Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

I also read the article and the only thing I agree with the author on is if you didn't enter in the poker run don't go out and try to mix it up with the pack when they are underway or try to mooch off the food/party tent. As far as "stay away,we don't want you in "our" water/area/etc-screw them!!! Sounds like another ELITIST crybaby that thinks they have the world by the balls!! I was on the smoke on the water poker run last year,paid my share of gas and entry fee to ride on someone else's boat. What I saw was a total cluster f--k of fast boats driving with total disregard for the local boaters and fisherman who had NOTHING to do with the poker run. In Mi we have a water way LAW that says your not supposed to be at a speed greater than what is required to maintain fwd motion and minimum wake within 100 ft of a moored vessel. I saw other poker runners driving by moored fishing boats within 30ft at 70-100mph when we first took off. These locals were waving but it wasn't with there whole hand! My boat runs into the low 90's but I don't blast by other boats at un-safe distances with the attitude they have no right to be there because they only have a 20 ft boat or a 12 foot boat! I told my wife this is just stupid/insane,someones going to kill someone or something bad is going to happen. Within 15 minutes of the run starting several people were dead as many of you have seen or heard. Unfortunate,definately,preventable-probably :( . I thought about going and watching the fast boats take off at another one-FROM A SAFE DISTANCE but some RICH,ELITIST power boater that spent a million dolars to satisfy his EGO will NEVER tell me I'm welcome or not welcome on my home waters-NO ONE OWNS THE WATERWAYS!!! I met ALOT of nice people and I definately met some SNOBS,Smitty

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

Ive never participated in a poker run , I followed a couple with my boat so everyone would see how cool i was though, had my biggest gold chain on that day ..LOL JK
I would assume there would be an "At your own risk" disclaimer like when you buy a ski pass ?? I would not want to be liable for anyone's equipment failures or whatever if I was sponsoring an event..

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

I wanted to make a couple of other points, one being that for some people ( go ahead and include me on this one ) the Desert Storm was a rallying point for alot of my online and Havasu friends, I met/ hung out with no less than 4 OSO peeps and over a dozen of my bros from Hot Boat and that was my only reason for going. We rented Semper Fi's house which was totally kick butt and had an awesome time. We ate at Shugrues on Friday night and broiled up some filets and shrimp skewers on Sat night along with being on the water all day and lunches at Havasu Springs along with various stops along the water for cocktails with friends, the poker run was there and so were my friends but not for a minute did I ever feel obliged to enter as there was no value in it to me personally, during the 1 st group card stop #1 run we were down on the W side of the lake at a place called Black Meadow with about 50 boats from Hot Boat Online and I got some killer shots. Point is that a poker run where ever it is means different things to different people, if you are recieving some kind of residual benefit from a poker run ( meeting your friends in an off event site or being a spectator ) without kickin down 300 bones to Art and JD it doesn't make you a freeloader, it makes you a non participant and thats all, as for running in the pack yeah it's a bad idea for safety reasons, if you want to run behind or way outside well they can do it if they want but again probably best to stay away.
I enjoy being on the water and when I get through my suit with kachina I may even like my boat one day when I get it repaired but one thing I want to battle is the perception that we as powerboaters are better than evry other boater on the lake, I get it all the time guys sideways looks from people and inappropriate comments from folks who have no idea of what kind of guy I am, they see a big boat and I'm automatically an A hole when i'm not and I would love to see that change, comments like the one in the article only reinforce the perception the people have that we as powerboaters are arrogant spoiled pricks when we aren't ( except for Twin Step ) :drink:
Anyhow, poker runs can be whatever you want it to be as the saying goes "it's a free country" don't steal anything that doesn't belong to you from partys you aren't invited to and such and stay of the course if you are not a participant, other then that do whatever you want.

OK, I'm done now.

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/a...hmentid=208783

This was a sad day, I remember when this happened.

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

T2x, not sure I understand your argument. Do I understand correctly that if you run along with the pack without paying the fee, then you're dangerous and "an accident looking for a place to happen" but if on the other hand you do shell out a few hundred bucks, then this suddenly changes everything and you're a safe boater?

Don't think it works that way. There will always be both dangerous and safe people helming performance boats, whether they've paid the entry fee or not.

As with most things, it really depends on the attitude and intentions. If someone happens to be boating where a PR is taking place and wants to say hello, taste the atmosphere and check out some bad rigs while behaving responsibly, then I don't see a problem having this person run with the pack for a while. And chances are this type of person will come back the following year, pay the fee and participate fully. If however, someone makes it a point to raise hell, race against poker runners in an ego contest, then yeah, he should stay far away. However, I may be over optimistic or naive but I still believe that there are more responsible people of the first type who will go on to become regular poker runners. And if this article was to succeed in making all people who did not pay the fee stay away, I think it will have done more damage than good to poker runs in general in the long run.

BTW, I don't think NASCAR is a very good analogy. Remember, a poker run is NOT a race :rolleyes: If somebody tried to run along with the worlds race in KW, then that would be a fair comparison. But then, I guess there would be no discussion as everyone in unison would condemn that sort of behaviour.

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

Lets not forget the 2k it cost if not more to participate( hotel,gas,entry fee and breakage)...That's not a drop in the bucket for those of us who are trying to keep perf. boats in our lives. I always just hovered outside looking at the hardware a winning lottery ticket could give me. I don't even try to run with that HP out there..Doing lunch at their stop is OK as long as you don't try to raft off with the paid runners. I always stay clear of people who are snobs and feel their ego's are being tested. I'm not a freeloader just a powerboat enthusiast

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

The cost has gotten silly in comparison to what you get in return..... If you like oofshore boating then meet up with some buddies at a set time and run. Why the hell do we need some guy that doesnt even own a boat to coordinate a get together and then charge us 3 times what it should cost????

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

BINGO you hit the nail on the head DHLAW

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

On another note, I notice that there is a type of ocean boater that you never see on the water unless it IS some kind of organized event. Poker run, lunch run, overnight run, or a destination-type run. You don't ever see them out there alone. It's kinda funny. . . . maybe safety in numbers ?

Re: Power Boat Magazine....WTF!!!
 

DING DING DING DING we have a winner!
Agreed Brett. Once I get the apache, Ill see about having a fun run with some of the local to south Florida guys. I think one thing though about their fee's are they have to carry insurance for these things (but god only knows why????)
You get 5 friends together and you run from Palm beach inlet to lauderdale and then to shooters for lunch, no insurance fees necessary, but you get 60 boats to run from palm beach to lauderdale and have 2 stops on the way, then you need some kabillion dollar insurance policy? WTF is with that?
Boggles the mind.
J