Welfare responsible for decline of boat racing?

[seacow]

Ron Hill's newsletter is great and very much appreciated. Its a very valuable news digest.

In his recent transmission, Ron suggests that the decline of boat racing is due to public welfare.

" I feel the reason boating and boat racing is suffering is the fact we have 88 million people on welfare. The working people of this country can't afford a boat because their taxes pay for these 88 million welfare recipients."

In my opinion there are many reasons for the decline of our sport that have very little or nothing to do with welfare. A partial list might include:

No affordable new production factory motors for stock outboard (except for used Yamatos)
No motor manufacturers' or robust APBA advertising campaigns about racing.
Open exhausts now banned on most waters.
Speeds limited on most waters
Environmental restrictions on most waters.
Some racers will not race in salt or rough water.
Racing craft so specialized that most cannot be used for recreation as well.
Many competing sports.
Loss of good water close to populations of spectators
Courses too far away from drivers homes
Recession
Massive job losses
Loopholes in some stock classes that do not level competition where money= winning
Loss of household wealth from real estate crash
Need for modern fiberglass boats that are affordable
Courses do not enhance spectator viewing/excitement: too long & far from viewing areas
Conflict and infighting in APBA, clubs and classes
Too may classes creating boring competition in most classes
Under-representation in the media
Ancient technology: such as no out-drives, use of rope or recoil starting and kneel-down
High cost of racing travel and fees
Feel free to add to this list.

BTW: When I was racing in the 50s/60s in the bay area I personally knew several drivers that were very low income and some were on welfare.

[Tim Weber]

One word, MONEY

All motor sports are down. At Indy this year they didn't even have enough cars for a bump day.

Tim

[HRTV]

Welfare has absolutely nothing to do with the decline of powerboat racing. Anyone who follows motorsports of all types knows that every form of motorsports racing is hurting. The global crisis this nation and the world has just gone through is exactly that a global crisis.

Complete towns have become ghost areas and the world as we once knew it will never be the same. Millions of middle class suburban families suffer in the shadows going to food kitchens after dark so neighbors and friends wont see them.

While millions are still out of work and have been so for more then a year now we still have not even begun to see the fallout of what clearly has been the worst recession this country has ever seen.

[Original Looper 1]

Read this map to see that we have lost well over 15 million manufacturing jobs, plus many more jobs related to the trickle effect of those high paying value added manufacturing jobs.


http://americawhatwentwrong.org/story/manufacturing-map/


Ron Hill is right. The total and true cost of welfare some say borders close to $1 trillion per year. You ask how can this be?

local government workers that administrate the programs

state government workers that administrate and oversee the programs

federal government workers that administrate and oversee the programs

all those local, state & federal government workers get salaries, benefits, health care and pensions that the taxpayers pay for

plus, when they retire, the taxpayer funds these workers retirement benefits

there's the cost of all the buildings to house all these workers - real estate, equipment, etc

there's the cost of the utilities for all these buildings

the people on welfare get free health care, housing subsidies (some totally free housing), free food, cell phones, subsidized daycare, dental and some get transportation allowances



40 years ago the money that was spent on welfare almost entirely circulated within our economy and washed thru it in such a way that it primarily bought American made products exclusively. Unfortunately now, there are so many things made in foreign countries and imported into the United States, the positive effect of the welfare spending has turned from good in terms of creating American jobs (manufacturing) to creating and expanding jobs in foreign countries, which we all know now is bad economically and unsustainable if we ever truly want to have a working, private sector, middle class again.

There's no multiplier in economics like the multiplier of manufacturing, where you take something such as a dollar's worth of materials and transform it into something with say $10 of value in the economy and pay a good wage to do it without creating nearly the inflation that exclusively expanding a service economy does.

Regards,

Paul


ps: China get's it.

[ProHydroRacer]

Nice map Paul, but I didn't need it, I lived it for 45 years in special machines and automation!
It not getting any better.
Bill

[oldalkydriver]

I've said this many times before. All of you are partially correct! All of the above reasons contribute to the decline of boat racing. As for me, well my family wasn't very well off financially. However my dad always found money somewhere for his pleasure. As I grew older and could afford this sport, it just got a little too fast. It became difficult to explain to your family how to be safe and smart? How do you punish your child for doing stupid things with a car when you are out riding a piece of plywood with a motor doing 100+ miles per hour? What happened to the racing of the 50's & early 60"s. Speeds from 42 MPH to 75 MPH. Being raised around alky's, what happened to the noise? Look how many of your average drivers quit or retired when speeds rose and the thought of the danger could effect your family life? Who jumed in and took Pep Hubbell's place when he past? The people that were making enginees wanted to be the fast & the best. Boats became lighter and not as strong as before. The inheret danger to the driver! Just look at all forms of what used to be affordable amatuer sports. Motorcycles, cars, dirt bikes, dune buggies, bass fishing boats, jet ski's, the list is almost endless. I couldn't be selfish enought to risk our childs or childrens form of financial support just to satisfy my desire to participate in a dangerous sport. One of the reasons I left what used to be a fun and pleasurable sport.

[Ron Hill]

Ron Hill's newsletter is great and very much appreciated. Its a very valuable news digest.

In his recent transmission, Ron suggests that the decline of boat racing is due to public welfare.

" I feel the reason boating and boat racing is suffering is the fact we have 88 million people on welfare. The working people of this country can't afford a boat because their taxes pay for these 88 million welfare recipients."

In my opinion there are many reasons for the decline of our sport that have very little or nothing to do with welfare. A partial list might include:

No affordable new production factory motors for stock outboard (except for used Yamatos)
No motor manufacturers' or robust APBA advertising campaigns about racing.
Open exhausts now banned on most waters.
Speeds limited on most waters
Environmental restrictions on most waters.
Some racers will not race in salt or rough water.
Racing craft so specialized that most cannot be used for recreation as well.
Many competing sports.
Loss of good water close to populations of spectators
Courses too far away from drivers homes
Recession
Massive job losses
Loopholes in some stock classes that do not level competition where money= winning
Loss of household wealth from real estate crash
Need for modern fiberglass boats that are affordable
Courses do not enhance spectator viewing/excitement: too long & far from viewing areas
Conflict and infighting in APBA, clubs and classes
Too may classes creating boring competition in most classes
Under-representation in the media
Ancient technology: such as no out-drives, use of rope or recoil starting and kneel-down
High cost of racing travel and fees
Feel free to add to this list.

BTW: When I was racing in the 50s/60s in the bay area I personally knew several drivers that were very low income and some were on welfare.

1. Yamato: You can buy one for $2,200 but rules allow "MODS" so you can add $1,000 expenses to a $2,200 motor?????

2. People sit around and think that the government (APAB) should do something. No one takes th "Bull by the horns" and approaches an outboard company for support. The average American is too busy paying his taxes. He has not time to promote racing.

3. If people weren't busing making a living and paying taxes, they could go to club meeting and have races where noise is OK. In SoCal, Brawley, Blythe, Long Beach Marine Stadium allows nosie markers (So does Blue Water Marina). We just don't have enough members to have races at these places, as members are working to pay taxes.

I know there are many reasons Boat Racing is "Circling the Drain"...

[Moneypit]

I know there are many reasons Boat Racing is "Circling the Drain"...
Ron,
I'm looking at getting into the new dragstrip going into N. Havasu City.... An old beater dragcar chassis has to be cheaper than a comparable race boat hull...Safer too....I know asphalt is for @#*&%s, but if I get back into dragracing I can drive as well as build and tune...Circle boat racing has gotten so expensive, even if you have all the equipment. Besides, anybody can build an engine that just has to run 1/4 mile at a time....:D
Ray

[laddies]

Ron, I believe the bending of rules or even classes so people can make a living off stock outboard is the largest problem. Many time when Mercury and OMC tried to help with new motors and class rules were written to keep the engines factory stock. The good old boys club did not want a level playing field that they continually talk about. Why would anyone invest the money in a rig when they learn the cannot win with it? Why would any real engine manufacturer invest in in the tooling to built a stock outboard engine when the can see the way OMC and Mercury have been used in the past after the made the investment and furnished engines at reduced cost. How has the money for a new Sidewinder or Tohatsu, now the cry is for another class for Yamato with a sealed engine and factory props, Sounds like the Mercury Challenge but with a engine sold by a good old boy, when Mercury sponsored the Challenge it was crummy idea, now it's a great way to save stock outboard, that would certainly be nice. Unfortunately Stock Outboard has been run so long by people that think, it's all about money and if you throw enough money at a problem it will go away and that it money is the sure way to win are responable for the demise of Stock Outboard. Can anyone remember when racers came in the car with a boat on top and the engine in the trunk or slept under thier trailer 200+ entries and anyone could win. Thats what Stock Outboard is about.

[Ron Hill]

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[Ron Hill]

Most working class people pay more in taxes than it used to cost to live. If the working "stiffs" were working some hard to make ends meet, maybe they would have time to join a boat club or race a boat.

But maybe the "ROOT CAUSE" of Boat Racing's demise is US.

WE IN REGION 12, AND I SAY "WE" becasue it has been more than one pulling and pushing, but we have a few new A HYDRO RACERS:

Reasons:


Ernie Dawe build a competitive "A" Hydro. When he wasn't building boats for someone else, he built boats for me. KT, Mike Wright, Casey Wright, Ades from Colorado, Dave Hale, Little Gordie, Britney Schwarzenbach all have Dawe boats....All were either owned by me or ordered by me....

Every motor that I've sold was either a Stillwell Merc or a Dawe, Runne, or Hannon motor. Most motors were "LOANED" before they were sold. I "Banked" three motors with payments. I have a new driver right now, that I've offered payments on a motor. No "DOG" motors have been sold to new drivers.

Props have been loaned, and sold and DeWald numbers have been FREELY give out.

We have had article is Performance Boats Magazine.

Marlee Hill, Nicole and Olivia Knudson, Dave Hale, Gordy Jenning II and III to name a few have helped with promotions at Boat Shows and Irvine Lake's V_Drive Regatta...

But..

Seacow, Laddies and others are right about WHAT IS REALLY NEEDED!

[Ron Hill]

Weight* 114.4 lbs. (52 kg)

When McCullough built outboards they had a racing circuit called WOA. APBA had classes set up by cubic inches, WOA's classes were set up by horsepower.

Us, "Real Racers" who raced APBA who raced outboard with "RACING" Lower units looked down our noses at WOA Racers. By 1965, there were more WOA racers in California that their were APBA Racers.

But "US" loyal APBA members moved WOA into APBA. My brother as Region 12 Chairman move the Havasu NOA World Championships to the APBA/UIM World Championships.

WOA became COBRA, later as I was Region Chairman, I brought COBRA into APBA.

But as someone pointed out here, APBA slept with Mercury and OMC.

Tohatsu came along in the middle '80's OMC and Mercury did their level best to get rid of Tohatsu and in a way they succeeded as the only Tohatsu call in APBA today is Sport C, which I started in 1984.

Tohatsu builds a 15 HP Four Stroke for Mercury and Evinrude, besides themselves. This would be the perfect INTRODUCTORY CLASS for Stoke Outboard Racing. One trouble is, it doesn't ave a racing gearcase. And the second problem is, of my god, it is a four stroke.