What companies should be racing F2?...Owners please chine in.
09-04-2002, 12:08 PM
#21
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,345
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
what does well mean??? do they have a handicap in that series??...why would you build a boat to race non-competitively? why not race P class or poker runs???
09-04-2002, 12:48 PM
#22
Registered
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Deeee-troit!
Posts: 3,358
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Does racing sell boats? Maybe to the hardcore go-fast guy with lots of money, or to a guy that wants to go racing. However, I'm guessing that for the vast majority of performance boat owners, there are about 101 other criteria that come before "racing performance" on the decision checklist.
IMHO, powerboat racing today just doesn't have the return on investment that most boat companies look for when making these types of commitments. The proverbial average boat owner is more likely to see himself and the Mrs entering a Poker Run than he is strapping on a helmet and hitting Key West. And there are a lot of boats that make good poker runners that will never see a race course.
Take me, for example - middle class guy with a good job, married, one kid, more to come. When we go boat shopping, I want a boat that is quality built, runs decently fast, good factory support, etc. The Mrs wants a nice head, room to stow all the niks and naks that come along, safe for the young'n, nice amenities. We both want a boat that fits how we use it. It might be great that a Cig or Donzi or whatever can run WFO around a course for an hour or two - I can say with authority that I will do that exactly zero times. What I want is a boat that can run through the local lake slop at a comfortable cruise, with high freeboard and a secure ride, with a pottie for the Mrs and a nice cabin for the kid. If the factory races, great, I get bragging rights at the bar. Otherwise, it's a non-issue.
Add in the cost for a factory to go racing, both in time, money, and resources (not to mention the politics of APBA vs SBI), and I think the cost/benefit just isn't there.
As always, YMMV
IMHO, powerboat racing today just doesn't have the return on investment that most boat companies look for when making these types of commitments. The proverbial average boat owner is more likely to see himself and the Mrs entering a Poker Run than he is strapping on a helmet and hitting Key West. And there are a lot of boats that make good poker runners that will never see a race course.
Take me, for example - middle class guy with a good job, married, one kid, more to come. When we go boat shopping, I want a boat that is quality built, runs decently fast, good factory support, etc. The Mrs wants a nice head, room to stow all the niks and naks that come along, safe for the young'n, nice amenities. We both want a boat that fits how we use it. It might be great that a Cig or Donzi or whatever can run WFO around a course for an hour or two - I can say with authority that I will do that exactly zero times. What I want is a boat that can run through the local lake slop at a comfortable cruise, with high freeboard and a secure ride, with a pottie for the Mrs and a nice cabin for the kid. If the factory races, great, I get bragging rights at the bar. Otherwise, it's a non-issue.
Add in the cost for a factory to go racing, both in time, money, and resources (not to mention the politics of APBA vs SBI), and I think the cost/benefit just isn't there.
As always, YMMV
09-04-2002, 01:00 PM
#23
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,345
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
my point is that the kind of technology we take for granted in our boats, cars, trucks, motorcycles....comes from one form of racing or another...Are you a company that uses your technology or someone else's? Are you a company that is still using old technology? anyone seen the new Honda commercial about racing?? damn inspiring! ....
09-04-2002, 04:25 PM
#24
Registered
Hey Audacity,
From my point of view this is how I feel being a manufacture involved in racing.
For almost 30 years now we have built our buisness thru boat racing.My father began racing our 24 model back in 1975 when racing use to be way offshore. In 1978 My Father set an outboard record run from Miami to New York in a 24 Pantera powered by the # 2 and # 3 2.4 Merc . Ouboards ever built.This increased our popularity and credibility here and abroad which turned into sales.Many things were learned from racing that we incorporated into our line of boats. Mercury Tech people also learned allot from the outboards in that little boat.
I still feel the same way now racing.The abuse a boat takes in a race coarse in big seas can not be matched by pleasure boating or in a Poker run.
I do feel Poker Runs are a great way to meet potential customers
and show off our line of pleasure boats.
To finalize my point of view: We have customers that will base their boat buying decision on a companys performance on the race coarse and some that will base their decision on customers word of mouth thru Poker Runs,Boat shows,and Magazines.
I will see you all next season on the race coarse pushing our new 35 Survivor F2 to its limits and that I do.
Regards, JO - Pantera Boats
From my point of view this is how I feel being a manufacture involved in racing.
For almost 30 years now we have built our buisness thru boat racing.My father began racing our 24 model back in 1975 when racing use to be way offshore. In 1978 My Father set an outboard record run from Miami to New York in a 24 Pantera powered by the # 2 and # 3 2.4 Merc . Ouboards ever built.This increased our popularity and credibility here and abroad which turned into sales.Many things were learned from racing that we incorporated into our line of boats. Mercury Tech people also learned allot from the outboards in that little boat.
I still feel the same way now racing.The abuse a boat takes in a race coarse in big seas can not be matched by pleasure boating or in a Poker run.
I do feel Poker Runs are a great way to meet potential customers
and show off our line of pleasure boats.
To finalize my point of view: We have customers that will base their boat buying decision on a companys performance on the race coarse and some that will base their decision on customers word of mouth thru Poker Runs,Boat shows,and Magazines.
I will see you all next season on the race coarse pushing our new 35 Survivor F2 to its limits and that I do.
Regards, JO - Pantera Boats
09-05-2002, 06:22 AM
#25
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,345
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks JO for your response...I'm a long time fan of your boats! i love the rough water races!...thought you were going to be around this year? what team will be in your 35 next year? any new pixs? are you going to be in the boat? once again, thanks for your view point!
09-05-2002, 01:29 PM
#26
Registered
Platinum Member
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Lake Lanier - N. Georgia
Posts: 6,307
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
Joey:
Wellcraft should be kissing some serious butt here. You guys put that little ass boat in the Winners column this year and they probally couldn't care less .Unbelieveable how that boat takes a pounding. Too bad Tres and the Gladiator aren't out there running with the Donzi - that would be interesting - later BH
Wellcraft should be kissing some serious butt here. You guys put that little ass boat in the Winners column this year and they probally couldn't care less .Unbelieveable how that boat takes a pounding. Too bad Tres and the Gladiator aren't out there running with the Donzi - that would be interesting - later BH
09-05-2002, 02:06 PM
#27
Registered
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Michigan
Posts: 3,345
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
yeah...my body has taken a beating in that boat
but, big things will come for next year.....i'll keep ya posted when i can
the donzi is a great boat and mike and doug are run'n the **** out of it!
lee murray and keith led both races at worlds last year til they broke each time. so we'll see what i can do with it this year...i'm a fan of don't tell me show me...so we'll see what we'll see...HOPE IT'S ROUGH!!!!
but, big things will come for next year.....i'll keep ya posted when i can
the donzi is a great boat and mike and doug are run'n the **** out of it!
lee murray and keith led both races at worlds last year til they broke each time. so we'll see what i can do with it this year...i'm a fan of don't tell me show me...so we'll see what we'll see...HOPE IT'S ROUGH!!!!
09-05-2002, 02:33 PM
#28
Donzi33ZX
Gold Member
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Suffolk, VA
Posts: 731
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Great idea for a thread, makes for different reading, that is for sure, it is Thursday, should I post Wednesday's boat blues? (kidding).....
Donzi was not a race team when I bought my two ZX boats, but now that they are and doing well I think it is great, I try to follow along, but if you ask me the APBA website takes more work to navigate to useful stuff than is worth my time.....
I do believe the testing and research goes into the Donzi's that are built today, that is good for us as a consumer/owner, but we also bear some cost $$ in racing..... I have heard many people complain about Reggie etc etc (not bashing Fountains) but the threads do get read by dudes like me and they do inspire thought!
My BIGGEST complaint is the poor TV coverage for what is spent in $$$. The dollars are big, maybe not NASCAR level but certainly as much as the less popular seriers of stock car racing and Boat Racing gets 1/40th the coverage, LIVE every weekend.
Not everyone wants to see the PowerBoat race 4 weeks later on a Monday at 10:30 EST on freeking SpeedChannel. Some of us work, we are at war!
Bryan (docked or WOT!)
Donzi was not a race team when I bought my two ZX boats, but now that they are and doing well I think it is great, I try to follow along, but if you ask me the APBA website takes more work to navigate to useful stuff than is worth my time.....
I do believe the testing and research goes into the Donzi's that are built today, that is good for us as a consumer/owner, but we also bear some cost $$ in racing..... I have heard many people complain about Reggie etc etc (not bashing Fountains) but the threads do get read by dudes like me and they do inspire thought!
My BIGGEST complaint is the poor TV coverage for what is spent in $$$. The dollars are big, maybe not NASCAR level but certainly as much as the less popular seriers of stock car racing and Boat Racing gets 1/40th the coverage, LIVE every weekend.
Not everyone wants to see the PowerBoat race 4 weeks later on a Monday at 10:30 EST on freeking SpeedChannel. Some of us work, we are at war!
Bryan (docked or WOT!)
09-05-2002, 02:35 PM
#29
Registered
My opinion on manufacturing a race boat would be for the reasearch and development side of it as well as selling boats.You can learn alot from a race boat that gets beat to death.Good things and bad things.I think thats a great way to improve your product buy building it better.no one in there right mind would do what we do for an hour just to test there boat.Its building a reputation for durability of a hull then go put your head,bed,refig and anything else in it and sell it as it took this kind of punisment racing so you know it will never come apart when your family is in it.
Randy
Randy
