im a little confused as how one would go about joining a group that does this, and how to know if there is a group that battles in my area. (i live in new York city) also just other basics like how to go about building a boat, how to properly use it, idk, I'm pretty much completely new to this thank you!
Hello and welcome to one of the most interesting hobbies in the world. I would be able to answer most questions you have about the hobby and about how to get into it. I live in the north Jersey area about an hour away from NYC. I would be More than happy to assist you. thank you, Justin “war crimes” R
If I could boil this hobby down to its core; it is a group of problem solvers around a central subject. For any individual, you are not responsible for solving all the problems. The other members are willing to share their evolved and proven solutions. You have asked the right initial question in the right forum. Be sure to share with the group your model / rc experience. None is a prerequisite; however, it gives a starting point. Oh, and welcome to the obsession.
General process is to ideally meet up with someone or attend an event to see boats in person and get a better feel for the hobby and the boats. The hobby does involve travel to go to battles, there are a few locations within 2-3 hours of NYC which have regular battles each year. If timing doesn’t work, you can still get started independently. There are a lot of how-to videos, here are a few channels to check out https://youtube.com/@eastcoastrccombat6538?si=S-XQqxUjJaPdt_0E https://youtube.com/@rcwarshipcombat?si=QyVF8IF1gHUS_zCK https://youtube.com/@bradblankenship?si=PiPymz3SkJdozGOI You should figure out which boat you’d like to start with, then you could ask around if anyone has an old one. You can also check out South Jersey Shipyard for 3D printed kits which make the construction process much easier https://www.southjerseyshipyards.com/
Also, I am located in Southern NJ, so about 2 hrs south of you. We are having a build session here this weekend. I run South Jersey Shipyards, so I have plenty of hulls/kits/etc laying around to show off. If you're serious about potentially getting involved in the hobby, come on down and meet some of the guys. -WT
