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Multiple Brands
Multiple brands will bring out the greates participation.
Neil
Multiple brands will bring out the greates participation.
Neil
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One motor???
Why limit it to one motor? Being able to compete with different motors would increase the participation level, from both competitors & spectators. A class with diversity is what the spectators want. Why limit thier viewing to just one motor? Let the competitors figure out which motor they want. Potential sponsors are not going to endorse a Mercury, when they sell Yamahas, etc.
Here is a chance to bring diversity BACK INTO this sport. Don't limit it, even before it gets off the drawing board. Let's find a way of letting ALL the potential motors compete. Add weight, deduct weight, etc. KEEP them stock. Set a transom height, but LET them compete. I feel that limiting to one motor is counter-productive.
We are fighting for our very exsistence. I like the idea of this class. I feel that it COULD be the step FORWARD to a better way,...FOR ALL OF US.
Bruce,...I like the idea of an SST 60/70 type hull. I think that it could be just about right there. Might take some prop work, but quite do-able. Think about limiting transom height to something that could work, within safety limits ( blowout potential )
Thanks for your thoughts,
ZonkercraftComment
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Here's a 3cyl E-Tec powerd boat......Looks about the size of an sst 60 to me....................................
Last edited by Jeff Akers; 11-04-2007, 03:25 PM.93-C
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These are some very good points for mutiple mfgs. If all are running 50 or 60 hp engines with the only mods being solid mounts and maybe a race quality power trim they shoudl all be very close. Most of the 4 stroke 60's I looked at came in around 240 to 250 lbs.
If someone has a short shaft they should also be able to race it. With this format you should never run out of engines for many years to come.
BruceComment
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Agreed Bruce, there would always be motors available. Good point on the weights as well.
Jeff, that E-TEC looks like FUN!
Thanks,
ZonkercraftComment
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OK, So who is taking for action?
OK, so there are some good ideas for developing a class. Who then will take this for some action?
NeilComment
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Action
Neil I sent you a PM
Bruce I emailed youComment
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this will be a great topic for the meeting in Detroit. I will be out and away form my email the next few days but let's see who else has thoughts on this subject.
BruceComment
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I don't think you guys remember that Mercury did try to introduce a special short shaft 60 hp four stroke motor for racing here in the US. They made a short shaft just for racing this motor. But no one was interested. It's speed was too similar to the Sport C class, but would take a larger boat. I saw Mr. Rinker run one. Looked OK to me. I even drew up a design for one. From what I heard from other racers is that it was too slow for them (60 mph or so). I can understand what they are talking about. Most classes run 80 mph and up.
I'm all for helping OPC, but we need to look at what has worked in the past and understand why it worked. And also look at the classes that didn't work and learn from past mistakes.
MarkComment
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Thanks, Jeff...
OK, let's tart a CLASS (I've started many in my life... 20SS Ruabout, 20 SS Hydro, Mod VP, Sport C, C NOD (C Production) Mod 100, MOD UJ...to name a few)..
Start a class with an Evinrude E-Tec, 2006 clean motor witha GREAT Company as Bombardier is a GREAT company, a 60 HP Class (That way, no one would try to cheap and run a 60, if you had 40 or 50 HP Class)...
Call it E-Tec 60 Class. Or E-Tec 600, as in CC ( A name always helps a class).
And start and 90 HP class with an E-Tec Motor....
I'll wager a thousand dollars, right here, that I can promote five dealers in theis great country of ours, to loan people motors for the season... Any takes....? The rulse would have to be for E-Tec 60's and 90's only...
Call this class E-Tec 900....
My fear, what all is said and done, much will be said and little done...
No one asked me why I thought Honda would be my first choice!!!!Comment
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Ron,
Your starting to make my point on what classes worked and why.
Mod VP had tremendous support from OMC and Mercury. And both company's promoted there motors through their dealerships and in boating magazines. Which in turn created more racers in Mod VP. Which also created more big money races and also created more racers. It's a cycle that starts with Promotion First.
I don't think I need to tell everyone how much OMC promoted SST 45, SST 60. It was huge. Special prices on the motors and lots lots more.
I think Sport C and C Nod also had some type of factory sponsorship.
Mod 100 and Mod UJ were good classes too, but they were in response to motors being outdated by new models and racers needing a class to run in.
New classes are great, but we just need lots of interest from the motor manufacturers who want to promote their product to make them work.
MarkComment
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Dick Sherrer, Rest His Soul and I...
Dick Sherrer and I were "Strange Bed Fellows" as Dick was a Mercury dealer and I raced for OMC... BUT we both saw the same thing...Mercury had a few "Special People" and OMC had a few "Special People"
Dick and I wrote the rules for MOD VP to be such that you could modify any WARRANTEEABLE part in anyway you wanted...Hell, we had like thirty people racing MOD VP every week, racing motors that were basically Production Motors, and if we broke them, we got them warranteed because they were only modified a little.
Well, Mercury Racing didn't like getting their collective clocks cleaned by Jimmy Jost's Evinrudes...(Jimmy was head of public relations at Evinrude and if you wanted to race an Evinrude he had some amazing deals...like 60%off plus 30% off plus...hell, they **** near gave you the motor..)...
So, Mercury racing put all their racing parts into their catalogues for dealers...They said their racing parts were "Warranteeable"...though this was a questionalbe statement...
Mercury managed to dominate MOD VP and, as I saw it, get rid of it becasue it cost THEM money...
Truth is, Racing is good for business, if you use stock motors, but Mercury Racing doesn't SELL STOCK MOTORS!! They sell RACING MOTORS!!!!......So, Mercury Racing, choose to not to have MOD VP racing in their plans...
C-NOD and Sport C, and U-Nod were all sponsored by the Tohatsu Distributor, known as Western Engine...Small boat racing, with STOCK Motors could be bigger thanever, but a man would have to decide what THE PLAN IS!!!
ADD: NOD was National One Design...a name my brother started...Last edited by Ron Hill; 11-04-2007, 08:40 PM.Comment
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Ron says "I'll wager a thousand dollars, right here, that I can promote five dealers in theis great country of ours, to loan people motors for the season... Any takes....? The rulse would have to be for E-Tec 60's and 90's only..."Originally posted by Ron Hill View Post
hmmm............most BRP dealers are allowed (1) demo (that I am aware of) motor per year (well, basically free flooring for one year), so you think the dealer would give up thier demo motor? We (Bayside Marine) ain't got no 60's (we mostly sell 75hp and up), but got a couple 90 E-Tecs (blue and white ones).....and 115-250's........
www.baysidemarine.comLast edited by mercguy; 11-04-2007, 09:22 PM.Daren
DSH/750ccmh/850ccmh
Team Darneille
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Only Talking 5 Dealers...
How MANY BRP dealers are there??
But, we don't have a CLASS for either, right now, so there is no BET!!!!!Comment
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One thing I've noticed is the correlation between motor manufacturers support of boat racing and the number of boat races each year. When OMC and Mercury were fighting it out on the race course and with the publicity departments, there were lots of races in each region. But when their support stopped, so did lots of the races.
It seems that the marine dealers were also a (blade in the prop) at promoting and sponsoring races in their local community.
When these dealers receives info on racing from their motor manufacturer, they start to develop insight to our sport. They want to get involved in racing or sponsor a race boat.
Or they may just want to hold a race on the local river. All this helps produce more races, which helps produce more racers, which produces more interest in boating.
So when a motor manufacturer stops supporting boat racing, one blade is removed from the prop, which removes one more blade (the dealer), which removes way more than one blade (the racers).
It One Big Cycle!!!
MarkComment
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