rainmn

Just sent her my e-mail.

kswest

SO are cigar boats faster than cigarette boats since cigars cost more than cigarettes.

rainmn

Got my reply back.

Ray,

Thanks for your letter. I am a fan of offshore racing as well, but felt I had to give the opponents a voice.

Best,

Hannah

orss

i'm you in this one

orss

what? after she put a negative remark in the way that she Fraze her article now she said that, yea right

T2x

As a daily reader of WSJ, I can say this article is not typical of them. On the other hand it sounds like some of our big mouthed, small minded members are starting to feel the consequences of their braggadacio.

Reggie's nonsensical quotes about bling and girls, the Arkansas Race organizer calling local people, who prize peace and quiet, "irrelevant", and the racer bashing the police question about noise, all go back to the point I keep harping on......... This loud "extreme" image some of us try to portray will bite us all in the *ss.......

Frankly, I like to go fast, out of the way, and as quietly as possible. The constant focus on parties, booze, loud engines and bling has nothing to with performance boating and professional racing.....but should be more indicative of spectators and fans.

Sadly, we have party animals who pose as racers, and racers who, if this keeps up, will be looking for a place to race.

For all the mis-stated mishmash that this poor, uninformed, liberal writer put out in one of the most respected newspapers in the world...... Look no further than your last "in your face" blowhard comments to find the cause.

T2x

CBR

rainmn must have been more polite, I emailed her before he did and got no response.

Must have been my statement she has harmed all performance boaters with the incorrect giant wake comment, and my response that "People yell at me all the time for making wake, they are clueless idiots."

We know there are OSO women that would have done a better writing job, serious dumb move on the WSJ's part to send someone who knew NOTHING about boats to write this article.

X-Rated30

My e-mail:

Dear Ms. Karp:

I just finished reading your article "Loud, Fast and Politically Incorrect", and it sounds like you really don't like performance boats.

I have a 30 foot fast boat that I use on our local river here where I live. The Ouachita River is very scenic and is as picturesque as any in the country. There are several other large performance boats around here, and people don't seem to mind. In fact, I have NEVER had a complaint about my boat on the water, but have had MANY MANY compliments.

We have areas with no speed limits and others with "no wake" zones. Those of us with performance boats obey these zones religiously while people on jet skis and in fishing boats violate the law and go through the "no wake" zones as fast as they like. We STILL obey them.

Even the loudest performance boats pale in significance when compared to the noise generated by top fuel dragsters, and I would have to estimate that there is a drag strip in most cities with a population over 40,000. Furthermore, they hold races FAR more frequently than all of the powerboat racing bodies combined. Your comment about them drowning out conversation a half mile away is kind of silly, since you can hold a conversation in the boat. We might have to raise our voice, but it is still short of shouting. Anyone who can single out high performance boating as an irritation for noise reasons is just looking for something to complain about.

Finally, your use of environmental concerns as a reason to be critical of the performance powerboat community is simply wrong. You mention that some of these boats can burn thousands of dollars in fuel in a day. This MIGHT be true for some RACEBOATS. For the remainder of the community of performance boaters, one hundred dollars is closer to the norm. On a long run, I once burned $500 in fuel in a single day, but keep in mind that is the exception -- not the rule.

As for wildlife, I can assure you we all steer around it in performance boats. Hitting even a small object such as a stick at 80 mph can destroy propellers and damage gears and prop or drive shafts. Since a cheap propeller is about $750 to $1000, it just makes sense. Also, performance boaters make up only a minuscule fraction of the boating public. The majority of boats on the water are fishing boats or the latest fad -- wakeboarding boats (which are specially designed to throw large wakes). These have propellers too, and these boaters are far more likely to go into the shallower areas where wildlife congregate.

In short, I found your article poorly researched and one sided. It purports to be about pleasure boats, but it confuses them with race boats. While there is some overlap, this is like lumping all Chevy Monte Carlos in with Chevrolet's NASCAR entries. Before you criticize the performance powerboat community, I would suggest spending some time in it or at least some time in the boats.

In that vein, I would hereby offer to take you out for a day on my boat. If Louisiana is too far to travel, I will arrange for a day with someone closer to you (probably within a two hour drive of wherever you are). I promise your day will be both fun and entertaining should you choose to accept. Thanking you in advance and looking forward to your response, I am



Yours very truly,

H. Cameron Murray

salesmanship

Well done Mr. X

CBR

Here is mine:

Hi:

As a journal subscriber, I liked the article on "cig
boats" but there were a few glaring errors.

I'd be happy to host you aboard my boat near NYC to
show you that performance ocean racing boats do NOT
create giant wakes. Trawlers, luxo barge yachts do
that as they draw and displace far more water. A
performance boat skips along the top of the water,
creating hardly any wake at all. People yell at me
all the time for making wake, they are clueless
idiots.

You are invited aboard with my wife and I to show you
performance boats DO NOT create giant wakes, and a
correction would make all performance boaters happy
who suffer form this popular misconception.

Best regards,

........

Website: www.hyperfishing.com