West Florida Model boat club, Sarasota, FL

[tiqueman]

And a great way to do that is allow them to run in a "fun run" series. think about it. The club runs a series, so now the newbs cant run on the 4th sunday... now they get half the practice. A lot of guys dont have test ponds near them and only run at Ackerman. They, as well as all of us, should be running ackerman as much as we can. Quite frankly ALL of us could use dialing in our driving skills. We all make dumb mistakes that w/ practice we can get a whole lot better. I cant say I didnt see any wicked lane changes that cut people off yesterday, by several of us. Several of us, myself include, would be called out by NAMBA during an event w/ the way we operate our boats sometimes.

[tiqueman]

Also, one more thing to think about. A lot of the new members are not local. Matter of fact, I think still the only local guys are Chris, Bill, Dave and I. We need ALL members to be present to run a series. For those who are not ready and dont pay to be in that series, why would they waste thier time and gas to drive to Ackerman to sit around and help out, yet not run thier boats? We hear you Kong, and Im not picking on you, just you happen to be a great example, we all have heard you say how much it cost you in gas and how it drives you nuts and why at times you havent come... now IM telling you, I want you there on the 4th Sunday, but you cant run a boat because we are running an event that you dont want to run in. Not so fair and id put my HPR on it that your not going to show up (HPR would go to someone else in this case, not you, otherwise you would be there )

[RCKong]

I said

Newbs should be allowed to race in all club meets

how did you get this ?

The club runs a series, so now the newbs cant run on the 4th sunday

[bill34207]

You gotta start somewhere.

That you do and every one of us was a newb at one time. We will not tear up your new boat on purpose but still things do happen. Me running over your boat was not intentional just as Chris' Stealth cutting my H&M hydro in half was not. Mine submarined and popped back up at just the right time for him to hit it at full throttle. Same when my Mean Machine spun out right in front of Scott. No anger, no hurt feelings. It's just a hobby.

[sailr]

Yep. It hurts at first but if you want to race, you have to expect some carnage. It's the nature of the game. Nobody ever hits anybody on purpose. In fact, most guys go out of their way to avoid other boats when possible.

If you don't want your boat scratched, don't race. That simple. We used to have a couple of members who basically built gorgeous boats but wouldn't race them because of the fear of seeing them damaged. Not sure what the point is to having such boats other for them to look pretty as shelf queens. As the NASCAR guys say: "Rubbin is Racin' "

That you do and every one of us was a newb at one time. We will not tear up your new boat on purpose but still things do happen. Me running over your boat was not intentional just as Chris' Stealth cutting my H&M hydro in half was not. Mine submarined and popped back up at just the right time for him to hit it at full throttle. Same when my Mean Machine spun out right in front of Scott. No anger, no hurt feelings. It's just a hobby.

[RCKong]

No anger, no hurt feelings. It's just a hobby.

exactly.
Anyone that wants to race should be allowed too. On the other hand each individual should know there own capabilities.

[sailr]

I got my Hydra ICE2 200HV in today. This is one I got at the nats. It was never used. Never hooked up or even connectors added. I sent it in when they did the recall. I'm gonna sell it. They are not available anywhere. The price on the castle website is $399. I want $399 for it. I imagine a lot of people would love to have it even at retail. If interested, let me know ASAP. Otherwise, I'll put it in the swap shop.

[dannybj26]

i really want to get out there with my sv but due to transportation issues and i wolnt be close to sarasota till april i cant go

[tiqueman]

Another New Member

Welcome our newest member, Ted W. (Teddyboy) Hope to see you out there next run Ted. Was hoping to see you yesterday.

[megalops]

That you do and every one of us was a newb at one time. We will not tear up your new boat on purpose but still things do happen. Me running over your boat was not intentional just as Chris' Stealth cutting my H&M hydro in half was not. Mine submarined and popped back up at just the right time for him to hit it at full throttle. Same when my Mean Machine spun out right in front of Scott. No anger, no hurt feelings. It's just a hobby.

Totally agree! - Bill No Anger Hurt Feelings here either.

Hmmm maybe its my signature quote that has some worried! LOL

"Rubbin is Racin" For sure. I used to race motocross when i was a teenager!! Albeit most of us have some money tied up in this hobby. it is still a hobby and we are not talking boats that cost hundreds of thousands. It doesnt take long in FE - no matter if you are just pond bashing or racing to realize that "any that can go wrong will and does frequently". So I dont think there is any member of this club that is concerned about that. If there are then they are in the wrong "sport" - period.

It usually goes like this. If you have the money and the desire and understand the consequenses then "Go For It!".

We have gone from "Newbs dont need to run q-boats" to "well maybe they can but.... after they learn how to drive." to well ok "then if someone runs over their boat thats racing.."

This whole conversion shoulda been held somewhere else.

I imagine that us Noobs - what are their 3 or 4 or us? - know that we suck as drivers and would be perfectly happy to just have say 2 or 3 periods avaiable to us at each meet to learn to drive and race etc. and not even run in a true race. It can be intimindating running with guys that have been in the sport for years.

On the other hand Some other noobs might want to bang it out best they can. If I or someone understands that we take last or a dnf for the entire season thats my choice. Just tells me that I need to work on a few things and strive to get better. if however I am not interested in taking last for the season and want to opt out of the series - then again thats my choice. Whatever!

Keep in mind that someone, no matter what skill level, will be in last place come the end of the series. If i were a "pro" then i would want at least a couple of "greenies" out there. Just a few thoughts - done.

[bill34207]

I imagine that us Noobs - what are their 3 or 4 or us? -

More like 8 or 10 of us Bill. I've only been at this for a couple of years now and far from being a "pro". I can still remember having a quiver in my hands when racing (or trying to in my case).
The more you run the more you learn and the better you get. Im still learning. Overall, we're a good bunch even if a bit over zealous at times. Our group is a good bunch to practice with regardless of the current debate. Hope it hasn't (doesn't) turn you off to the group as a whiole.
What we need to do if anything is try to educate the new ones. Have a seasoned driver as a spotter for the novice. I gained a lot of valuable information and driving tips at the FE Nats when Jeff (Obrien) was kind enough to be my pit man. Sadly, when most of us are running in the same class, there's no one left to play pit man.

Just a thought being thrown out here, but maybe what we need to do is set up some kind of novice class that would exclude members with more than a year of experience from running in it. In turn the experienced driver could play the pit man and coach for the new guys. In return the new guys could act as spotter and lap counter in the races the more experienced are running in. I know here lately we've been frequently running more than 6 laps per heat and that gets rough on the batteries.

[RCKong]

We have gone from "Newbs dont need to run q-boats" to "well maybe they can but.... after they learn how to drive." to well ok "then if someone runs over their boat thats racing.."

This whole conversion shoulda been held somewhere else.

First off the comment was not directed at you. You drove some good races I thought. I just have a hard time with the idea of starting at the top so to speak. That's all.

[RCKong]

maybe we could have a warm up (practice) period before we start racing. It certainly doesn't hurt to cut a few laps before we start as many of us don't have a chance to practice anywhere before racing.

[tiqueman]

maybe we could have a warm up (practice) period before we start racing. It certainly doesn't hurt to cut a few laps before we start as many of us don't have a chance to practice anywhere before racing.

I spoke with Bill M today about this. A lot of us get there at 830-9, set our stuff out, sit on the benches and BS for 30 minutes etc etc. What if we started doing open water from 9 to 10 and again at 1130 to 12, both sundays. Obviously the 2nd Sunday would have a lot more oportunity for open water and free runs.

Also, in regard to spotting/ pitting, we should really be doing this for everyone at all times. It could help for cleaner racing, help dial everyones skills a little more and give us the practice for when we do visit another club and run by NAMBA regulations. Now that we have a PA, someone not racing, should be starting the CD and announcing obstacles etc during a race. That alone will make race days feel more like race days. And as said before, make it so that when we do travel and when we do get the opportunity to host, we have our sh-stuff together.

[megalops]

Overall, we're a good bunch even if a bit over zealous at times. Our group is a good bunch to practice with regardless of the current debate. Hope it hasn't (doesn't) turn you off to the group as a whiole.

No way Man!! It takes a lot more than verbal jousting to get rid of me.. lol

No anyway IMO I think we seem to be heading in the right direction. I am open to most anything.. err um I mean within reason...

is there a lake up here in pinellas where you can go and run your boat, open to the public and has a retreival boat handy?? Free or Pay no matter. Oh yeah with some bouys set up too?? I need a bigger pond now for this boat. i can run behind my house but Its not quite big enough to setup even a small course. If i could find some place Id spend some time there working on driving skills...