Low Cost Hobby Ideas?

380EXCman

Sponsoring Member
Sep 15, 1999
721
1
Looking for a hobby. Anybody have some ideas? Looking for low cost hobbies, if there is such a thing. When your not messing with the bikes what do you do to keep busy?
 

MXGirl230

Stupid tires and trees
~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Dec 19, 2002
2,358
0
low cost hobbies?? Is there such a thing?? When we aren't riding our street or dirt bikes we shoot guns. Looking at trying some IDPA next year. Then in the Winter we snowboard...

Hmm...yeah no low cost hobbies in this house!
 
R

rmc_olderthandirt

~SPONSOR~
Apr 18, 2006
1,533
8
What is this concept of "not messing with the bikes"?

Let's see, the 2-stroke is in pieces in the garage, the parts are on order due to arrive on Wednesday, I leave for the race on Thursday night, will get back Sunday, then I have two days to get the bike back in shape for Thanksgiving weekend, then two weeks to get it fixed back up before the next enduro, and then New Years play riding, then one week before the next Club enduro, then only a week before the next district enduro, ...

No, I am going to be messing with the bike for quite a while....
 
J

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
Define "low cost". My kids and I are getting into (me back into) r/c. You can start out cheap, but it can get expensive!
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,788
35
MXGirl230 said:
low cost hobbies?? Is there such a thing?? When we aren't riding our street or dirt bikes we shoot guns. Looking at trying some IDPA next year. Then in the Winter we snowboard...

Hmm...yeah no low cost hobbies in this house!
Click to expand...
IDPA is fun. It led me to USPSA and 3-Gun which are even more fun.

My 12 year old made a video with the crappy video footage I took of him at the Nationals last month:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJhBUpnxrU
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 26, 1999
19,765
1
Rock skipping is cheap.
 
W

wake_rider

Member
Feb 21, 2007
481
2
Potato Guns... I've not built one in a while, but I used to use Schedule 40, or 80 in bigger applications, PVC and began to get pretty creative with the design. I rifled out barrels, used different firing mechanisms (the old-school lantern lighters with flint always seemed the best out of everything I tried), tried different propellants (chem-tool always seemed to be the most consistent and didn't gum things up). Out of all the changes that I made, rifling the barrel and beveling the tip to be able to cut perfect slugs out of the potatoes were the best, and most simple, changes that I ever made and those were developed at the ripe age of 14. Meaning, your kids can get involved and come up with some great ideas...

It was a good way to advance your engineering and mechanical prowess, albeit that the engineering is southern! Either way, it was incredibly inexpensive and fun at the same time. Plus, when you build a tight spud gun that's the perfect ratio of length to width of expansion chamber and the correct barrel width and length, you have a gun that's louder and much more guttural than a 10 gauge shotgun and the flame will spit 3 to 4 feet out of the tip of the barrel. Fun...
 
J

_JOE_

~SPONSOR~
May 10, 2007
4,697
3
I can honestly say that's the first time I've heard potato cannon building referred to as a hobby.....they are a hell of alot of fun though. You just gotta live somewhere you don't have neighbors closeby.
 

ellandoh

dismount art student
~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Aug 29, 2004
2,958
0
High Lord Gomer said:
IDPA is fun. It led me to USPSA and 3-Gun which are even more fun.

My 12 year old made a video with the crappy video footage I took of him at the Nationals last month:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZJhBUpnxrU
Click to expand...


THAT IS F%^&ING AWESOME plus when youre done the surrounding terrain looked like it was begging to get ridden on :ride:

any chance you could email me some info on how to get into that? what is it even called so i can gooogle it
 

MikeT

~SPONSOR~
Jan 17, 2001
4,095
11
Archery is not that expensive if you buy some used equipment. I actually got a leftover bow from Bass Pro for $149. A target from Dicks for $29 and a set of arrows for about $30. I shoot it in my backyard and recover the arrows so I don't need to keep buying them. The RTS (ready to shoot) bows come with a sight and everything else you need to shoot. Bass Pro will adjust it to fit you at no additional cost. It really is a lot of fun. I bet you can get a used bow for even less money.
 

High Lord Gomer

Poked with Sticks
Sep 26, 1999
11,788
35
ellandoh said:
THAT IS F%^&ING AWESOME plus when youre done the surrounding terrain looked like it was begging to get ridden on :ride:

any chance you could email me some info on how to get into that? what is it even called so i can gooogle it
Click to expand...

USPSA is the United States Practical Shooting Association. http://uspsa.org

IDPA is the International Defensive Pistol Association. Stages in IDPA are supposed to be based on more realistic scenarios. http://www.idpa.com/

Some videos Tommy did during the SC State USPSA Championship this year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRikYXL6Kfc

He caught a bunch of grief for going gangstah on the last target of this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNbCOuLVZig

The best forum for shooting competitions is: http://www.brianenos.com/forums

BTW, shooting does not really qualify as a low cost hobby, though. Not as expensive as riding, but still not cheap.
 

MXGirl230

Stupid tires and trees
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Mi. Trail Riders
Dec 19, 2002
2,358
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That's awesome! I will have to show Phil tonight.
No shooting is not cheap. Even shooting the .22s isn't exactly cheap anymore.

A guy I work with does reloads so we can at least practice with the reloads at a cheaper cost.
 

ellandoh

dismount art student
~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Aug 29, 2004
2,958
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thanks HLG, im on it! :cool:
 

ellandoh

dismount art student
~SPONSOR~
Mi. Trail Riders
Aug 29, 2004
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Ol'89r

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 27, 2000
6,958
45

How far will that thing shoot a potato? I have a neighbor that I'm not too crazy about. :laugh:
 
D

dirt bike dave

Sponsoring Member
May 3, 2000
5,348
3
As for low cost hobbies, you could learn to play a musical instrument. Spend a little on lessons, and buy an entry level instrument (guitar, banjo, keyboard, harmonica?).

Or do a hobby where you make things you can sell (perhaps at no profit). Honey, book cases, carved walking sticks, etc... Whatever floats your boat, but don't let it become a 'job'.
 
T

thumbs

Tony 'da Rat
Oct 16, 2000
2,480
2
I have a few RC cars, boats and an airplane. All fun and can get into it pretty cheap but like anything else it can get expensive when you want to upgrade.

I started with a nitro car (Jato 3.3) that can do 70mph. Initial cost was about $400. I now have put another $300 into it in upgraded parts.

Entry level plane ready to fly will cost about $125. I would highly recommend buying a flight simulator for your computer before you buy a plane because you will crash the **** out of it.

RC Boats are fun and cheap. I got a boat ready to go for about $300. My dog will chase the boat all day long until she is to tired to move.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waYUK2vwIrw
 
W

ws6transam

Member
Nov 17, 2005
309
0
Other low-cost hobbies could include Amateur Radio. My son and I both have our HAM licenses now, and for $750, I have everything we need to participate on most every band except the microwave bands. I bought our equipment used, and it works great. We make our own antennas, typically for $30 worth of materials.
-

Dan
"NE8K"
 
W

wake_rider

Member
Feb 21, 2007
481
2
Ol'89r said:
How far will that thing shoot a potato? I have a neighbor that I'm not too crazy about. :laugh:
Click to expand...


I could get them to shoot at a fairly consistent 250-300 yards, or so, and I had one that I seemed to get all the dimensions spot on that would shoot closer to 350-375 range. From around 50 yards, I could get them to hit stop-signs sized targets every 7 out of 10 tries (I made a youthful mistake a few times and actually shot down stop signs. It will knock the sign off the pole or after just a few good hits. Back then I didn't understand that those signs served a real purpose... :whoa: ) Every once in a while, you'll get a tumbler that falls end over end like a bad punt and it just destroys the distance, although within 50 yards or so the accuracy isn't changed dramatically, but that usually has to do with a potato that's too soft and basically just becomes mashed potatoes as soon as it leaves the barrel. That's fun too, though!
 
J

justalonewolf007

Member
Apr 30, 2007
657
0
Also a HAM operator here...only a tech level though that I earned at the ripe old age of 8 (multiple choice instead of the fill-in the blank stuff they do now).

Potato cannons - we used the cap off a gallon jug of milk to use as a "shoot anything" device. I won't admit it, but we did shoot a load of dog poop at the neighbor kid after he pitched some rocks through the window of one of our sheds. It was kinda nasty, but well worth it.
 
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