Rick Eyrich: It happened in a round-about way: My "real" job at the time was repairing weedeaters, chain saws, leaf blowers and other two-cycle powered equipment. Just by chance one of the engines I tinkered with was the same Zenoah 22CC found on early R/C boats and 1/4-scale R/C cars. In 1988 I began writing tech stuff for the QSAC (Quarter Scale Auto Club) newsletter and then with the late R/C Model Cars Magazine. The same publisher of that mag also put out U.S. Boat&Ship Modeler Magazine, and they got me into doing articles on both gas boats and some electric hulls as well-before the publishing group for both went belly-up a couple of years ago.

IW: So I guess it goes without asking, but we'll ask it anyway: you're a big fan of Large Scale Gassers?

RE: Definitely. But at the same time I'm also a fan of all R/C stuff from boats to aircraft. I'm what you might call a "tinkerer"-anything mechanical interests me, especially R/C! The big gasboats really draw in me because I've been tinkering with two-stroke engines for over thirty years. I'm still amazed how much power these tiny engines can produce without blowing into powder!

IW: You're probably best known for your "Gasoline Alley" column in RCBM.  How did you get involved with writing for the magazine?

RE: I wrote a basic "how-to" article on building a simple boat stand out of plastic cardboard, and my contributions grew from that little story. Then RCBM-editor George Gonzalez then found out that my Florida home was near several gasboat manufacturers. Subsequently he asked me to do articles on several of them for RCBM. Since then, current editor Gerry Yarrish has added nitro/electric boat work,race coverage and product reviews to my article work list.

IW: Word on the street is that RCBM is in need of writers.  Can you confirm or deny this?

RE: RCBM always needs good writers. Many people can produce excellent RC boat articles of all kinds and RCBM will use them under the right conditions. The really tough part is keeping writers from burning-out; which happens alot on any type magazine writing. Deadlines, work loads and writer's block affects every writer; especially  those have a regular day job and can only write after work or on weekends. You really have to love RC to stay interested in writing about it!

IW: I'm Joe Boater and I think I have a good idea for an article. What should I do?

RE: First, contact Gerry. He'll give you plenty of info on what you'll need to do no matter what type article you're looking at. Plus he can setup when you'll need to have it in, how many words it'll need and what photos will be required with it. Gerry's been doing this for a long time and can get you pointed in the right direction. Also, I want to clearup something: you do not need a PC, a high-zoot camera or a phd to write good articles! Until the spring of this year I was doing all my work on a regular electric typewriter-believe it or not! As for my camera gear I use two used Pentax 35mm cameras and three used lens to produce my photos. All total I've got less than five hundred bucks in the cameras, and that's more than what's needed.

IW: Any hints to help hopeful writers get published?

RE: Start out writing about what you know best; whether it's rigging a nitro outboard tunnel boat or painting a all-wood tugboat. RCBM always needs good, basic "how-to" stuff, race reports, etc., that are both easy to understand and are sent-in in a timely matter. All most as important as the story's text are the photos you send in with it: sharp, clean slides and B&W's shot from different angles are needed and can make or break the article! You'll also need to understand that not everything sent in to RCBM gets published. I've had several things rejected myself, so don't take it personal if you have a flop or two-all writers do now and again.

IW: So is it safe to say that you don't have to be an R/C "expert" to write an article?

RE: Absolutely. Yet, your article might need an expert's advice to make it a good, solid R/C boat story. Plus you'll have to explain your subject matter clearly, so that even a raw boat novice can understand and absorb it completely. This idea also carries over to race/event stories as well. The basics of Who, What, When, Where and Why will get you the bulk of the article, along with the usual backup photography. A related sidebar story that focuses on an intriguing local racer or event winner doesn't hurt either, even if it's only one paragraph long. Overall, any submitted RCBM article should be both informative and interesting to most anyone who might pickup the magazine!

IW: How much time will pass between me sending in an article and that article appearing in RCBM?

RE: Likely the minimum time will be two issues/four months from the day you mail it to AirAge. Each issue of RCBM is madeup of multi-page segments and if they're pressed for space an article lined-up in one issue may get postponed to the next magazine (due to page counts). This bumping process isn't limited to RCBM-I also send in articles to other magazines and it's the same all-over the publishing world.

IW: Here's the standard final question: Peer into your crystal ball and predict where this hobby/sport is going. What is going to be the next big thing? Where do you see gas boats in five years?

RE: Well, many people would tell you flat-out my blub's been dimmed-out for some time now, but I'll take a shot at it. Gasboats are hot right now-I gauge that by companies like K&B developing a two-stroke engine for R/C boats. If a big R/C manufacturer should come out with a gasboat they might explode in popularity. Fast electrics currently have excellent sub-c ni-cads available and should'nt be out-dated anytime soon-which can only help to increase their number of fans. We all need more information on boats, and hopefully this interview will see more good writers doing just that. Finally, as for where the gassers will be in five years, I can only hope for the best. Many R/C boat types gain then loose in popularity; but with good product and a solid info support program they should keep growing in the marketplace.