POWERPLAY J

Exactly why we stick to the $100.00 runs and our local club. I can't see spending $650 or more just to be around big boats I don't care about.

PARADOX

Ditto.
Didn't want to get into this "safety" debate, but what the heII. I been doing PR's since the early 90's. Times has changed, boats, and costs. So be it. However, I was away from the performance boat arena for a while, got back into it in 2007, and with an incident on the highway, with the new boat pretty heavy in 2008. Did just about every run in FLA in 2008-09. then started to ease back since less every year. The "THEME" of the runs are too $ oriented, less friendliness, less casual boating parties at the docks. Lately, (at least in PR of A and FPC) to much focus on the big guys, and who gets to the bridge or lunch first. I admit I was not at the meeting, but I am pretty sure that 99% of the boaters, no matter what boat or speed we are referencing, just about everyone "KNOWS" how to be safe and how to drive the boat safely. But many ignores the common sense. It's not the knowledge the issue here it is enforcement. I seen countless boats flying buy and the organizers just look the other way. How many boats are running in the runs, in the vids and CD's even on TV, pics in mags. with no flotation devices and/or lanyards worn, or unsafe speeds and navigation. So…, business of POKER RUNS ARE LIKE ANY OTHER VENTURE IN THE US, IT'S HURTING. Get more fee, for a good cause? or enforce the safety rules to begin with. I vote for enforcement. Profits will increase with more attendees not by increasing entry fees. Poker runs became a MAD DASH, not a nice friendly run. JM .02

Mykalvballer

Greg, I can't agree with you more. We are hitting 2-3 poker runs a month this yr. Most of which are $150-$300. 6-7 yrs ago thats what I remember paying for E-Coast. If I understand this correctly----since my boat runs over 100 mph, my fee would be $650 entry for the wife and I, then another $250 because of my speed? Too deep for me.... I can hit 2-3 other events for that in total...like Lanier, TN River Rally, SC runs etc. I like Stu and we have shown our support over the yrs, but I think I might have to draw the line. Scott - you hit it right on the nose..

gofastlvr

For me to make an event with 4 people it would be:

750 FPC fee
250 Safety fee
300 2 extra riders
fuel in boat
fuel in truck
$300 / night hotel
eating and bar tabs (especially with some of my friends!)

$5k-7k

I talked with Stu a few weeks ago before this all surfaced and he asked me what I thought and I then and do now think it is a good idea to increase the safety effort. The additional $250 really isn't a big deal but I don't want to be singled out because I have a boat that is made to go fast and to do so safely.

I love going to FPC and local runs and now am a part of putting on the MCPA run in Nashville so I think I have a pretty good idea of the situation. I have spoken with several members offline and not one person has said "we are safe enough". What I do think is that me and many of the other "big cat guys", as we are so affectionately known, are in general good operators and safe operators or we would have had accidents way before now. Stu referenced deaths on the race course and he referenced a death last year by a non participant in Destin (who was going about 50 MPH) and that fool last year at LOTO as his reasoning. Now other than the tragic accident last year by that Skater (again not in an organized event and was attributed to mechanical failure) when has there been another accident? When has an accident been because of speed?

I am much safer in my boat running 100 or more than many boats running 70 and dang sure than a bass boat or jet ski at any speed. Do not target a single group as means to fund this initiative. If another boat has an accident or a non participant has an accident the crew will respond. They will get pulled out of the water just like I will. I completely understand that cost have risen and these new initiative cost money. Why not spread that cost through the whole field? When the guy from Desert Storm in the meeting told Kenny "he could afford it" I almost got up and left! That is completely off target and what an asinine comment!

Now if FPC wants to increase the field and increase revenue. I can assure you that if they would give half off runs to first year members or maybe let any boat 28' and under be able to join at a discounted rate and get discounts off the runs. I wouldn't mind that at all but don't stick a "safety fee" on me because I am faster than most because you "think", without any data to back up your argument, that I need to pay more making an inference to me or my boat being more dangerous than another entry. I am no attorney but this could likely introduce some amount of liability or negligence into the argument if there is an accident. Saying that I acknowledged by paying the fee that I am more dangerous than another boater is not good for anyone and especially not acceptable to me and the other fast boat operators.

I enjoy the FPC events and love the organization but this wasn't presented very well and it is going to create some backlash. I sure hope everyone gets on the same page because I would hate for this program to suffer as they are first class events and I enjoy the events and all the friends I have now because of FPC and the other events I attend.

PremierPOWER

This is why we stick to our FMO fun runs. Any run that has an entrance fee, is 100% towards charity. The runs have been getting more fun every time, especially as the group continues to grow. Only Poker Run we have ever done is Lake Cumberland, which was an amazing time and we will continue to do that one each year but it was an expensive weekend when it was all said and done. Hard to justify that for more than once a year when we enjoy FMO so much

xconn92

Nobody in the backseat at speeds over 110mph? Where do you think all the hot chicks sit? In a big cat you have the driver, his throttleman and the back seat is typically filled with at least one or two hotties. Jim Lee being the exception as his boat has hotties everywhere.

So basically an FPC run is now a huge sausagefest?

boating37

Just a thought! Say Poker Run is in Naples Fl, you have a lot of locals who are not members or never did a Poker Run or maybe only do FMO. If you only charged locals a number like
$200. or so. That would bring in more boats and that means more money, and then you hope they join the club. I know some people in Tampa would do the run but they don't want
To dish out $750+ and join the club to try a run. I would think this could be away to get more boats. "But what do I know"

Expensive Date

+ 1

Expensive Date

No extra fee's the first guy to the card stop pays for the chopper.

RBH

I don't see how the extra fee can be good for the event turnouts. The last five or six years we have been going to FPB events. Last few years we have done Jax, Destin, KW, now it appears that if you have a boat over 110 (and we do) no one in the back seat. So do I leave my daughter. wife or my friends at home, how about we leave the boat at home! The cost for Jax this year will be 650+250+100 for three people, we usually bring five people. Last year at Destin we had about five in our Fountain and I don't think we ever ran 80 MPH all week. The cost $$ is really taken the fun out of it, like several have brought up it may be time to go back to the smaller events. Just my 2 cents.