how about we race opean and super v that showcases both kind of boats v and cats and let's SEE the hole race of each class why are we limmted to 1 hour show why not 2 hr of boat racing i thank if nascar was run on high lights like boat racing there would not be many fans

Great question...simple answer.

1. Time on TV (and most places) costs money.

2. Sponsors provide money based on "watchability", fan interest and ratings.

3. #2 above is not working very well now...... in spite of the fact that racers "love the shows".

4. The programs are too complex (too many classes), chopped up ("paying off" too many sponsor/marketing interests)...and redundant.

5. Therefore, there is no demand or groundswell of interest occurring.

T2x

P.S. "paying off" is a TV term meaning providing exposure... not graft

honestly wanting to know
 

T2x:

Don't take this the wrong way but I'm still curious what years / class / you raced in offshore racing? Any championships and how many wins? BH

Mike:

I was seriously not ripping on Rich but I looked through Sea Race also and couldn't find his name. George Linder , John Kenyon , Allen Alweiss , etc were in there. Of course my name was not in there either because I'm a newbie to the sport (5 years). BH

t2x is mentioned in a video of the 1982? key west race.

I believe he was in the cockpit of a shadow cat.

i'll try again

t2x is mentioned in a video of the 1982 key west race.

He is in the cockpit of a shadow cat.

Okay... "Honestly curious...non flamers".....

First race......... Outlaw outboard hydro.... 1958

First APBA race 1963 Hudson River Marathon OPC (Albany-NYC)

Raced OPC from 1963 thru 1980.... Vees....single and twin engine ....Twin engine Cats..... Single engine tunnels (hence the T2x Name...but you knew that)..... up to and including Mercury factory team ( Canada for some reason). I had modest success during a long outboard career, and described myself as "mediocre but clever"...clever enough to survive a number of 100 plus mph flips and barrel rolls.

First Offshore Race.....1966 Around Long Island Marathon

Raced with George Linder on Eltro Boats team in the 60's and he and I have been best friends since 1963...... in fact, I got him started in racing.

In 1980, (As I was phasing out of OPC) we took George's 21' Challenger molds... and brought them into a boat company I was a partner in, Image Boat co.

In a meeting that year to decide on the next boat....originally a 28' vee... I pushed the designs on the floor and decided to build a cat. (Cougar of England was beginning to have success with their wooden derivations and I felt we could marry OPC and Offshore technology and make something better...Alan Brown had the same idea at the same time). The resulting boat destroyed all the records in any offshore class it was
legal in...and is known as the Shadow Cat..... Later The Chris Cat. I raced a few of them for both the company and customers (including the original Black Duck). The Shadow Cat on the 1982 tape was a joint Mercury outboards T-4/Shadow project and was the top qualifier in the Key West Worlds...DNF in the final. Our boats won multiple World and National Championships and set world records in all three I/O and Outboard classes....but you knew that.

The Image boat company partnership broke up in 1983, and I wound up burning the plug for a 38 foot Shadow Cat that was already completed.

In 1984 I started Conquest Marine...and George, Ken Adams Sr. and I created a string of wood and Fibreglass composite cats from 32 to 48 feet. Included in that string was the first (and only) offshore Cat to feature four 2 liter tunnel boat outboard engines (see picture below). We sold boats all over the world...but our best known examples are The Jesse James race boats campaigned by Chris and Mark Lavin ...a 30 foot World Champion/ Kilo record holder Chris Cat... a 35 foot Conquest that set records in two races, vied for the National Championship and was leading ijn the Wolrld's when it stuffed killing Throttleman Mark Lavin, a close personal friend,.....and a 48 foot four engine Super Boat built as a monument to Mark with every component custom designed for the project...including engines, drives, rudders, and the double wide Lavin canopy still available today.

After Mark's death, George and I completed the Conquests under construction, canceled the rest, and got directly involved in safety, believing that we did not want to build any more boats until the potential for lethal accidents had been reduced as much as humanly possible......I, personally, lost a lot of enthusiasm for boat racing realizing , for the first time just how stupidly blind we had all been about safety..... Sound familiar? This effort started in a meeting we attended with Linder, myself, Gary Garbrecht, Bob Nordskog, Bell helmets, Lifeline Safety, and many others and led directly to the creation of The Lavin cockpit safety standards and the Lavin Safety foundation.

As a side bar.......In 1983, after complaining to video producer, Phil Lewis of NNRT, about his biased anti-catamaran coverage, I accepted his challenge to put up or shut up, and climbed into a helicopter to narrate an offshore race. This led to 17 unbroken years of TV (and some radio)narration, both private footage and broadcast programs for APBA, OPT, SBI, USORA, and NPBA...on ESPN, Prime, MSG, Speedvision, ..etc. My family consists of a number of writers and the "live on scene" gig seemed to fit pretty well........ at least a number of "old timers" thought so, in fact I managed TV programming for Gene Whipp......

The value of flying over just about every offshore race in a 17 year period (over 200 at last count) while technology went from rough water to closed course, vees to cats, 3 drives to 4 drives to 5 drives to 6 drives to Buzzi's, etc... to steps....to Supercharged...to Skaters..( in fact, I believe I narrated the first race a Skater ever appeared in..)...is immeasureable. I could see (and recognise)who was handling well, accelerating well, wandering all over the course, carrying the bow, coordinating between driver and throttleman...or not..etc etc....because I had been there, done that... in a way that no other "tech guy" ever could. It's not that I'm so good...but who else had the 200 race experience....... knew the details.... drove and set up the boats (offshore and closed course tunnels and vees)....... and could relate to the racers ( We took Joey Imprescia to Lake X for the first time in a Shadow Cat, Bobby Moore rigged the 48 foot Jesse James, I watched JT navigate his first race, knew Bobby Latham before he was Latham marine, Reggie before he built his first offshore boat, Bobby Herring before he made his first prop... etc etc)? I watched races (and now Poker Runs) at speeds from 50 to 150+...I saw the roughest and calmest conditions.... tight races ..and boring parades... and, finally, I ve worked with top professionals like Art Eckmann, Jim Hendrick.....and the best boat racing announcer in history, Dick Crippen.

I also authored a column in "The Racer's Edge" newsletter for three years, wrote for Powerboat Canada......

We will host the third annual Skaterfest in a few weeks, dedicated to Safety and high performance boat technology sharing and education........and currently I am appearing as T2x on Offshore Only. My 28 Skater runs 115 moh, and I am in the process of restoring a 20 foot Wing Switzer....(a classic and revolutionery race boat...from before the time you guys were born........ but it is still faster than a current Factory 1 or 2 boat)

So, to answer your thinly disguised attempt at questioning my "racing experience"....... I can hold my own. The Crouse book is an interesting phenomenon in that ol' John signed my copy "to one of the true legends"....but left me out of it...and (I really love this one) he was handling My company's (Conquest Marine) publicity while he was writing it!!!!!.... John can be a little obtuse at times. Truth be known, I never sought publicity.....the TV gig was more than enough to satisfy my "15 minutes of fame" urges. Both George Linder and Mark Lavin got the lion's share.......and they deserve it....! But attached are a few of "my Greatest Hits" Let's just say I'm no Alan "Brownie" Brown........ but , I have my moments

Now, let's all get together at Skaterfest, try to find a way to solve the mess that's developing in the sport (both politically and safety wise)......or at least enjoy a drink.


T2x........... Growing tired of his own life story

and.....

and......

Thanks T2x,
That was a question I felt went to the category of "If I have to explain, you wouldn't understand".

Maybe some people should work on their own legacy instead of questioning everyone else's.