The cost of rocketry.

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I actually liked this thread. It did get off subject, but it brought out some divergent opinions. Nobody got nasty or bent out of shape about it and it was a nice discussion of various opinions.

Nobody is going to have the exact same opinion about anything in this hobby. I may not agree with everyone else here, but I don't mind hearing other's thoughts on a subject. It has changed my opinions on several occasions. I guess that's one of the reasons I don't mind expressing my opinion on different subjects. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but I also don't expect anyone to be offended because I did express my opinion.
 
I've posted on this before that building is part of what you're paying for, not part of what you're paying. Or at least, it has to mean more to you than a few seconds of glory. The cost of that would be $ per second. I like seeing an interesting design of mine go up and most aspects of rocketry events, and a certain satisfaction from owning my fleet. I even like some stages of building, although painting isn't one of them.

I think a lot of people have tried rocketry at some point or another, but most find it too much of diminishing interest and endless cost. We're a strange group and have to be, although it still seems like more should be interested.

Handeman said:
Why? How many people do you know that took a loan to buy a ski boat, or a large sport fishing boat, a snowmobile, a ATV, a 4x4 for rock climbing? My cousin spends $20K every time he blows a motor in his late model stock car and that doesn't include the $100s he spend on gas, tires, etc for each night at the local dirt track.

I don't think it is unreasonable to go into debt to fund a hobby. A lot of people do it all the time. What would make that unreasonable is if they couldn't pay off the debt. I consider RV camping a hobby and I'll certainly won't be paying cash for my next RV, I'll take a loan. But I won't take a loan I can't afford. Taking a loan to get the big L3 rocket built isn't really unreasonable when you look at what people do with other hobbies. What sucks is when the thing crashes or CATOs and you're left with nothing but the loan to pay off instead of a large rocket to fly for many years. I don't think Allstate will insure your L3 rocket for lawndarts.
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Most things you get a loan for have sellable value and yep, insurance. You're essentially getting a loan against that value, and the loan is paid off while it still has much value. If they insured rockets, people would be sure to fly them until destroyed as the best way to get the money back ... P.S. although if you just mean put something on credit because the launch window is NOW a lot of us have done that.
 
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Expensive...and worth every penny!

I don't fly many single 18mm kits, but I have plenty of 18 clusters and 24's. One of my favorite rockets is a 3x18 Kappa 9M from Aerospace Specialty. On the other end of the spectrum, I just purchased the kit that I hope to be my L3 bird...

In the past week I purchased a 4" Radial Flyer and Scorpion from MAC Performance, Aerotech Astrobee D and IQSY Tomahawk from Hobbylinc (duplicates), a 2.6" head end DD bay from Chris Attebery, 2 centering rings from Wildman, and a 6" Black Brant II from Rocketry Warehouse. Very expensive week! At some point, I will have to feed those beasts their diet of AP, too.

But the friendships, the sense of accomplishment, and the pure joy? They are priceless!

Cheers,
Michael
 
I think I would like to go into experimental rocketry in the future if space allows. I just feel that I have to grow in the hobby, meaning I need to be able to do things that I can't do before.
 
Some people have a lot more money to spend on rocketry than I do. This was offered up on the email chat for a club launch I am going to:

1. Never Flown Polecat Built Saturn V
2. 98mm Center motor mount with 4-54mm outboards in the nozzles
3. Custom wrap and resin molds added.
4. Will throw in an L952 Motor
5. Will Throw in the 98mm/2560 case only (used)
6. Will Throw in a Rocketman chute for main
7. All Motor mounts have Aeropack motor retention
8. Will throw in shock cord and Nomex Blankets
9. $900.00

That sold in less than 1 hour. It may or may not be a good deal --- I don't know. It sounds like a lot of great stuff, but also a large dollar amount as far as I am concerned. And I'm scared to ask what it would cost to actually fly it. It's out of my league.
 
Welcome to the world of High Power Rocketry and the realization on your pocket book.

$310, hahahahahahaha, That won't even payoff the AP for one motor I have., hell I've already mortgaged off my first born child for rocketry, hahahahaha

But I got a smile on my face that going to be hard to remove, was it worth it, YEP!!!!!

And your list is missing a tracker and depending on the motor you use your rocket may go missing too!
also no motor or case.
$310=$410=$510=$1000=$2000 and so on and so on....
Like I said, WELCOME to High Power Rocketry!!!!:cheers:
 
Yup welcome to HPR. look at the little thing under my name...

Nate
 
And when you're tired of throwing everything into the back of the car/suv, and/or the rockets are just getting to big, you wind up with a trailer..........
 
It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. A $15 nose cone, $12 for a 34 inch LOC body tube, $5 for a sheet of 1/4 ply from Michael's. Share parachutes and recovery harnesses from other rockets (tubular nylon from climbing stores) and with some extra effort compared to a kit you have a new design. Fly it and enjoy watching the more expensive flights that others do. Great fun!
 
As I was saying, fiberglass tube and aeropack retainers are not absolutely necessary. You can even use concrete mold tubes that are sold cheaply at Home Depot or something.
 
I'll probably never paint another rocket. That's why I like the RW stuff. And as I said, I like to be able to prep in advance, which means no sharing of parachutes, harnesses, altimeters, AV bays, etc. Motor casings and my tracker I do share, so I did not include them. I just wanted to point out to A) new to HPR people and B) people who don't track what they are spending that a $100 rocket comes with a lot more expenses. I figured, hmm, $100 for the rocket and maybe another $100 for the extras. i was way too low. And yes, I will be spending $324 on motors this weekend, so I am chuckling at people who are saying I should get out of the hobby if I don't want to spend the money.
 
Rocketry can be enjoyed at all levels whether its model, MPR or HPR the key is to find balance and utilize your budget in an efficient manner. So yeah some of us have L1 L2 or L3 under our name on our card. No reason to pigeon hole us because we like big rockets and big motors, but we still enjoy all levels. We have more options. I think someone hit the nail on the head when they stated the friendships that are made are priceless and the sense of accomplishment at any level far outweighs the cost. There are other hobbies far more expensive than rocketry. At least most of us no have drug and alcohol adictions. At least I would hope so.
 
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Bat-mite said:
I'll probably never paint another rocket. That's why I like the RW stuff. And as I said, I like to be able to prep in advance, which means no sharing of parachutes, harnesses, altimeters, AV bays, etc. Motor casings and my tracker I do share, so I did not include them. I just wanted to point out to A) new to HPR people and B) people who don't track what they are spending that a $100 rocket comes with a lot more expenses. I figured, hmm, $100 for the rocket and maybe another $100 for the extras. i was way too low. And yes, I will be spending $324 on motors this weekend, so I am chuckling at people who are saying I should get out of the hobby if I don't want to spend the money.
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I think a few people have missed your point.

So are you going to mortgage your house for those motors, you irresponsible spend-thrift? :wink:
 
Debt = Prosperity...

At least that's what I've heard...

So, Buy MOAR...:grin:
 
bill_s said:
....... although if you just mean put something on credit because the launch window is NOW a lot of us have done that.
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Yeah, I've been guilty of that a couple times myself. At the last METRA launch, Wildman CT was there, and let me tell you his trailer is a very dangerous place.... Walk in with money, walk out with rocket motors.

Nate
 
Rrwjr said:
Hold on there just a minute- all of my rockets fly Topflight. Never have I had a chute failure, or rough landing that wasn't induced by me doing something wrong. They offer various styles, are reasonable in cost and Gary and his wife are great people. I'm sure there are many, many, many, people here who will agree with me. Maybe you hit a nerve for me, but for many of us and many of the manufacturers who use top flight chutes -top flight is like family. You like military surplus great- don't go slinging a well respected name in the Rocketry business as inferior because you buy a particular chutes cheaper on the surplus circuit. I attend many launches LPR, MPR, and HPR and I think it's less than a coincidence that you see Top flight chutes and reacon chutes- also made by Top flight more than anything else. I have yet to see an "x" type chute or reacon style chute on the military surplus market so let's make sure your comparing apples to apples for what your needs are, to where you fly and what you fly before throwing out a statement that something works better than anything from Top flight.

Sorry for throwing thread off topic. Not a big fan of seeing rocketry vendors names used negatively unless they have wronged someone by taking there cash and not delivering.
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I agree that Gary and his wife are absolutely great people! I also have several Topflight chutes and always had good chutes with them...they open reliably and get my rocket back to me in one piece. I also have different size military chutes, Recon chutes, X-chutes and fruity chutes... when it comes to chutes they all work well if you pack them right and they all have their purpose. I believe its important to have a variety of different types and sizes. It does no good to sling mud at a vendor. If it wasn't for these vendors we wouldn't have this hobby
 
CzTeacherMan said:
See, this is why it's fun to build minimum diameter 18mm rockets (LoL)...
I can love building and flying my little rockets, love building and flying my level 1 rockets, and LOVE watching others fly multi hundred/thousand dollar projects. When I'm an old fart, maybe I'll do a level 3. Or when my book sells thousands of copies. Until then, I build and launch what I like and what I want and what I can afford.
For me, it's also trade offs. Sometimes I'll launch 5/6 small rockets at a launch. But I can have just as much fun launching two H or I motors at a single launch.
I'm getting ready to launch for level 2, and after that, I'll launch it maybe once a year. But I'll be a level 2, and that's kinda fun to say, even if it only means anything to rocketeers... Everyone else looks at me sideways.
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I'm in the same boat...once L2 it opens up more doors to more cool kits and bigger motor...rocketry is fun at any level!

Just remember when you become L2 doesn't mean you always have to fly J, K and L motors ... 24's and 29's are always fun too. I look at getting L2 or any level as personal goals in the hobby and a way to test my skills. I'll still fly 29's mostly because they are affortable
 
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