To Club or Not to Club That is my Question

[Kcal]

To club or not to club that is my question, while sanding my mind also wondered off to the philosophical question of to join the local club or not. I have never been involved in a club before and I would like to know others thoughts and opinions on this? I have (boated?) with them at the local park before and they seem like a good bunch of guys and gal but I was wondering what to expect out of membership in a club? What are the advantages and possible disadvantages, any comments either way would be greatly appreciated.

[Kmot]

Instead of focusing on what you could gain out of belonging to this club why don't you instead focus on what you could offer them.

[Shaun Hendricks]

Clubs are a forum, like here, for interaction. You share similarities and differences. You get experience, advice (wanted or not), and above all, people to share memories with.

Clubs and groups are about socializing, sometimes, usual things. I mean we're talking about a bunch of people getting together and talking model boats. On the surface, it sounds silly to most folks, but it's not about the boats, it's about the people.

Kmot is right, it's what you bring to the club that makes it worthwhile, not what the club brings to you. Your very energy, experience, and effort is what adds to the club, and in return you get theirs back.

[trawlerlover]

In my opinion, a club is about meeting other people who enjoy the same things you do. Its also about having someone to run your boat with, because its much more fun to run with a friend. That's why I started my club.

[more coffee]

Kinda why i was looking for a club ,,just get out with different people
add some info,, learn some info .. a little bit of friendly chest thumping and just being around people who have some appreciation of what it takes to get a boat from kit ,,to the water ...

[Prins Willem]

I would urge you to spend some time with that club and get to know some of the members. Being in a club can be a very rewarding experience. You will find as in any walk of life there will be those who you gravitate to and others you may not necessarily care for. I found that even members who I didn't particularly like well still were valued acquaintances for the experience they possessed. If you enjoy being on this forum I am sure you will enjoy the club experience.

One warning though. Be prepared to share in the labor of operating the club. There is always things that need doing.

[CG Bob]

Over the years, I've belonged to 4 different clubs. I had to quit the first 3 due to transfers during my USCG career. I recently quit my last club because of some philisophical and management differences. The first 3 clubs were rc scale clubs. The last club was an rc scale/sail/power boat club, with scale being a very small minority. Generally my experience with the clubs has been good.

[Bilge_Snipe]

I currently boat with a group of people that meet on a regular basis but are not a sanctioned club. Close to my home, I joined a club that is sanctioned, in order to support and keep it going. I'm also a member of an AMA sanctioned club. As others have mentioned or inferred there are good clubs and bad ones. Due to the fact that we have multi personalities that my rub us the wrong way and/or we just may not like the policies that are imposed by a club. So do some research, boat with the group if you can without joining, and/or visit the club for a given time to see how the members interact with each other, do they bad mouth one another, are they good natured and helpful? Its been my experience that some clubs take club politics to serious and drive the fun and new members right out of the club.

My two cents,

[mfr02]

Being a member of a club, among other things, can give you a voice in whether you sail or not. Not all water is available for sailing, and a "sanctioned" club is usually crossing the palm of the water owner with some silver, placing an obligation on the water owner to carry on the facility and keep it in good order.
A club will often become involved in events that can open doors you never knew existed. There are many things you get out of a club, but what you get out is proportional to what you put in, much like the rest of life. If you like the bunch you are sailing with, join. The most you have to lose is a years membership and possibly a joining fee. You usually get insurance, and sometimes a whole load of worthwhile stuff that you just can't put a price on.

[LtDoc]

What can you expect out of joining a club? Probably the 'best' answer is help with something you are having trouble with. Change that 'best' into 'typical' and you've probably got the average reason for joining a club for most people.
There are benefits. There's also responsibilities too. Which means that joining isn't 'free', not just $$$ but providing the same things you joined for (when you can). A club can be a very nice thing. All clubs are just not suited for all people, so check'em out. If/when you find the one that suits you, have at it. Or if you're a real 'glutton' for punishment, start one.
Just wish there was one around here... (I'm too lazy, don't even thing about me starting one thingy! :))
- 'Doc

[norgale]

One thing I have found is that the smaller the club the better. To me 8 to 10 members if perfect so that all can operate at the same time if they want. I hate doing something for fun like running my R/C boats and having to sit on the bank to give others a chance to run. It's not that I mind sharing the time as much as all the regulation needed to control who is using what frequency and when. With a small group you can easily have as many frequencies as people so no one has to NOT be running to give another person the chance to run too.
The Hanson Dam IRREGULARS to me is the perfect club.Not a lot of rules and regulations and everyone seems to have a lot of fun except when the Project X shows up. MMMHHHAAAHHHAAAHHA! Pete

[der kapitan]

I would urge you to spend some time with that club and get to know some of the members. Being in a club can be a very rewarding experience. You will find as in any walk of life there will be those who you gravitate to and others you may not necessarily care for. I found that even members who I didn't particularly like well still were valued acquaintances for the experience they possessed. If you enjoy being on this forum I am sure you will enjoy the club experience.
One warning though. Be prepared to share in the labor of operating the club. There is always things that need doing.
This is a good thread, and all the postings answer the question from a different angle. ;)

This reflects what someone can expect from a regular club, INCLUDING the part that Prins Willem has pointed out---. :eek:

But then, if you share in the fun, be prepared to roll up your sleeves now and then---. :D

[SubNut]

I am new here of course.
But I belong to many clubs; RCCrawlers, Subcommittee, 4H (oops). :eek:

I have learned exponentially in clubs, the wonderful assistance and guidance you can gain can excel your learning when it comes to a new hobby.

And as you get accomplished you can return the favor to the newbies as they enter into the hobby.

But the greatest thing of all is getting to hang around with others who share your intrest.

It makes it more than you alone standing in the woods (Crawling) or along the pond's edge (Boating/Subbing) playing with your toys. :D

[trawlerlover]

It makes it more than you standing alone playing with your toys. :D

I think that summarizes the good part of a club very well.

[Prins Willem]

If you want to know the real value of belonging to a club take a look at the gallery page of our website:

http://wiscaleboat.org/gallery.htm

[CG Bob]

Not all water is available for sailing, and a "sanctioned" club is usually crossing the palm of the water owner with some silver, placing an obligation on the water owner to carry on the facility and keep it in good order.
That describes the lake used by the sail and power boat guys in my former club; and the "management" of the lake was one reason I quit the club. From the complaints I heard at almost every business meeting, the lake owner was not doing enough to reduce or eliminate the weeds in the water. Having been the club President for most of the last 3 years, I was tired of all the whining, and I wasn't having any fun.

[avidjeepr]

If it weren't for my club, I would have switched hobbies two or three times by now... Different people with different ideas keep it interesting for me..
Plus they are just fun to hang with. :D

[Kcal]

I apologize as I didn’t mean to come across as what’s in it for me; it was much more a question of what to expect or to manage my expectations. I had hoped others to share their experiences with me both good and otherwise, I would like to thank you all for your posts as always very insightful. I was somewhat surprised this topic wasn’t brought up before although I admit my searching skills aren’t all encompassing either. I had already basically made up my mind to join, jump in and see what transpired; in the same vein many of the folks on this board have already helped me greatly (my Springer is currently in the paint shop but I expect to be posting pics shortly, my CC racing runabout wouldn’t have ever been started with out PatT and the other Dumas build logs) and I guess I was reaching out for advice again. Prins I checked out your clubs gallery and it was interesting to me to note the differences in age of the members it seems to be much more one sided here. Again thank you all! And if I can add anything to this board that would be ½ the help to others it has been to me I’ll be quite happy to do it.

[Aerominded]

What part of the world are you in, Kcal? :)

[E-Challenged]

A club that has been in existence for some time may be run by a group of cronies who have preferences and rules that you may not agree with. All too often many club members "just want to run their boats" or fly their planes , etc and have let the same officers and volunteers run the club for long periods of time by default.

[der kapitan]

A club that has been in existence for some time may be run by a group of cronies who have preferences and rules that you may not agree with. All too often many club members "just want to run their boats" or fly their planes , etc and have let the same officers and volunteers run the club for long periods of time by default.
And all too often, when election time comes around, the same six or seven "old timers" are stuck with carrying the burden of running the club's business---. ;)

The announcement of "We need volunteers" usually results in the bulk of the attending membership falling silent from their whisperings, and they begin to seriously contemplate their shoes---. :o

Nomination of officers at this time of year produces the same result. Let "Joe" do it---. :eek:

The down side of club membership---. :(

Meet "Joe'---, yeah---. :o

[toesup]

When Mrs Toes and i moved to a new area in SoCal, i investigated the local plane clubs and found that the one i was interested in joining had a $200 joining fee plus some $50 a year subs.
There were no car racing 'clubs' in the area...

So i investigated the INS (Inland Nautical Society) who met at the local lake on Sunday mornings.
There was no joining fee and $20 a year subs.... and a GREAT group of friendly, helpful guys who were really in to model boats..

Guess which one i chose?... and the rest is history.
Imagine, i might have been flying planes rather than building boats :eek:... yeeeeesh...

[Prins Willem]

And all too often, when election time comes around, the same six or seven "old timers" are stuck with carrying the burden of running the club's business---. ;)

The announcement of "We need volunteers" usually results in the bulk of the attending membership falling silent from their whisperings, and they begin to seriously contemplate their shoes---. :o

Nomination of officers at this time of year produces the same result. Let "Joe" do it---. :eek:

The down side of club membership---. :(

Meet "Joe'---, yeah---. :o

Our annual meeting took place last Thursday. Guess what? We have the same officers as last year. A couple of years ago I was president for 5 consecutive years. This is about the norm for us.

Any club will have a core group of dedicated members and a periphery of come, play awhile, then leave types. This is frustrating when the club is doing a major event. A friend of mine was in the local Trans Am club and when he talked about it he could have been talking about most any club.

BTW: We use mail in ballots (we even supply SASE) and only 50% of the ballots were returned.

[der kapitan]

Our annual meeting took place last Thursday. Guess what? We have the same officers as last year. A couple of years ago I was president for 5 consecutive years. This is about the norm for us.

Willem, our club constitution limits holding office to a maximum of two years,
so we usually switch jobs---. :rolleyes:

This time, I'll be treasurer, which is fine, since I need a new car anyway---. :D

[Kcal]

Aero I am in Florida in the Tampa bay area and the club I am looking at is the Bay Area Electric Boaters, they meet at Seminole Park the second and fourth Sundays of the month. The club link is http://www.bayrcboaters.com/
Der Kap the limits sound like a good thing to me and would give everyone an opportunity to serve and to play.
Toes I totally understand while it isn’t totally an economic decision more money for boats is more money for boats.

[Prins Willem]

We discussed term limits too. The problem is we will quickly run out of willing victims. Those members who won't step up will let the club fold. No officers, no club. The downside to being incorporated.

[SubNut]

Willem, our club constitution limits holding office to a maximum of two years,
so we usually switch jobs---. :rolleyes:

This time, I'll be treasurer, which is fine, since I need a new car anyway---. :D

LOL!!!!

[expat flyer]

The internet forums are a bit like a club in that you can find advice and information, but that is as far as it goes.

My advice without reserve is join a club. There is nothing more sad or dangerous than someone trying to solve his problems alone and running a model in isolation, without permission or insurance.

Joining a model club does not mean you have to share your life or your hobby - it is way different from joining a football team!

Clubs and national organisations have for decades developed rules of conduct, training, insurance and participated in negotiations at local, national and international levels to create and preserve public and private sites and the right to drive, sail or fly. They need and deserve our support to keep up this work.

I often see complaints that too many participants are just consumers these days, but as someone who has been a club officer in different organisations for over 40 years I realise not everyone is gifted to serve. No time, too many other commitments, too timid to offer - the list of valid excuses is endless. There are plenty of people who are gluttons for working for others, however much they complain. Whether they should continue to serve is a matter for consensus between the doers and the voters. In clubs there is always a risk that rebels who overturn a committee fail to run things any better (if at all).

By the way, I have similar thoughts about shopping. It may be tempting to buy from the cheapest supplier, but it is more honorable to support your local shop or a specialist who has given a lot to the local community, the hobby or product development.

[CG Bob]

Kcal - BAEB is a good bunch of guys. I was with them from 1998 to 2002, served as VP in 2000, and Pres in 2001.

[avidjeepr]

If it's just a bunch of people meeting at the same time and same place, why do you need a treasurer and such? If it's food, do a pot-luck. Where does the dough go? :confused:

I would feel silly spending money to cruise my boats when the guy across the lake does it for free. :rolleyes:

[Kcal]

CG Bob how come you are not still involved with BAEB? Did you move?

[steamboatmodel]

There are many advantages to joining a Club, but you have to watch out for the "Old Boy Groups" in some of them.

[Prins Willem]

If it's just a bunch of people meeting at the same time and same place, why do you need a treasurer and such? If it's food, do a pot-luck. Where does the dough go? :confused:

I would feel silly spending money to cruise my boats when the guy across the lake does it for free. :rolleyes:

Under those circumstances you don't need a formal club. The WSBA does several events each year. These events require liability insurance. We are a Wisconsin corporation and we carry 1M in liability and we provide certificates of insurance to the host event. We run in Milwaukee County Parks and as individual citizens we can run as much as we like. When a group gets together the Parks require a permit (softball league, family picnic, etc.). The Parks Department has always been very good to our club. They bring us picnic tables when we need them, at some of the parks we ran at they provided a row boat for us for setting regatta courses. We do pay a fee yearly but it has been worth it.

Above all the club is a social organization. It is no different than a flying club (scale or full sized), railroad club, book club, or a thousand others you can name. You have to want to belong or you are wasting your money.

[avidjeepr]

Thanks, That makes sense. :)

[Prins Willem]

avidjeeper, this forum is like a club and that is why I enjoy being here. Ideas and opinions are freely shared (for the most part) and there is respect and concern among the members. The concern was vividly expressed during the hurricanes and other natural upheavals this past summer, and now the fires in California (I hope you southern west coasters are doing ok BTW).

The main difference between this "club" and a 3 dimensional club is after boating in a 3 dimensional club you can go for pie and coffee. :D

[CG Bob]

CG Bob how come you are not still involved with BAEB? Did you move?
Yes, I did move, many times - courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer. All part of a 27 year career with the best boat club in the world, the USCG, that looks like this.
Boot Camp, TraCen Alameda, CA - Jun 1977 -Sept 1977
Columbia River Lightship, Astoria, OR - Sept 77 - Oct 78
Damage Controlman (http://www.gocoastguard.com/find-your-fit/enlisted-opportunities/enlisted-ratings-descriptions/damage-controlman-(dc)) School, TraCen Governors Island, NYC - Oct 78 - Feb 79
Marine Safety Office, Cleveland, OH - Feb 79 - Aug 81
CGC CONFIDENCE, Kodiak, AK - Aug 81 - Aug 83
Base Milwaukee, WI - Aug 83 - Oct 87 (Wisconsin Scale Boating Assoc)
CGC VIGOROUS, New London, CT - Oct 87 - June 89
Support Center NY, Governors Island, NYC - June 89 - July 93 (Empire State Model Mariners)
Base Sault Ste. Marie, MI - July 93 - June 98
CG AirSta Clearwater, FL - July 98 - July 2002 (Bay Area Electric Boaters)
CG Civil Engineering Unit Cleveland, OH - July 02 - Aug 04 (Cleveland Model Boat Club)

When I retired from the USCG in August 2004 we decided to stay here. My wife is from the Cleveland area, and we met on my first tour here in 1979-81.

I can tell you from my time on the CONFIDENCE, that the TV show DEADLIEST CATCH isthe real deal and not filmed in some Hollywood backlot. During my time in last frontier, we rescued a couple of crabbers, and helped a few others that need it. We also took a 65 degree roll late December 1982.

[thorsail]

HI guys - I was reading through the posts and was glad to see that expat
flyer and prins Willem also consider this another type of RC club - because
that is my opinion also . This , and all the other forums , are such an
incredible source of information and everyone seems really invested in helping
out us "newbies" as well as each other - with sound advice and always with
good humor too .
avidjeepr was wondering about the money aspects of clubs - I am sure there
are many versions to that subject - I hooked up with a group here and I
eventually asked about dues. They said , well , we don't usually bother the
new first year guys about dues , and I said well how much is it ? and they
told me they had just recently halved the dues because they really don't
have any expenses to speak of - pretty laid back group .
But you got me thinking and I sent an Email to the RCGroups advertising
guy this am and asked if they ever considered selling caps with their logo
and the words "Forum Member" under it . I would wear one to the pond
every weekend . He said they'll think about it . His name is on the contact
list(J.Graham) if anyone else is interested in the cap idea...drop him a line.

Allan

[pkboo]

And all too often, when election time comes around, the same six or seven "old timers" are stuck with carrying the burden of running the club's business---.

The announcement of "We need volunteers" usually results in the bulk of the attending membership falling silent from their whisperings, and they begin to seriously contemplate their shoes---.

Nomination of officers at this time of year produces the same result. Let "Joe" do it---.

The down side of club membership---.

Meet "Joe'---, yeah---.
Karl, and here I am thinking it´s cultural thing :o You´re giving me dejavu, I hear you! Eugène

[Kcal]

CG Bob definitely glad I missed the 65 roll and thank you for the answer.