Stock Chairman's Long Term Plan

[14-H]

How's this?

We should eliminate FAR and FAH, put the restrictor in the OMC's in the ASH & ASR classes and introduce the Hot Rod SO A engine once it is produced for the A classes along with the Mercs and the OMC's, get rid of AXSH & R, put the new Hot Rod in BSR and BSH along with the Y-80 in BSH with a 1" height restriction; choke down the old H/R's in this class but keep them legal, get rid of AMR & AMH but let those engines run in B Mod or C stock, eliminate BMR, 20SSH and 25SSR, keep B Mod Hydro and combine it with 25SSH, I don't care what you call the class; legalize the 202 in C Stock and C Mod, get rid of C Mod Runabout (take the pipe off and run it in CSR), keep CSR and make the 44XS a legal engine for participation only at local events; combine DMR and FER, get rid of DSH but legalize the stock 44XS in CMH and keep DMH and FEH. Get rid of K Pro and OSY 400.

Put the Stock Tohatsu into DMR and DMH with either the larger carburetors or the exhaust tuning pipe (neither of which is legal currently), but not both. Tohatsu would be available for modification in the FE classes.

Then, combine stock and mod for only one commission. The following year, do the same thing with PRO but keep a separate true "alky" set of classes with 4 runabouts and 4 hydro classes. Move the antiques to the classic category.

All engines which are currently available for purchase as new or remanufactured new should be viewed as being able to set records or win the closed course national championship. All older equipment should be maintained as competitive equipment in each class with an emphasis towards moving those engines into a Modified Class. Pro Classes would be truly "open" classes where anything goes; bore and stroke rules only.

Only One Racing Commission should oversee the entire Outboard Category but technical changes for each class would be required to be initiated by a class technical committee for the class.

Hall of Champions: Two from the Stock Classes, One from Mod Classes, One from Pro Classes, One from J Classes.

The particulars are subject to alteration.

[Brian10s]

This sounds more like a plan from the "Outboard" king and not the Stock Chairman. Are you planning on taking over all the other outboard categories (and I am assuming that they will just roll over and welcome you with open arms)? If not, then what is the Stock Outboard Long Term plan for the next 5 years? Because that is something that you actually have a hand in controlling.

[Dave M]

I believe It Was Meant

to be a joke......

No wonder people don't want to go meetings, with all this talk here I can only imagine what goes on in the meetings..... better make sure the meeting rooms have a supply of Advil.

The sport needs real help, not just a bunch of people in a pissing match. Perhaps if you focus on increasing the numbers it will be easier to manage the details. Right now it looks like there only a few people who vary in opinions and others be dammed.

Some good ideas seem to be lost in the midst of all the arguments..

[BP125V]

It's long overdue

Brian,

There can be no long term comprehensive plan for SO unless it includes MOD and vice versa. Stock is MOD anyways and has been for years. Personally I do not see a distinction between the 2 categories. This is due to the fact that here in Region 7 have run MOD at our "STOCK" races for ever and that the stock classes do not run box stock equipment anyways. Plus we share everything except pipes and 4 blade props.

Let's just admit it, drop the titles and combine our resources, it is the basically the same group of people anyways. Call the new category Sportsman Outboard or something along those lines.

Give Ed some credit here. He was asked for a big picture plan and he provided it.

Bill III

PS
Ed - combining SO and MOD is a daunting enough task, leave the PRO's out of it.

[csh2z]

Stock & Mod although somewhat compatible are really two very different mindsets. Stock - Should be and can in the future be truly out of the box stock. The level playing field of a single motor per class foundation with the challenge being the boat, props and most importantly the driver. Mod - Is for those interested in adding the motor with limited modifications. The two categories can work in concert with one another and drivers obviously can crossover but the philosophy for stability, growth & identifying needs are not the same. If you think it is difficult dealing with the issues in one category, what reasonable chance do we have developing a combined category. Pro? - That's another can of worms I'm not ready to open. John 2-Z

Ed, I sent you a private message.

[14-H]

to be a joke......

***..

Dave: As the professor said, in the movie Animal House: "I'm serious! People, this is my job! (whining)"

It's no joke. But I wasn't born yesterday, and I remember what happened to Gary Miller's plan.

[14-H]

*** Are you planning on taking over all the other outboard categories (and I am assuming that they will just roll over and welcome you with open arms)? ***.

I'm not planning on taking over anything. But this turf thing to which you refer (which is ridiculous, really) is the very thing that would stop this type of a plan from being put into place.

I mean really, how much sense does it make that we have three racing commissions, each made up of 10 to 15 people, in order to govern classes for 600 people? Talk about a bulging bureacracy.

[14-H]

***Stock is MOD anyways and has been for years. Personally I do not see a distinction between the 2 categories. ***

There is a major difference between Mod and Stock but not one which is big enough to require separate categories. In Mod the philosophy for classes has always been to make engines which may no longer be in production but which were mass produced so that large quantaties of parts exist, available to race with that type of equipment. In Stock the philosophy has always been, use new, production equipment.

BTW: I see no reason to leave PRO out. Here's where we can learn something from AOF and NBRA. They both have one governing body for all of their outboards including their Pro classes. In AOF they even include the antiques and inflatable classes under the jurisdiction of the racing commission.

[bill boyes]

I'm not planning on taking over anything. But this turf thing to which you refer (which is ridiculous, really) is the very thing that would stop this type of a plan from being put into place.

I mean really, how much sense does it make that we have three racing commissions, each made up of 10 to 15 people, in order to govern classes for 600 people? Talk about a bulging bureacracy.

Good point!!!

[Dr. Thunder]

<snip>I mean really, how much sense does it make that we have three racing commissions, each made up of 10 to 15 people, in order to govern classes for 600 people? Talk about a bulging bureacracy.

About as much sense as it would make to have One Outboard Racing Commission with three sub-committees (Stock, Mod, Pro) each with 10-15 members ... which is probably what would happen

Any chance the three current Commissioners can get together in the back room and hammer out a deal?

[drbyrne55]

Long term plan and membership numbers ....

How's this?

We should eliminate FAR and FAH, put the restrictor in the OMC's in the ASH & ASR classes and introduce the Hot Rod SO A engine once it is produced for the A classes along with the Mercs and the OMC's, get rid of AXSH & R, put the new Hot Rod in BSR and BSH along with the Y-80 in BSH with a 1" height restriction; choke down the old H/R's in this class but keep them legal, get rid of AMR & AMH but let those engines run in B Mod or C stock, eliminate BMR, 20SSH and 25SSR, keep B Mod Hydro and combine it with 25SSH, I don't care what you call the class; legalize the 202 in C Stock and C Mod, get rid of C Mod Runabout (take the pipe off and run it in CSR), keep CSR and make the 44XS a legal engine for participation only at local events; combine DMR and FER, get rid of DSH but legalize the stock 44XS in CMH and keep DMH and FEH. Get rid of K Pro and OSY 400.

Put the Stock Tohatsu into DMR and DMH with either the larger carburetors or the exhaust tuning pipe (neither of which is legal currently), but not both. Tohatsu would be available for modification in the FE classes.

Then, combine stock and mod for only one commission. The following year, do the same thing with PRO but keep a separate true "alky" set of classes with 4 runabouts and 4 hydro classes. Move the antiques to the classic category.

All engines which are currently available for purchase as new or remanufactured new should be viewed as being able to set records or win the closed course national championship. All older equipment should be maintained as competitive equipment in each class with an emphasis towards moving those engines into a Modified Class. Pro Classes would be truly "open" classes where anything goes; bore and stroke rules only.

Only One Racing Commission should oversee the entire Outboard Category but technical changes for each class would be required to be initiated by a class technical committee for the class.

Hall of Champions: Two from the Stock Classes, One from Mod Classes, One from Pro Classes, One from J Classes.

The particulars are subject to alteration.

As a newbie to the sport .... I follow the discussion on this board to see what's happening. It sounds like there is concern about membership, that is new membership in addition to equipment and classes. What are the actual numbers? Can new membership be broken down by regions? This would be valuable info.....

[14-H]

As a newbie to the sport .... I follow the discussion on this board to see what's happening. It sounds like there is concern about membership, that is new membership in addition to equipment and classes. What are the actual numbers? Can new membership be broken down by regions? This would be valuable info.....

This information is sent to all council members (BOD, Officers, Category Chairman, Region Chairmen and Council at large members) on a monthly basis. A year end report is also prepared although I don't have it yet. The other Chairmen should, though. I did not receive it since I was in the running for the HOC in Stock. Ed.

[drbyrne55]

Does anyone have the numbers?

This information is sent to all council members (BOD, Officers, Category Chairman, Region Chairmen and Council at large members) on a monthly basis. A year end report is also prepared although I don't have it yet. The other Chairmen should, though. I did not receive it since I was in the running for the HOC in Stock. Ed.

Does anyone have the numbers by region?

[14-H]

Yes: all region chairmen, all category chairmen, all BOD members and officers and all council members at large get this stuff. Ed.

[MGallagher]

Ed,

I realize the urgency to fix the sport, but it seems to me you might be throwing in the towel too soon. Stocks must remain stocks. Why I say this is because it seems you have overlooked the new Hot Rods. We need to form the sport around these motors, the 302, the new Mercs and the old OMC(I believe those fishing motors are still salvageable, Garry Pond converted over 20 of them in the past couple of years). These are the motors with the easiest access to parts. Maybe try a trial run using these motors only in runabouts to see and study membership growth.
Example:
JSR- Restricted OMC and Merc
AXSR- Merc and Restricted OMC
ASR- Sidewinder 15ci
BSR- Sidewinder 20ci
CSR- 302 Yamato

Food for thought!

Matt Gallagher
58J