting and is absolutely hilarious to drive. With our chosen power system it is right on the verge of being insanely overpowered and there's a whole lot of "Hey watch THIS!" when we run them.:lol: We can do airplane-submarine-airplane-submarine maneuvers with ease. :ohmy:

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Originally Posted by RandyatBBY

You guys nailed it. Must have a small sheltered or calm day to race mini.

I still have the molds and the mold machine set up. I have one sheet of plastic. If any one wants one I have several singles at the shop . If the particular design is out of stock I will need to build a waiting list to take any orders. Pricing is still on web site though I do not list the drop sponson shovel. But it is for sale.

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I really wish it were worth my while to drive all the way up there. I'd love to produce the Minis and fine-tune the molds to Jet standards. Your offer was more than reasonable. If you have any customer interest in the Mini Turbine Hydro, I can have internal formers cut, or I can send you the drawings so that you can have them cut. I may want to modify them slightly as the sponsons are not a perfect mirror image of each other. They are a few thousandths different in a couple of dimensions. It may be intentional, I'd have to sit down and talk for a few hours before making that call.

I spent a lot of time blueprinting the sponsons of my Micro Turbine Hydro. It is an absolute joy to drive and it hauls a$$ on 2S.

OK boys and girls, here’s where I’m at if there’s any interest: :olleyes: I have four professionally done and 100% complete 1:20 scale Atlas hydroplane kits, ready to ship. These are beyond cool if you have the building skills. I have the prototype laser-cut wood for the 1:20 ‘68 Short Circuit, although the cutting doesn’t really meet my standards of perfection. I’m not really that thrilled to start it because of the less than ideal cutting, but I’ll build it nonetheless. It will just require more fiddling and the parts won’t have the tight fit I expect. I am currently populating the production kits for the Short Circuit and have most of the necessary parts on order. I have enough wood to cut four kits on hand, and will use the same laser guy as I did for the Atlas, since his work is much more precise. I am toying with the idea of designing yet another 1:20 scale round-nose boat from the late ‘50s~early ‘60s (the identity of which shall remain secret for a while), but I think that may be a fruitless idea, and as such, it will probably go onto the back burner for the time being.

I have the drawings for the 449 mm outrigger finished and I’m ready to cut a couple plus enough additional 1/16” ply parts to fill out the remainder of a 12" x 24" plywood sheet. I plan to build one and only one for myself as a prototype. The additional parts will go into storage as I have no plans to purchase and cut the materials necessary to complete any additional kits at this time. I have the drawings for the 16” twin-motor cat, and the drawings for the 16” single-motor cat finished and saved (see the thread on those boats elsewhere on this forum). A prototype single cat is seaworthy and I hope to take videos soon. Currently, I have no plans for production runs on either of them.

The 1:20 semi-scale kits are 100% complete, just add glue, finishing materials, receiver, and battery. My original plans were to produce the 16” cats as “short kits”, including only the 1/16” ply framework parts plus a listing of hardware that would bolt up to the mounting holes provided. As for the outrigger, I planned to include at a minimum, the threaded aluminum rods that serve as the turn fin mounts since many don’t have the machine tools to make them. I had thought about including turn fins, but they would have to be water-jet cut and the guy I use for that type of work has a minimum order which would mean I’d have to make (and sell) a WHOLE LOT of kits to make it worthwhile (the fins alone would cost $130 to produce a minimum order of them).

So for now I’m done. I have a cool fleet of boats with a few more “mass produced” composite production models in the works. I will archive all my wooden-hull design work for now. It looks like there will only be four each of the Atlas and Short Circuit kits ever released to the public. You should grab one for nothing more than the collector’s value. I’m an old guy and my days are numbered……Who knows what they’ll be worth when I’m gone? The unnamed hull next in line most likely will never be built, although I may finish up the drawing enough to at least have every part needed finalized. You folks have no idea how many hours go into making a PREFECT set of drawings. Maybe I’ll build one this winter, because I think 1:20 scale is so cool.

If there were ever any future interest in any of these designs, it would have to be worth my while to resurrect and produce them again. There’s a lot of running around, coordinating, ordering, waiting, and flaky third parties to deal with in order to produce a quality final product. Feel free to drop me a line if you want something and I’ll let you know whether or not it’s feasible.

Anything kit or custom built is interesting.

I am moving to a place with all kinds of small lakes and ponds, plus marsh and ocean! Rivers!


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I have Polystyrene back in stock now and take orders for the micros.

http://www.bbyracing.com/elecmicrohulls.htm

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Originally Posted by TonyRomano

Anything kit or custom built is interesting.

I am moving to a place with all kinds of small lakes and ponds, plus marsh and ocean! Rivers!


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One of Randy's little boats would be perfect. The Mini Scat Cat makes a great platform for a mini-twin, especially since there's a greater selection of counter-rotating props available. The cat can handle a bit rougher water than the hydro and would be my recommendation. But don't run anything in the ocean. Salt water is hard on metals AND electronics.

Randy made the Mini Scat Cat with fairly tall sides to accommodate the motor/battery systems that were available back then. Now that 450-class helicopter motors are so readily available, it doesn't need to be that tall. I "chopped" mine by 3/8" and stuck the motors in the sponsons. I think it really helped the looks.

Here's the thread on it: https://forums.offshoreelectrics.com...micro+scat+cat

Sweet


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Originally Posted by TonyRomano

Sweet


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I think you should buy a Mini Scat Cat hull kit from Randy and post a build thread on it here. Randy and I can give you a ton of suggestions on how to build it into a winner.