A couple of us were talking between sorties. He gave up trying to get the Karlsruhe to run as a warship because of weight issues. He put a bug pump in the bow and a monitor on top and uses it to squirt ducks and unaware spectators. We started playing with the idea and came up with an idea for a dumbed down version of the hobby that may make a good recruiting tool. We are talking about taking a couple of new cargo ship hulls and building them a bit differently. If the idea doesn't work, we can strip them down and rebuild them in the normal fashion. Install rudder and motor as usual. Build a basic superstructure. Along the length of the ship, place triangular blocks over the location of the cargo hatches. The cargo hatches are built as open wells and the ship is heavily laden (ballast). In the bow is a std pump with the bottom open to the sea below. There is either a single or dual monitor driven by the pump (we are still trying to decide). The idea is that instead of bb's, we will use the water out of the pumps. This will allow us to play in the ponds in the local park where we will have people watching. The inverted triangle blocks will bounce a horizontal stream of water down into the cargo hatches and when a ship takes on about a quart, down it goes. This is something that is safely turned over to anyone wandering by. A single or dual bow gun is simple enough for most folks to understand and use. The idea of wounding and sinking an opponet using these ships makes the idea of the regular combat ships easier for most folks to understand. People can watch ships sink without needing protection. What do people think of this idea?
I'm of the opinion that people get into this hobby for the destruction, to take that away really doesn't seem like it would help much. I think most people get the idea of wounding and sinking the ships pretty quick. It is the investment (time and money) as well as the ability to stomach your "baby" getting pummeled and sent to see Davy Jones that a lot of people have trouble with.(that and you cant just go out on any given Saturday to the closest lake and have a pickup battle with whoever is there.)
based on my recent experience it would be better to promote with videos and flyers. You will get folks that say they are interested.. so invite them to a battle and either none or 1 will show up. then let the 1 drive a boat.. and they may or may not order a ship. I think it takes 10 of those to order a ship, 10 guys ordering a ship to actually make it to a battle.. 10 of those guys to get 1 guy that will come to regular battles and 10 of those guys to get 1 guy that is a LIFER!!! (Bob gave me the numbers .. or something like that).. Its true check it out. Im my area lots of guys buy boats but they never work on them or make it out to a build meeting. Its the same everywhere I hear. So far its true. Its fun to watch and gets folks all heated up but when they see the work time and money involved.. they fade quickly. Better to spend the time at a battle demonstrating than to start a new type of battling that will take time away from your current hobby... unless you just want to.
If you tell 100 people 10 will be interested enough to think about it, 1 will be interested enough to do it.
Recruitment is not only an important part of the hobby, but it can indeed be a fun part as well. In our area we are always trying to come up with ideas that will help with recruitment. The key to success is to come up with ideas that will help with recruitment while also having a secondary purpose. Like entertaining spectators at our events Especially as some events will not support having an actual battle (for safety reasons). In a case such as this, it would be great to have ships that can be driven around by the attending captains, or better yet, the spectators, that do not shoot BBs at each other, but that do more than just drive around. I think it is a great idea, that would be great fun for everyone. And if it helps your club recruit just one new captain, then I would say that it is well worth the time end effort. And for those of us that are not in your area. Well, we can read all of the event reports, and drool over all of the cool photos and videos that come from it all, and ask ourselves why we didn't think of it. Carry on! Mikey
Somebody had an idea just like that a few years ago. He went through the research, design, development, and even built and battled a couple water-cannon-armed warships. He now has an HMS Rodney and Graf Spee to go along with the original two prototypes. http://youtu.be/dlGSqC4UTmc
Greetings From Astatula, FLA: The shock cost of the hobby can be contained if one were to build to 1:250 scale or so, stick to a single cannon, motor, rudder, and a 3 channel radio. It would be a new "recruitment"class. The class would be more affordable than the 1:144 scale vessels that I researched and caused my wife to have nightmares. My armor plate is ready for the shore batteries..... Manuel Mejia, Jr. 1:250 scale USS Oklahoma
Hi Manuel, It's cheaper to build a 1:144 ship than a 1:250 And a lot easier to build. Glad to have another battler in the southeast If you want to drive up to Statesboro, Ga, in November, we're having a big battle on Veteran's Day weekend and can get you a loaner boat to battle with. Really, you can build a 3-unit cruiser (2 guns, one pump) for about $300 or $400 these days.
To expand on phils posting. I have an Altmark hull and will be building a water cannon ship. Not sure this idea will be a good one or not, but my kid and I go to the downtown pond in the summer and shooting BB there is a no no. So this is where the idea started. Something for him am I to do and hopefully get others involve in are hobby. Ground rules working to now. The hull will not be cut, same hardware, engines, rudder installed just like the plans/kit say to. But no bilge pump will be installed to remove water from the hull/ship; this will be used as water cannon instead. And no BB cannon system need. Deck will be installed, but with areas open for an opponent’s water cannon to penetrate/ fill the hull with water. This open area for water to penetrate is taking a lot of thought. The openings have to be large enough for an opponent’s water cannon to hit. This might mean an opening 2" X 8" along the deck, just inboard of the side of the ship and maybe four of these total, similar in length and height. But do not want to make the ship look terrible either. Could be that the just the supper structure is open for water penetration as shown on the plans Working on the ideas for the deck now. Should have pics to post in a few weeks. Will have to see how it goes
The link above that showed the two nice looking water cannon warsips. Do not beliieve they were designed to be battled as a water cannon ship. but for demonstation puposes how a real warship battle with BB would/could be fought. with squirting water out, but not filling an opponents ship up to sink.
I wonder how much interest and participation he was able to generate (the water cannon boat guy from the link above) with this idea. I know from the video he has put a lot of time into it but overall it is the desired result that is important. I wonder if he justified the time to recruit or was he just wanting to build it regardless.
I bet he want to just built it anyway. for that is what Im doing also. enjoy building them . below are a couple quick picks.....aww amid ship....idea for a opeing for water to be deflected down into the hull, deck not cut out yet to create opening to hull....starting point , . ,
Greeting from Astatula, FLA: I got this idea from a student I was assisting in science class. He was measuring the amount of water need to dissolve a cornstarch packing peanut. Imagine building superstructures from cornstarch peanuts. The watercannon ship would have something to hit for damage points. It would not be a litter issue since if you lose, say a turret, it will just break down to fish food. Manuel Mejia, Jr.
a budy came over the other night and had a idea. make the deck out a membrain. basily, the deck would allow water to penetrate at a certain rate, dependent on the membrain. his idea was, no change to superstruture just the deck. this way you cold lob water up and have it fall on the deck and penetrate. or shot fromt he side and hit the the super struture and the water rain down on the deck. believe you need to pentrate from a horizontal shot and have openings in the deck for arcing water shots. ideas.
contin continued work...added bulkhead, turning bildge pump in to water cannon. penetartion in hull to fill cavity with water to come . .
