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Airboat races

I purposely stayed away from this post just to see if anybody was interested. Well obviously nobody was and that is why airboat racing has died. It’s almost been a week and not one post. I don’t know if it’s because most of the racers complain so much about the rules or somebody having an unfair advantage or that several different sanctioning bodies are trying to run the sport. I made the comment three years ago that airboat racing is not big enough like Cart or Indy to have two different sanctioning bodies. Heck now there aren’t enough races for one sanctioning body. I think we will have our usual race at East Lake and I think there will also be a race at Sarno this year. I have seen allot of raceboats for sale and know allot of people who have quit the sport. If anybody is listening in order for the sport to grow again we must have a true polymer ride boat class so new people can race. This class can not have any known racers or anything that is not a ride marsh boat. A lot of the veterans of the sport were running in the beginner classes to beat up on the little guy. Well as I predicted nobody new has entered the sport in years. At any of the circle tracks they have an entry class like the spectators class then these beginners eventually move up a class after competing and enjoying themselves. In airboat racing we have pro’s who have been racing for 15 years running in the polymer ride boat classes. Not to mention the fact I have never ever seen any of their boats on the marsh heck their aint a scratch or dent on them. So if somebody is serious about putting on a race please have a real ride boat class and make sure all the boats are airboaters and not racers. You will be surprised then how many new people will try it out and the sport will grow. Now the daily driver airboats will not run because they know they will get slaughtered by some racer who has been racing for 15 years so they just don’t race thus preventing anybody new from entering the sport. This is only my opinon based on the fact I have raced in at least ten different forms of motor sports since I was in the 5th grade.
 
Well said Thunder, I agree with what you are saying. We need to have a race setup for beginers that is fair for them with hunt/ride boats. Maybe there might even be an intrest in an amature/expert split in those classes so you can start out with the newbees and get moved up with a points and finishes scoring system at the end of the year to keep it competitive. I know I would love to do this and know several REAL hunt boats that are fast as hell that would jump in also.

Larry
 
See you get it. You don't know how many times I told a friend or a ridding buddy at the races. Hey go run the polymer class. Everbodies answer is are you kidding me I would get killed. They need a class for the spectators who ride their boats to the races. No trailered boats, think about how many people might get the racing bug and become a part of the sport.
 
I was told it was shut down due to violence, crime etc. Don't know what is true or what is not but there are some horrific stories/allegations as to what caused the demise. :?:
 
what are the stories.....I knew the guy who owned it, but he dropped off the face of the earth. That was a cool place during the day, but I can imagine what went on at night.

Can you imagine the $$$$$$$ they pulled in while open!
 
I think the same people are running a similar deal off of Hwy 27 between Palmdale and Venus right at the Highlands/Glades line under the name of C&R Motorsports. All mud ponds but no airboat races. I've been there once and it was too many people in one place for me. The place is run like Felda was with the arm bands, entertainment, and security people. I think they hold it once a month.
 
I would like to hear some input from Bobby at Diamondback,When are you having straight line races at Loughman?And would you have a hunt/ride class?
 
How about classes by length and weight like 10' and under 1000#s ,10' and over 1000#s ! 14' and under 1000#s 14' and over 1000#s because theres no way to say how long someones been driving and how much they drive thier boat in the swamp. if you build a light weight egg shell you wont be competing with a ride boat .I think the other problem with the races is the FWC the last 2 races tickets were issued!! Insurance for the event holder maybe another situation! just some idea's

Disclaimer: these weights are for demonstrational purposes only theres a whole other thread on this topic :D
 
Croc - seems like a good idea.

Maybe could even look at minimum seat heights for those Lycomings. Heck most racers would be eating yard grass seed they are so low. Look at the Lycoming ride boats and some people are scared to sit in them.

Have a requirement for the seating to be for a minimum of 2 people.

Fuel tank capacity would be another. Have a minimum gallon capacity like say 25 gallons. Not many ride boats have less than 20.

Full bottom polymer class would be another. (Sorry slick bottom guys - just tossin ideas).
 
I just saw this in airboat trader -- so there seeems to be interest growing
http://www.airboattrader.com/tips_and_tricks.htm
text:
Category: Racing
Subject: Where are all of the airboat racers?
Email: Acunningham11286@aol.com
Comment
What has happened to all the good ole boys that used to like to airboat race? Everybody acts like they are to good to enjoy it, well I consider it Florida heritage, it brings me back to the days of old, when people like Dick Hoffman were in their hay day, I say the small sport needs to be reborn, because the new Florida ways are trying to kill this sport. If we let people do that to us than we will have nothing to look forward to, or we could revert to the more unoriginal way like car racing or racing outboard boats! Laughing in sarcasm! So fellow good ole airboat racers we need to come together and save one of the real Florida past times. What we need is some good unsanctioned races. So if anybody in the state would like to race against a 540 supercharged on alcohol, give Jerry Cypret a call at 3527935959 or on my cell 3523036882, I will put and end to trailer racing. All I want from this is to have fun, win or lose it does not matter lets just race! This basically is calling anyone in the state that wants to “git r done� and line up, lets do this. Because unlike many others I will not give up just because I lose or can’t get any faster, just be smarter than what you’re working with. My conclusion is we should start an "outlaw airboat racing club" so we can stick together, so if you like the sound of this give me a shout.
 
When Cowboy and I were younger our Dad would take us the the Air Boat races. They were always held at the Youth Camp off the Beeline in Palm Beach County. The place was out near the Pratt Whitney facility if your familiar with the area. It was always good fun (ask Cowboy about climbing the greese pole) until the dance on Saturday night. Our Dad never would let us get near the dance hall but I remember hearing stories about the fights that took place there.
Now that I'm older I don't necessarily condone violence but I do understand it. Sometimes you run across people that for reasons unknown need a good ol' fashioned Cracker butt whippin'.
I do agree with the jist of the thread so far, that a "Sportsman" class would go along way to promoting renued interest in the sport. I also agree that one sanctioning body is enough, and that sanctioning body needs to be kept in check.
It's been my experience that as organized bodies grow in membership they have a tendency to forget why they started coming together in the first place. They turn something that was safe and fun into something far too regimented. When people stop having fun and get frustrated by the situation and the people involved, that's when those good ol' fashioned Cracker but whippin's come into play.
 
From what I heard the property in Felda was sold to a big developer. Wow imagine that a track of land in florida being sold to make room for another golf course community.
 
Unfortunatley we can not hold races at Loughman Lake Lodge, we looked into hosting them but no insurance companies will cover the races because of all the pending lawsuits of past races.
 
Sorry to hear that about no races at Loughman Lake. Sad about all the lawsuits, just don't understand it.

Lets see, someone brings a boat, that they fixed up for going fast really quick (maybe there another reason for that little NO2 bottle-?), they show up at a race, they race their boat and something happens. So they sue someone because none of it is the fault of the people that brought the boat. Go Figure.

Wasn't there another thread in the last two days about lawyers and that the world might be a better place without .... O well.

Woods - would have to agree with you, sometimes there are people that just need a barrel of old fashion whoop ass opened up on them and spread all around.
 
Why wouldn't a disclaimer for all participants work? I used to frequent a mud hole that the owners made everyone who entered sign a disclaimer waiving them of liability.

I'm no lawyer and I'm sure there is a good possibilty this has already been tried.

Adam
 
A hold harmless agreement, release of responsibility, or whatever you want to call it usually doesn't stand up well in court.
 
I know when we used to go to Croom they used to make us sign something sort of like this. Saying if we get hurt we cannot hold them liable. And when I worked at Gatorback, when they would have dirt bike and 4 wheeler races we would make them sign a waiver and if they were not old enough we would make the parents sign a waiver or they could not race. Now we all know how many times someone gets hurt racing dirt bikes and none of them ever came back to the racetrack. I know before I got there someone did but it was let go when they showed the waiver that was signed. So I think that is a good idea BPS.
 
You know McDonalds hired the badest lawyers in the World the first, seconded and third time they were sued by some dumb ass who spilled hot coffee on themselves. Remember a jury has say in if a person is awarded. No offense and just my opinion but the majority of our society feels that everything is always somebody else’s fault. The owner of Sternum Ruger had the dumbest most ignorant lawsuit I have ever heard of against him from a gun shot victim and the dumb ass won and sued the pant’s off of Ruger. It’s ten times dumber than any hot coffee lawsuit.
 
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