Common sense would be a great start. I will give you a good example. A couple of the runs I do happen to be on the same days a sailing club does their races on a marked course. You can go online and see the course. If not you can easily see the sails, turn buoys and the patrol boats. Every year I see idiots blowing through their course at wot. No respect for a fellow boater, pretty sad in my book...

So are we to assume all these people on the lake had nothing else to do but go sit on the side of the lake and drool as the impressive boats roar by?

Wonder what these hillbillys normally do on this beautiful lake. Sit on the dock?

(no insult to the hillbillys. I'm a redneck so can say that)

I never said I cared. I said I feared that the big names may be given special treatment if they break the rules even under a new system that produces lots of hard data about reckless behavior. The promoter won't think twice about booting a guy with a twenty year old tub.

But it's really just that simple. It's become a way for some to have NASCAR on the water. When you have such a high percentage of people in the same hobby that think you're a danger and reckless, there's your sign. It appears that the vast majority want to have fun, socialize, and participate in runs that further integrate their boats with their lives. There are some that get a woody by having their pictures taken, making sure everyone thinks they're important, and showing off. That's fine too, but reckless is still reckless.

As a great line in a movie once noted "Nobody wants to come to a slaughterhouse".

Some in the industry are probably worried that Mable and Joe that own a 15 year-old Baja that goes 65 on a good day won't ever be in the market for a $500,000 boat with super engines. It would hurt sales if they became the market. It may seem like that, but if you look at boat sales and raw numbers, it's hardly true. Without recreational boaters, I doubt Mercury Racing would exist. But think about it another way. With speed limits and limited poker runs, companies like Skater wouldn't exist as they do now. If LC went to a 50 mph speed limit, would you buy a new Cobalt, or a new "low end" Skater for $100,000?

So think a little more long term industry veterans. Just a few tweaks and boating survives very well, but the "big names" and "high rollers" would be out of the game entirely. People still buy AMG Mercedes, BMW's, Porsches, all kinds of fast and exotic machinery. But most of them know when to use them, or risk being locked up or dead. Some get it, some don't. But this issue is far greater than poker runs or performance boating. Inland waterways that got fed up with the truly obnoxious and reckless boater, ended up restricting ALL boaters. On some lakes, you could't legally go WOT in a 20' bow rider. All because of some nut that likes to see his picture in a magazine, or bragged about online. Most of us learn those lessons before high school, some don't.

Sooo..... They are not supposed to be on the water? Hmm... Once again it is NOT a closed course. So legally and by their right they can be doing whatever the F they want. Even anchor in the middle of the so called course if they want. I've patrolled races the past six years. It is a closed course with permits. If not anything goes. So to say these "spectator" boats are our of line is just ridiculous!!!

I should add, to explain my attitude, the best boating I have ever enjoyed was on many big lakes around the southeast from North Carolina down with a 21' Malibu Wakesetter and my kids.

My son is on the Florida State Wakeboarding team ( bet you never knew there was such a thing) and goes around the country.

So I have experienced enough jerks looking down on me, ironically. Hence some of my stupid posts.

I am struggling to envision a situation where mister big ego gets himself suspended from poker running for doing something stupid but then decides to continue showing up at events to run with the boats as an outlaw entry. Only to then be excluded from the participant only socials, parties, and events that most people say they enjoy as much or more than actually running the boats. It is only fun to be first to the first if you can talk smack about it at the party afterwards without that, what is the point?

Decreased liability for the promoters in and of itself is a desirable goal if one wants to keep these events alive.

The question in my mind for the morning, since boatme is a morning person, Marc, did they go after and attempt to sue any sponsors?

Peace, out.

Did I say they shouldn't be there? No.
You completely misunderstood my post.

Agreed. My quoted post was not mocking Intercepter.