MY thoughts on the Mini Most

[HRTV]

Dan, How was DisneyWorld? I guess you got Gooffey there. Didn't see you at Lake Placid this weekend as you stated you would be there. We had a Mini Most ready for you to drive, guess it was tooooo fast for you. Try to research your topic before you express an opinion. Noliage is power, you are sounding powerless to me. This project is to get the public interested in the sport at an affordable price. We have to think about feeding the sport in order for it to grow. Did you know that there is a Briggs& Stratton dealer in almost every town in America. People could buy motors and parts without going through the choas that exist in our sport now. Wow Dan if we had more interest in our sport maybe we have more members.This class is not limited to just a minimost you can run a J hydro or runabout. Dan there has been three new people to join our sport in the last two months. They have built minimost with their childern. Thats three more than we had before. How many new members have you brought into our sport? Happy Holidays

Tony Staron

Tony,

I had a lot of respect for you before you made this post, unfortunately its all gone out the window. I will not back down from my original post no matter how many names you call me or slander me in public. Trust me I have developed a very thick skin over the last few years so the little jabs about "how many people have I brought into the sport" roll off me like water.

I will say it again and stand firm behind it, its a waste of time! its all been done before!

Footnote:

** While many folks out there in cyber land have never met me or don't know my full history trust me when I tell you I am no rookie to this sport and have been around it and involved with it for over 30 years now, yes driver also.

[niesenracing]

Dan
I have respect for your firm stand about what you believe. It isn't very often that you see that. Normally people just try to get others to like them.

This thread does not need to be turned into a spot to slander people we are all racers and need to get along to keep this sport alive. So please people before things are said that are not meant. Stop tearing into each other. Everyone is entitled to there opinion.

In my opinion if people want to take use there time and money to work on this its up to them. Not everybody can afford to go fast. I bet most of those kids who are racing go karts probably got there first ride at an amusement park going 4 mph and they were hooked.

Steve Niesen

[HRTV]

Dan
I have respect for your firm stand about what you believe. It isn't very often that you see that. Normally people just try to get others to like them.

This thread does not need to be turned into a spot to slander people we are all racers and need to get along to keep this sport alive. So please people before things are said that are not meant. Stop tearing into each other. Everyone is entitled to there opinion.

In my opinion if people want to take use there time and money to work on this its up to them. Not everybody can afford to go fast. I bet most of those kids who are racing go karts probably got there first ride at an amusement park going 4 mph and they were hooked.

Steve Niesen

Hey Steve,

All good points and yes I agree there is no need for this to turn ugly but for some reason in this small fraternity of past present and fellow boat racers when you don't follow the leader or "just go along" you quickly become an outcast which I think is very sad.

[burl11]

The Hook

My dad taught me many skills some 40+ years ago by building a Minimost together, the fundamentals of boat structure, how to work with tools, and then how to have fun running it. We did not keep it for long, but had it not been for that project together, I would not likely have continued to have the interest I now do.

[PopPop]

Before getting back into racing in 1965, I had a minimost/minimax. It kept my interest and love of boat racing alive during a time when I could not afford to go racing. My brother-in-law and I had a ball with it. There is a whole forum, on the internet, of Minimost people, most of whom appear to be cottage/lake people who also have a ball with these things.
APBA should advertize in Popular Mechanics.

[HRTV]

Dan, How was DisneyWorld? I guess you got Gooffey there. Didn't see you at Lake Placid this weekend as you stated you would be there. We had a Mini Most ready for you to drive, guess it was tooooo fast for you. Try to research your topic before you express an opinion. Noliage is power, you are sounding powerless to me. This project is to get the public interested in the sport at an affordable price. We have to think about feeding the sport in order for it to grow. Did you know that there is a Briggs& Stratton dealer in almost every town in America. People could buy motors and parts without going through the choas that exist in our sport now. Wow Dan if we had more interest in our sport maybe we have more members.This class is not limited to just a minimost you can run a J hydro or runabout. Dan there has been three new people to join our sport in the last two months. They have built minimost with their childern. Thats three more than we had before. How many new members have you brought into our sport? Happy Holidays

Tony Staron

Hey Tony,

Have you ever seen the show “Are you smarter then a fifth grader” If you think Noliage is power you might want to take out a dictionary and look up the correct spelling which is knowledge

[YankeeRacing]

I think we are jumping the gun here. Who or when was the mini-most ever proposed as a new class? If that were to ever happen, it won't be today.

I look at it more of an "activity." The USTS has wagon racing, the Washington clubs have "push boats", I have heard of apple bobbing and pig chasing (or something). I have even heard that we have drinking contests at the races! oh my

Are we getting too wound up in worrying about adding another class to be losing the positive that this can bring?

Building a complete rig with your child for less than a $1000 including an engine certainly is better than dropping the kid off at the mall. Who knows, it might even keep an old guy in the garage and out of the bar on a Saturday afternoon. And these things can be run anywhere. Go fishing in them if you want.

Adding a family "activity" such as a mini-most race before or after our regular racing, or even as a special event can't hurt a thing. If there isn't time on a long day of racing, then don't do it. Simple. Get on the bank and have longer drinking races.

But as we can see, some are passionate about the mini-most for many positive reasons impacting our sport:
1. Family and FUN time, whether building, racing, or bragging.
2. Briggs and Stratton is the first major marine company to be interested. Once they see that there is a potential for sales, who knows where this can lead: sponsorship, new engines, reasearch and development???? (advertising on Hydroracer?)
3. EVERY live body that we can get to a race is a plus. I learned 40 years ago when racing an A stock runabout at about 25 mph (we were slower back then), that going fast was not my thing. BUT, I did love the sport, and thnk that over the years I have contributed a lot just because I was there at the races. Just think if I had spent that day bowling. Exposure of our sport is never bad. The dad who brings his kid's mini-most to the races and works some turn boat duty, the mom who starts to score, and the kid who flags a race, simply because they had a special event mini-most race before or after a regular race are blessed additions always to our sport.
4. I also don't believe we should discrimminate because of speed, size of boats, national organization, or any other aspect of racing. We need to learn that we ALL have something to contribute, and that our main goal is to get more and more people interested in racing on water.

As you can see, those who have ever been involved in a mini most project are super passionate about their endeavors. That tells me that the effort was worth it and the impact was good for our sport. How can exposure, fun, and family time ever be bad for us?

So, until anyone makes an actual proposal to make the mini-most a real class, let's worry more about combining some of the other classes to shorten our days. Do you know that I have timed a thousand stock and mod races in my time, and the majority of all classes on a short course run between 52 and 57 mph? No kidding.

Of course, do you realize what happens once we do shorten our racing days? We spend more time on the bank apple bobbing!
Keep it fun and we all win. But let's realize that at the present time a mini most project is just an "activity."
Connie Payn

[Guest]

A start

Living many miles from the nearest lake and with few wood working skills, if it where not for the Popular Mechanix Mini-Most Boat Plans I would not have ever gotten interested in Boat Racing. This week-end project that took me, a high school kid at the time, months to build and finished. I with a couple of friends then just barely got the boat out of my parent basement. We had a ball with this boat over a four year period. The boat was passed on to three of my other school and work buddies during a 10 year period.

For me it was an entry to low cost one on one racing.

That’s the facts, if you don’t agree that OK I’m not mad at you.

[David_L6]

My thoughts on this....

The mini-most isn't for racing. It's for playing around with at the lake similar to what you'd do with a jet ski - except in calm water.

If boat racing just has to have another class bring back the 10 fiberglass tunnels. AOF used to have a class for those with Yamato motors. Use a different motor if you want. The tunnels can take rough water better than hydros.

[SPN#43]

The mini-most isn't for racing. It's for playing around with at the lake similar to what you'd do with a jet ski - except in calm water.

If boat racing just has to have another class bring back the 10 fiberglass tunnels. AOF used to have a class for those with Yamato motors. Use a different motor if you want. The tunnels can take rough water better than hydros.

I agree, it looks 1000 times better the way it sits but with some work and flashy paint job it can be made to look just like a Champ boat. Think about all the kids at school that would see the pictures and want one too…….minimost……..they would make fun of, and talk about their cool looking, colorful jet skis…..

PS; reminder to some, its 2007

[ricochet112]

Dan, How was DisneyWorld? I guess you got Gooffey there. Didn't see you at Lake Placid this weekend as you stated you would be there. We had a Mini Most ready for you to drive, guess it was tooooo fast for you. Try to research your topic before you express an opinion. Noliage is power, you are sounding powerless to me. This project is to get the public interested in the sport at an affordable price. We have to think about feeding the sport in order for it to grow. Did you know that there is a Briggs& Stratton dealer in almost every town in America. People could buy motors and parts without going through the choas that exist in our sport now. Wow Dan if we had more interest in our sport maybe we have more members.This class is not limited to just a minimost you can run a J hydro or runabout. Dan there has been three new people to join our sport in the last two months. They have built minimost with their childern. Thats three more than we had before. How many new members have you brought into our sport? Happy Holidays

Tony Staron

IMO, in order for boat racing to grow we need strength in numbers. Having 3 (+) sanctioning bodies with our numbers so small is hurting boat racing, AOF, NBRA both need to merge into APBA (and ALL other forms of boat racing Champ, Offshore, Unlimited...need to go APBA also). Unless this happens we will die a slow death even with new equipment available. With boat racing being so fragmented, we're hurting ourselves.

As for the minimost or a B&S engine for boat racing, well that's why you are AOF, APBA would never entertain such an idiotic thought.

[DougMc]

As for the minimost or a B&S engine for boat racing, well that's why you are AOF, APBA would never entertain such an idiotic thought.

I agree all three orgs should merge.

Regarding minimost speak for yourself. I'm the APBA Region 5 Stock Activities Chairman and am building one in my garage. If I am not mistaken, the former APBA Stock Chairman has one for his kid. Also, I see your the 25SSH Champ. Congrats on that, but do know minimost is already a larger class than your 25SSH in Region 5. If you think minimost with a B&S motor is idiotic, what does that say about your 25 class with all four of you in the nation? Not really a championship to boast about when the AOF's minimost kiddy concept already out numbers your boat count and the minimost is still a concept. Quite embarrassing for you I must say.

[raceright]

IMO, in order for boat racing to grow we need strength in numbers. Having 3 (+) sanctioning bodies with our numbers so small is hurting boat racing, AOF, NBRA both need to merge into APBA (and ALL other forms of boat racing Champ, Offshore, Unlimited...need to go APBA also). Unless this happens we will die a slow death even with new equipment available. With boat racing being so fragmented, we're hurting ourselves.

As for the minimost or a B&S engine for boat racing, well that's why you are AOF, APBA would never entertain such an idiotic thought.

Should not use the word idiotic and APBA in the same sentence going from thousands of members to now a hand full and blaming it on everything but our selfs is not exactily nonidiotic (maybe new word here??Kristi??)
And absolutely never speak in absolutes.
Mini Most has had it's revelincy and on LI it was something called soap box,some racers like Pete Helsten,Jack Gosman,Jim Gorey believe some Scopiniches as well started with these types of boats. There were others and I even played around with them some at the age of 11 it would be nice if kids played with them today dealers are not intrested they believe no profit here (this could be debated for hours).

Pat

[ricochet112]

[QUOTE=DougMc;93612]I agree all three orgs should merge.
Also, I see your the 25SSH Champ. Congrats on that, but do know minimost is already a larger class than your 25SSH in Region 5. QUOTE]

That signature was sarcasm, the 25 class, along with D and B have been hurting (dead) for a long time. Not really champ with 5 boats, winner would be proper

I side with Dan on this one, the minimost has been an obsolete design many years ago, as for the B&S, well were not mowing grass!

[raceright]

[QUOTE=ricochet112;93616]

I agree all three orgs should merge.
Also, I see your the 25SSH Champ. Congrats on that, but do know minimost is already a larger class than your 25SSH in Region 5. QUOTE]

That signature was sarcasm, the 25 class, along with D and B have been hurting (dead) for a long time. Not really champ with 5 boats, winner would be proper

I side with Dan on this one, the minimost has been an obsolete design many years ago, as for the B&S, well were not mowing grass!

Not mowing grass "yet"