Population Much Larger

[racer121M]

Jeff...you are absolutely right on in your comments. Boat racing is a very major part of my life in part because it sets me apart from the PWC crowd or the SEA RAY crowd (no offense meant here)...and because it is frustrating, intimidating, exhilarating, different, and best of all...fun. It will never be like it was 30 or 40 years ago largely BECAUSE of the afore mentioned Sea Ray and PWC people and all the other folks who have now embraced their own brand of "boating"... whatever that is...with a vengence. Boating is too diverse a sport and has too many different avenues open to folks. The days of 350 boats at the Top O are gone forever. We need to use all of the methods suggested in this thread to entice as many new racers as we can. In the end, it will be us who will be responsible for the fate of kneel down racing.

[Big Don]

TOP O may not have 350 entries but it is on steady increase over the past few years. I'm willing to bet it's even bigger next year. Keep up the great job of promoting it.

I might even have to have someone teach my kids how to drive roll up boats so they can run it one of these years.

[22W]

Don: I'm your huckleberry.

[Big Don]

Funny I have had three offers since I put that on here. God help us, Thomas might be trainable, he's still young, but Donny....

We might have to move Beloit so we can all go! I hear their are others that want to go there next year from our area. Hopefully the city will work with us and we can move it. Wouldn't want to risk loosing it though.

[14-H]

*** Thomas might be trainable, ***.

I can work with the most difficult of them. After 1 year of driving for Team 14, he'll be racing BSR and HE WILL GET THE INSIDE! (post-Oshkosh-jab). Ed.

[Brian10s]

I can work with the most difficult of them. After 1 year of driving for Team 14, he'll be racing BSR and HE WILL GET THE INSIDE! (post-Oshkosh-jab). Ed.

Train 1 yr under Ed = Cruel and Unusual Punishment

Sorry Ed, but somebody was going to say it.

[DougMc]

Check out this page from our Region web site.
http://www.boatracingr11.com/areas/N...00%20Hydro.htm

Darrell

Good program. Who up keeps the boats, who pays for the up keep, where are they stored, who trailers them to the race, etc.?

[YankeeRacing]

Jeff, 55V
Your post was awesome. Made me think and agree. I always thought we should be billed as an "extreme" sport. Something not everyone does. The "extreme sport programs" are doing well, especially on TV. Using that as a promotion gimick might be our answer.
Thanks again for the thoughts. Of course, what else can we expect from someone forward thinking enough to have one of the first Tohotsu's.
Connie

[CSR4C]

Rent a ride class

Good program. Who up keeps the boats, who pays for the up keep, where are they stored, who trailers them to the race, etc.?

Doug,
The up keep comes from sponsors in the region (mostly boat racers) that we sold deck advertising space to. Also there is $15 from each $100 entry fee the goes into the fund. One boat is on my trailer, the 2 others are on trailers of Lonnie & Denice Morris. They are trailered with the motors on the boat all setup ready to go. The motors we are using are Yamato 101s, since they are not legal for any other class, 2 are loaners & 2 were bought for a very low price. At our next Region banquet we will sell advertising space again to fund the program for the '08 season. We also plan on getting a 4th boat in the program.

Darrell

[Dave M]

A Common Theme

That I see alot of, how do you get them in a boat ? Perhaps if you offer rides ina rig, such as R12 is doing and the NorCal thing. What I mean is this, at most races there is always a kid wandering around with his/her parents that thinks these boats are gankie (kid term for cool). Why not grab the parents and offer to take the kid for a ride in your boat ? Right after the racing is done for the day. I am willing to bet you can round up kevlar and gear for them to wear. You would have to finish racing before 9:00 pm though. Make time to take them for a ride at that race that day.

That might bring about some good interest and it would be scrumptious bait on the hook.

Just some thoughts, I always thought that is what is lacking from getting new comers. I hooked a guy from town here by putting together a C Mod for him to race at the last race of the year in Coldwater several years ago. He races and his two kids race as well. His first try in a boat was in a race.... imagine that. It worked. It was decent equipment as well, not some crap tossed together to give them a ride. It was able to compete.

[kws]

Darrell what is the cost of deck space ads?

[CSR4C]

Darrell what is the cost of deck space ads?

Here is what most of the deck space went for.

Front center deck - $25
Right sponson deck – $50
Right center deck – $20
Right rear deck – $40
Left sponson deck – $50
Left center deck – $20
Left rear deck – $40


On some of it we got a little less. Last year we ended up with $595 in advertising for the 3 boats.

We used the cockpit side space to advertise the class.

Darrell

[M721son]

How about getting a couple of old F runabout put a stock 50 on them you could have a drawing were spectators could enter for a ride along race. You suit up a couple of winners from the drawing preferably a male and female then they could select the driver of there choice you race the two againt each other. You could put intercoms in the helmets so they coul talk to the driver and the driver could tell them when to lean or crouch down. So they could feel more part of the race. You could offer other ride alongs for the people that didn't win the drawing for a nominal fee to help cover the cost. I've seen some F runabouts going for quite low prices.
Jerry

[jeff55v]

Darrell what is the cost of deck space ads?

Kevin, Think about all the FREE advertizing you'd get if you could just get those "Powered by Kevscoffee" decals made up! I'd be proud to have a couple on my boats.

Jerry, Your "demo" boat plan is a great idea. Sorta like the Norcal project mentioned earlier on this thread. I'll be working on something similar to that this winter. Except I will hand pick who drives my boat. We gotta be careful about who drives these boats. I don't care how safely the boat is set up, it's not an amusement park ride. We need to be sure the driver takes it seriously. I'm sure that's what you had in mind also.

I gotta go now. I need to buy some West System and duct tape to patch my hydro back together again.

[kws]

Jeff they have been ordered for some time but the person i ordered them from has had some problems from his supplyers. since he is both a great guy and a fellow boat racer i will patiently wait untill he comes thru. the biggest problem is the cool ones he has made for Gene's runnabout are 2 parts with one layed over the first for a neat look (he does those himself so they can be readly made but are harder to put on and still look RIGHT. hince he wants to apply them himself. the ones he ordered will look the pretty much the same (but be in bumper sticker format) we have 250 of those ordered