October of 2000 is when it became an actual forum/message board where you had to register with a screen name in order to post. Prior to that it was basically a chat room with a classified section. Maybe about 6 months later, Jeffery needed to upgrade the server and asked for 300 people to contribute $30. You got a Charter Member sticker and T-shirt for the contribution. Charter members also got all the perks that the future paid memberships would have for free forever. There were not actually any paid memberships at the time and maybe only a couple sponsors.

Good background info. It was not a paid member site when I first stumbled across it.

I just seem to remember everyone losing their original join date or member #s or something. Lots of complaints ensued because it was like losing your seniority. I might be mistaken because of how long ago it was.

OSO Chicago

Don't remember the t-shirts. Back then no one knew or expected any of this to be a paid site. I would say back then all of just wanted the site to stay up. Best $30 I ever spent. I have OSO to thank for meeting a great deal of people including Griff.

Still here. I'm a cruiser guy now, but the water calls me just as much.

Yep, have t-shirts and stickers to prove it, LOL

. Very little in the way of Offshore Powerboating sites back in 2000. Came across the site, they had me when I saw a member "Blonde Cig Chick" who owned a Gun with twin 900s IIRC. Seemed to be a SCOPE member site so I lurked for the better part of a year before joining. Found out much later that the site was in its infancy when I started lurking. I remember the Charter Membership thing didnt realize the $30 was to upgrade the server, maybe I should have read it lol .......LOTS of drama over the years holy sh it! I remember saying that the name should be changed from OSO to "As The Propeller Turns".Have been boating steadily since I bought my first boat in '95 The race car takes up time these days. I have minimums now....if the weather isnt calling for 75 or higher I dont go out lol