Outrageous eBay

[craig_c]

Just a thread to track some of the more outrageous prices paid over on eBay!

And to think I got into model boating as a teen 'cause I loved boats and couldn't afford the real thing. LOL

[craig_c]

Vintage Fuji R/C Model Outboard Engine/Motor Boat (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260152034623&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016) Wow!!

[woodybob]

gotta love it...

[W.L Upshaw]

Try to buy a real boat from that vintage in like new condition

[herrmill]

I have to include the RTR 1/144 Shinano that Al discovered this week & posted on Pat's Yamato thread. Granted, the photos show a fantastically detailed model, but at just under $7700 with shipping, that's a hellava lot of change to dump on one large pool toy! :eek:

RTR 1/144 Shinano (http://cgi.ebay.com/RC-Shinano-Carrier-RTR-scale-model-museum-admiral-ship_W0QQitemZ280145203886QQihZ018QQcategoryZ2590Q QssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

[toesup]

Try making one of these 'outrageous priced' items from ebay for less...

Dont forget a figure for all those hours you put in to building them...

[rlboats2003]

The price is only high if you were not willing to spend that much, but if you can afford the models - you can afford the real thing, there is just more work with the real thing. I give some examples - we just sold our 1957 Century Palaminio with a 1961 Merc 500. The price for the model engine was over 600 the replacement value for insurance was 1k for the real Merc and if you had to look for one you might have found a reasonable motor in the 500 range with the need to purchase another 300 in parts and paint. Do a search for oldmercs.com and take a look at the model engines there. If you do model sail for what I have in the santa barbara, AC boat the two 1 meters and some other pieces you could have bought something like an O-day 22 on the trailer or late 70-early 80's 25 foot boat that needs some TLC. Again it is how far you want to go - If you do a Scale Ship Yard Carol Moran - Get all the parts add sound - smoke, elecronics and batteries, additional drawings and research material, by the time you get all this together I bet your into around 750 pushing 800 and that didn't include your time, or you can get a lindberg diesel tug, add a Micro Glass hull (more refined) an inexpensive 2 channel and a 1/4 servo for propulsion a brass 30mm 4 blade prop and some detail parts and lights and build one for about $150, but remember you can't take youself nor some one else onto the water. Had I know what I found out almost about 3 years ago there would be less models on the shelf. Trust me wood or any boat requires work but there is always someone who wants a ride in a woody, then again that goes for nice fiberglass boats too.

[der kapitan]

Vintage Fuji R/C Model Outboard Engine/Motor Boat (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260152034623&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016) Wow!!
In the late 1950's, that motor sold for about $3.00. :p

It had virtually no power, and rattled when it ran. :eek:

Looked great, mounted on a model, though---. :D

[herrmill]

Try making one of these 'outrageous priced' items from ebay for less...

Dont forget a figure for all those hours you put in to building them...

For what its worth, I posted the Shinano reference only since its a Chinese RTR factory model & the seller obviously is priced considerably higher than another "famous" eBay seller that offers an "Admiral Series" RTR Yamato.

I only made mention of the Shinano since its a new factory-made model with probably $300-400 worth of parts & no more than the same amount of labor based on the average wage here for skilled workers. Aside from shipping & handling (no duty on toys), everything else is pure profit.

Last December while visiting TianJie, I saw a 1/100 Maya commission that was sold for considerably less to an American buyer than what is featured above on eBay. Again, it was a commission piece, not off of an assembly line, & was of museum quality as you can see from the attached photos.

Chuck

[Aerominded]

You are certainly right, for the high end models, RLboats re aquisition cost! long term cost is different! :)

[rlboats2003]

The ongoing is more including where to lanuch and dock. I am very lucky where I live, I have the sailboat on Lake Ontario in yacht club that is about 1200 a year to dock at. At the end of the bay is a hull out marina that can perform any thing needed. I have bought alot of manuals and establish allot of accounts to obtain parts for a 40 year old boat but she has some traditional looks to her. I have found that it is good to learn about the boat and her systems. I have a couple expensive items coming up in that I want to replace the fresh water system. But you are right, the ongoing cost are there, but that seams all worth it when you are cooking along almost close hauled. She is big enough to sail the lakes and them some and 2 people can handle her, just need to get passports to go to Canada next season. But it has been fun and you get a feeling of achivement for each thing that is completed. What is great in about a month and half the boats come out of the water for winter - and I get to build models until the last week in April. Love the little boats too, but I still think some of the RC sailboats would not have been bought and more scale sail.

The woody was great, we couldn't get the boat of the trailer, with out a half a dozen people wanting to handle the lines. My wife broke my heart when she said she wanted to sell the woody - but with the sailboat we have a place to sleep, make food, and go to the bathroom (head) ( a key factor for many women in their boat selection). Going to go, have a good modeling experiance, Rich

[Aerominded]

$1,200 / year is not bad at all to keep a boat in the water- A space in the dry storage at my local marina is that- they do give you an annual pass to use the boat ramp though! ;)

The rate to have a slip (if you can get one-) is $8+/ foot, per month...

You are right though, there is a lot of joy in 1:1 boating! :)

[steveciambrone]

Mine is a 1959 Wizard Bolero Runabout, been lots of fun.

[Aerominded]

I like your classic 'glass too, Steve! ;)

[tim slocum]

I have those little model outboards on Ebay bookmarked. They regularly bring amazing prices. I can only afford to look at pictures of them!The old wooden non R/C boats these motors where used on go for some BIG money also. I was throwing around the idea of getting one of the cabin cruisers and making it RC,but there just too expensive.

[Aerominded]

Yeah, I agree, most of the stuff there goes for stupid money - and you never really know what you are getting unless you know the seller-

Best to see if you can find plans for these old boats and get busy building one from scratch! :)

[rlboats2003]

Tim - Aero
I have found a guy (named in the scale boat section "fish tug") who makes allot of fiberglass Hulls. He has two of the sterling cabin cruisers in glass.
A friend of mine is doing the 63 with his hull. What he found is that there is a whole network of people who are making fittings and other parts to fit these boats out. What you guys really need is template sets. so you can make the frames and these are usually part of the instructions or if some one would would trace the diecut frames. The rest is sheet or strip balsa or mahonagy. If you had the templates or the fiberglass hull and the instructions you could make your own boat. May Dad started a 40' Harboco(30") that he never finished before he died. After 4 moves the mahonagy top sides got busted up but there is enough to do a templete. Sterling never really had great kits they were just unique subjects. The fittings are really bad and meed lots of clean up. There is a big difference in a 1960 kit and the stuff in kits today - I think the time issue has forced kits to provide eaiser assemblies.
My friend doing the 63 also got the documentation for one of the 4 boats built by Chris Craft. Not the $20 set of plans but worth the price if you want to do it right.

Happy Modeling,
Rich

[der kapitan]

Yeah, I agree, most of the stuff there goes for stupid money - and you never really know what you are getting unless you know the seller-
Best to see if you can find plans for these old boats and get busy building one from scratch! :)
"Ya never know what you're gonna git---" as Forrest Gump said. ;)

I've given up on Ebay, partly because of that, but mainly due to the frenzied bidding by some of the idiot participants, who will pay ANYTHING to win that bid---. :eek:

As Aerominded says, locate some plans, and go from there---. :)

Actually, some of the better deals I got on Ebay were plans---. :D

And Rich, I hope you make Saturday's meeting---.

[steveciambrone]

When the prices get too high I just pass on the item, another will be up for auction at a later time.

Steve

[Aerominded]

RL, I know about the hulls you mention and they sound good! ;) Like many boats, at least one them are on my list- Might have to learn more about the fittings, etc...

Kap, hee hee, It was hard for me to leave off the "box of chocolates" part when I typed that message!

[keith S]

To quote PT Barnum " There is an ass for every toilet seat." As long as some one is willing to put up the $$, some one will buy. Oh well back to the shop for more build fun.