Bob Ammend's replica Coast Guard cutter sank to the bottom of the Andover Station Pond one spring day in 2011, partly because of the wind.
It had been a struggle for him to make the model boat seaworthy from the get-go, so it almost seemed fitting. "I didn't want to retrieve it. I said, 'That's where it belongs.' "
The pond near the Target store is the home base for the Andover RC Boat Club, of which Ammend is a co-founder. Formed in 2011, the club gives model-boat enthusiasts a chance to test the vessels, socialize and talk shop, Ammend said.
Anyone is welcome to join in, and any type of electric boat will do. "It's a fun run club. It's non-structured and there are no dues," said Ammend. There are currently about 20 members.
Some people design and build their own boats while others buy ready-made ones. The club's fleet runs the gamut in terms of speed, size and style. There are vintage speedboats, sailboats, tugboats, military ships, modified racers and even a boat carved out of a zucchini. Ammend, a Navy veteran, has a model of the U.S.S. Carronade, the ship he was on during the Vietnam War.
Usually, the group attracts a small crowd of spectators.
The group's most striking display happens in the fall, an event called "Light Up the Pond," during which members illuminate their boats and float them at dusk.
Ammend said the club wants to promote the hobby, which he said isn't as popular in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," as one might expect.