A Sport To Save: 2011-14

[FlatRacer]

if you want to know something call someone..Hank, Sked, tom Richman, Dale, or even me at a last resort. I'm not that supid to go to a race and not make a couple of calls first, You have to keep in touch with the fellow boat racers.

But that's exactly my point. I have to find out the truth via back channels of communication. This is a national organization that has a publication, and the information in that publication is too often "hopeful", "if we get enough interest", inaccurate or just plain wrong. And the info on the website is just as incorrect or out of date.
If I commit to playing a gig with a band in Florida or West Virginia six months ahead of time, it's because I've checked the schedule and there's no boat race that weekend. If I subsequently discover that, hey there is a race after all, well guess what? I'm playing the gig, because I gave my word. That's what I mean when I say it's hard to plan your summer around an ever changing schedule.

Eric

[Skoontz]

Ron:

Thank you for posting the story of a guy who was going to buy a race boat and thus proving exactly what you and I have said numerous times. If he could have bought a new out of the box engine, and run in a few classes, he might have gone for it... Racers morphed a sport into something that is highly specialized and not accessable. When the races moved to the inland puddles of smooth water, no one sees what goes on, hence the who the hell what the hell factor revolves through this sport like a lawnmower blade over tall grass....

Now enter a new website for APBA...Add expensinve marketing.... Two things drive internet exposure. The first assumes a significant number of people are interested in racing a boat. The site must be on the first page of google....Thats what we do in business...But we have interest in business....If the site is there and no one per se is interested you've wasted your money.

Second, the site is there for people to see and get interested....Really? People are going to read a half million dollar site and get interested?

Both simply cant and dont work. That leaves race sites. They have to be in front of droves of people, they need to be as often as they can be had, and once a year at Longbeach or San Diego, or where ever simply wont cut it.
You need a race on Lake Tahoe, on the cChicago River, on the Chain of Lakes, to name a few so the what the hell is that factor goes away. then rewrite the rules. get rid of the clock, no one knows what it is other than racers and their families. Run your race for two hours with a carnival atmosphere leading up to it...
The whole thing simply needs redoing because the only things that seem to work are the classes where everyone refuses to buy different equipment....Why do you suppose that is? Simple, John Janaky told me once when a boat racer came to him he charged $300 for their prop and they bitched like hell about paying it....A pleasure boater comes to him pays $450 for a prop and gives nothing but praise and bought another prop. He closed with "I used to be a boat racer. Boat racers are cheap sum bitches." Though I dont know if thats true, but I do see a reluctance to change anything largely based from a person not wanting to spend any money....Juast look at the OMC A motor for example. Clusters of people hanging on to their motor, fighting the advent of the Sidewinder, arguing the Mercury could be used in A class. That maybe true, but why not let them all duke it out and score by the motor you run in the class unless there is an even field with each motor? You load the class with boats, everyone has the same advantage within their class, and lifes good....The OMC will eventually die off when it becomes so obsolete you cant find parts, and then you run two motors and score separately...

Time to go back to work....

[swmjake]

All,

The the last BOD meeting, we passed a new GSR that was designed to be a clarification--and nothing more. This new rule is attached.

It has since been pointed out that, because most inboard hydroplanes use 5 point belt systems, that we had inadvertently outlawed most of the
boats currently running in the inboard category.

There are other problems with the attached GSR that we did not foresee.

Because of this, the Board has agreed to rescind this rule--at least for the 2012 racing season.

Cheers,

Mark Wheeler
APBA President

[Ron Hill]

SWMJAKE.....When I was OPC Chairman of APBA, with your help we made many positive changes in OPC Rules. That was 1998. 12 years ago. The person that controlled APBA then,controls APBA now.

America is full of,as Mark Lavine calls them, SHEEPLE. APBA board members feel that being on the board means they have "ARRIVED". Being on he BOARD is their goal, NOT building a sport.

The APBA BOD disgusts me beyond words.

Explain the new HELMET RULE!!!! Where is the Formularace plug that BRF members raised $1,000 to help pay for???

[FlatRacer]

I received this email as well. There was no attachment with it, so as usual, I have no idea what they are talking about. Typical.

Eric

[Ron Hill]

I was talking to a good friend who is an excellent engine builder. I asked him how business was and he said "We're circling the drain."

It took me awhile to comprehend what he was saying but it dawned on me what he meant.

Well Boat Racing is circling the drain also, but being the eternal optimist that I am, I hav conceived a "PLAN" to save boat racing. My plan is call "PRO-AM".

I've decided that everyone likes to win.But, this isn't really possible.

Back in 1956, we had a Pan Am race in San Diego. Ther was no question that th Mexicans wanted to "RACE" and WIN, but looking at their boats we knew the would not take home a trophy.

So, we decided that each boat (American) should have a comadre (Partner). So, every class had 12 boats, six American and six Mexicans. Points were totaled by teams. As it turned out about 50% of the trophies went to Mexicans and 50% went to Americans.

Everyone had a grand time.


I have decided that:

A. You Tube can make boat racing popular
B. Live TV can make boat racing popular.
C. We need a PRO-AM racing team Racing Class
Prop pointed would be counted.
AM pointed would be counted.
Pro-AM pointed would be counted.

Each year there would be a Pro-Am Championships Race.
Each year there would be a PRO and AM High Point.

The PRO-A concept is good for the new comer, of which boat racing needs to help.

[Ron Hill]

My son, Cahd, said the other day he had a list of 99 things that APBA was doing wrong. Then, he listed about 20 of the 99 in about ten seconds.

he sort is "Circling the Drain" and I've been "Side Tracked" making propellers for NON Racers.

If there is a "Bright Spot" or two let me point them out:

1. The Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium have a 30 million dollars restortation project in the works. They have 10 million promotoed. TRhey need another 20, but feel they can hit this dollar amount. They'd like to see boat racing back in the Lucas Miami Marine STADIUM...DID I SAY "LUCAS"?? GLORIA ESTABA is the "spark plug", Jimmy Buffett had a concert there. Hank Tester of Channell 6 News has covered the Stadium nine time this year. Or was that they had 9 editorials tis year....all positives for the Stadium. Also, there is talk of a Clayton, NY museum on the grounds of the Miami Marine Stadium.

2. F1, SPORT, PTT and ARP (Super League) are all either merging or at least discussing working together. Texas had two money races and two trophy races in 2013. This year I hear they are going to three and three. Those Texas Boys headed up by the Schuberts have their ACT together.

3.The Parker 336 promtoed by River Dave's Place has Lucas Oil as their top supporter sponsor (Rumored) for this October,

4. The 336 will have a GRASS ROOTS MINI Enduro on Thursday before the 336 Enduro.

5. Eclectrci Race Boats are doing well. 72 high school teams racing again this year at Lake Skinner in May. Cal Poly, Pomona will be racing in Dayton, Ohio in the College World Series of Solar Boat races.

6.. Region 11, is working with the Wounded Warriors to get them in boats...

7. Lucas Oil owns MAV-TV...expect more boat racing there. Sign up for MAV-TV.

8. Once again the LA Boat Show was a big success for Region 12 racers. Thanks to many, But especially thanks to Mike Quindazzi for setting everything up and thanks to Marlee Hill for being there 24-7. Also, thanks to the Knudsens, Dave Hale, Ted Kolby, Mike Leach, Lane Reiter....

Do your part to save boat racing.

[Powerabout]

apba needs to sort out the classes, its way too complicated for a newbie to understand
You can look up the boat rules but for the layman to understand what engine goes on that boat ( for most classes) takes some real digging.
Then you have the problem where the class uses a homologated block no longer made but in most cases a small amount of testing could open that up to other similar blocks.
Most of the info on the APBA site is written for the racer not from the potential new racers point of view.
I think the cost to race has become an issue that many potential racers are now looking at before they buy a boat therefore that data should be somewhere even if its testimonials from existing racers.
cheers