Briggs and Stratton and Mini Most

[Andrew 4CE]

This is awesome!

Wish it worked up here when it was tried... why didn't it? Will, man power, time, lack of interest, red tape? Never too late to try again I guess.

I still say if we could have boxes of 9.9/15hp conversions at boat shows cottage people would buy them! Sales are sales... who cares if they are raced, it gets gear out there, knowledge out there and interest out there, plus more sales for the people who make the stuff and that means lower prices. If dirt bikes and seadoos were only sold to racers that sport would likely be close to dead too. The racing comes naturally if the gear is out there being used.

Go Russ/AOF GO!!

[Abbott Racing]

Well Andrew I can answer that one considering that I was the person that stood up and presented. Simply the older members were not open to this concept as they wanted to stay the course with real race boats.

Also at the same meeting the water mouse project was presented and they went with that.

I'm sure we could get this going up here, would just take a little work again...

[aojesus]

replies

Andrew,
I remember well the day the Minimost came to Sydenham. Many of us there wished we had them when we were kids! I had my own suspicions why it failed and Bob has confirmed it. Bob and Doug put a nice deal together. We got plans back then and were going to build one for my oldest son but it never came to be.

Bob,
I would love to see this proposed again in Canada! I would also love to see a "testimonial" from Doug and his daughter regarding how it helped her and how much family fun they had. This would be great to have to pass out to prospective Minimost drivers. You guys did an AWESOME job on this project,
and it is what has inspired Carl and I to talk to AOF and get this going!
Now, I have to ask the 1 million dollar questions.... How many watermouses (watermice?) are racing today? How many have raced since the inception?
How many people can afford them? Did they experience the great family time of building the boat together? How many kids missed out because the Minimost class wasn't approved?
Thanks again Bob and Doug for your great efforts to grow the sport and help the kids!

Les,
What are the chances you are going to put a kid in that and try to convince us that it is 5HP? Seriously though, it looks great! I bet it is an awesome ride!

AOF,
Thank you for giving the Minimost-Briggs & Stratton class your blessing!
I am trying to order a box of trophies or medals to give to each kid that runs.
All awards will say "WINNER"
Thanks again!

RussW

[AOFoffice]

Russ,
The coolest thing about the mini most is the chance a kid gets to work with Dad/Grandad, Uncle, Friend, etc. Your enthusiasm makes it even more exciting. I thnk each boat should be named after some character that the child has fun with: ie: Clifford the Big Red Dog,; Bob the Builder, etc. Kinda of like the Legend cars. That would make it even more exciting for an announcer.
Keep up the good work with your kids!

[Ken G]

right on

I agree that this class is just what i am lookin for for my two girls ages 5 and 7 what a great idea,,,Connie I love you and your vision for our future,God bless you and each of these guys that are pioneering this class for the greater good for our dear sport,,,I cant wait to get my hands on some of the plans for a mini most and Im looking forward to building a couple with my daughters and my girls are exited as well,,, thanks again looking forward to seeing you at lk placid ...12kenF

[aojesus]

more for the kids

Hey future Minimost pilots,....
Besides being a Heavy Equipment Mechanic/Operator and an ordained minister,
I also own a full service sign shop. I do hand lettering, vinyl lettering, custom stuff,......
Here is the deal,... If you help your Dad or Grandad, or whoever it may be that builds your boat, I will provide the lettering and graphics FREE! If you live near me I can do it in my shop or send me measurements and we'll do it at a race, or I can ship vinyl lettering to your house. Free means free, no strings attached.

Also,....
Send me a picture of you and your boat along with a breif biography and we will put it on the Highlands Outboard Association web site.
web.tampabay.rr.com/aojesus

It would be interesting to know how many people are building these boats.

Keep us posted!

RussW
russw@tampabay.rr.com

[3autility]

MiniMost

I have posted before and am glad to see the great enthusiasm for this boat and the possibilities it holds for kids to get into racing. It was the boat that made me eventually race 25ss and 25 mod. Someday I may even build one for myself. I would also add that most states have laws that restrict kids under a certain age from operating a powerboat by themselves so a 5 or 6 year old could only be a passenger and maybe only squeeze the throttle which should also be a rush.

[aojesus]

age restriction

I have posted before and am glad to see the great enthusiasm for this boat and the possibilities it holds for kids to get into racing. It was the boat that made me eventually race 25ss and 25 mod. Someday I may even build one for myself. I would also add that most states have laws that restrict kids under a certain age from operating a powerboat by themselves so a 5 or 6 year old could only be a passenger and maybe only squeeze the throttle which should also be a rush.

You raise a valid point on age limits. I saw your post and we immediately started researching the age regulations. According to the information we have,....
AOF is a sanctioning body conducting a special eventin a controlled environment. This allows AOF and Highlands Outboard Association to put 6-9yr. olds on the water.

I am not sure how it works in other states or Canada. Maybe AOFOffice could give us some clarification.

Thank you for raising this topic. We need to make sure we have covered all of the bases.

RussW

[Bill Huson]

age restrictions . . .

Back in the good ol' days the water was an open venue with no age restriction. Thank goodness, I may have turned to a life of juvenile delinquency *coff-coff* but at age 11 I was on the water in my very own boat.

The arrival of the PWC (Personal Water Craft) changed all that. he PWC, a small, quick, turnkey boat, was perfect for young `uns, but safety issues became a concern. Response: rules upon rules, some common sense, some silly.

But racing in a sanctioned event is allowed everywhere, I'm sure. The AOF has allready expressed their willingness to add Minimosts to the race schedule. Methinks the APBA with their present insurance setup may do the same but age 9 as a starter age - same as Js.

[AOFoffice]

Ken G,
I can't wait to see you working on the Mini most with your daughters. If they are as pleasant as you, they will be a joy.

To eveyone else.
I am just a cheerleader for this project. A lot of people are making this happen.
I want to add that we are not just going to throw the kids out there without some thought and planning.
The AOF Safety Director, Kevin Martin (I call him the AOF god) can put a halt to this project in a minute if he thinks it is unsafe. We are taking it slowly to make sure everyone is safe.
Safety equipment and gear is being discussed and Carl Staron is taking donations, plus has donated much to this aspect.
Howard Pickerell, the AOF technical VP is keeping a close eye on the class.
Mike Sattler, the AOF Competition VP will also be looking at how we should word the rules for this class once we get that far. I am getting many emails form old timers who want a ride.
Concerning local rules about children under a certain age:. I checked with the US Coast Guard to verify what I had been told in the past. When we get a sanction for a race, we get permits, either/and/or local, state, or federal. Both APBA and AOF are recognized by the Coast Guard as national sanctioning bodies. (I can remember when AOF was not, but NOA was. We had to get that changed over). When the permit is approved, then you "lease" the water and the rules in place would be those of the national sanctioning body. Once the permit expires, then the rules of the water revert back to what they were. By approving us as national sanctioning bodies they entrust that we know what we are doing.
That is why we are taking this slow to make sure we do know what we are doing. Russ and Carl wll hopefully be giving the Mini most an intial trial this month.
It is looking like this is going to be a happening project. Thank you to all for the excitment.
Connie

[kws]

i dont know if the rest of the minimost's do this but ours did:
the faster you go the lower the nose wants to run . with a omc A motor & foot LOOK OUT it would stuff if you let it but it was still a lot of fun

[aojesus]

Joe & Amy

Here are a few pictures of Joey and Amy hard at work. We have six hours and $87 invested. The transom and framework is done and all stringers are cut. We will start assembly tomorrow after church.

[kws]

Thats cool, bonding time is all ways great. they will injoy running them even more after helping build THEIR boats!

[jwmaddrell]

minimost

the mini most is really a great idea for the youngsters and their parents. in 1950 a fellow from my llittle town of 1200 built a similar boat out of two sheets of plywood and left it down by the creek that ran by our town and said anyone that wanted to use it could. my dad had a 5 hp chriscraft motor and my friend had a similar boat and a 6 hp wizard. we spent hours down there running those boats. 2 years later i built a 12 ft kit boat but didnt think it went fast enough so i sold it and bought a kg7h and a pabst bu. i ran that boat every chance i had. even used it for fishing. i talked my dad into taking the boat to rice lake in ontario and went trolling and caught a 36 in muskie. the old guys at the dock couldnt believe it. on labor day of that year i ran my first race at steubenville oh. 54 years later im still racing. have met many good friends of those years of racing. good luck to you dads and moms and young drivers. i wish you the best. youll all have much fun.
happy motoring
jwmaddrell

[Ken G]

wow

I think Im gonna cry! no kiddin I try to be as manly as any, but there is something about the sweet nastalgia of a memory of the past of a time were your freedom was boundless and your experience 's were rich with spontinuity and i guess thats what im searching for to help give to my kids.. the fact that the craft at hand is a creation from the past not some new state of the art , big money ( dont get me wrong there is a great place for that craft too ,but not here) its back to the basics ,exactly were these kids need to be... and I agree with safety being the primary focus, and to use this class for exactly what it is an entry and possibly an exiting level class..a couple of times Ive seen the parent of a racing child demonstrate the wrong reason for racing and these kids usely lose the fun of racing,,lets teach the kids safety and fun,, OK im off my soapbox,, connie I volunteer to be your asst. cheerleader for this project,,anyhow i apreciate all the support that is flooding in on this awsome change,,and Im sure that what ever we all invest now ,we are gonna back in tenfolds,, hopfully the next time i talk to all of yall i will have Coral and Oceans plans ordered and on the way..Happy New Year and GodBless..12KenF