Food for thought!!

[Kris Flynn]

Wow Rod, thank you for sharing your story!

Fortunately some peoples real side eventually comes out to bite them on the ass. Sad that you copped it, (I have been there several times recently) but lets hope manufacturers really do read the forums and see this thread and how certain people who "represent" their brands act.

If I can help the Zipp Tunnel in any way, let me know! This should only be a good thing for the hobby!

Cheers
Kris

 

[Andy Greene]

Wow Rod, thank you for sharing your story!

Fortunately some peoples real side eventually comes out to bite them on the ass. Sad that you copped it, (I have been there several times recently) but lets hope manufacturers really do read the forums and see this thread and how certain people who "represent" their brands act.

If I can help the Zipp Tunnel in any way, let me know! This should only be a good thing for the hobby!

Cheers
Kris

Well said - There has truly only been one person making negative comments and feeling attacked in this thread imo .

Keep up the good work Rod G .

 

[Andy Greene]

First of all I offer the OS outboard engines and parts on my site lower than anywhere in the country.

As you may or may not know, I now carry Carl’s 20 tunnels as well as the LeeCraft 40 Tunnels in stock at all times.

Sounds like a very negative and straightforward attack on the manufacturers (mainly Novarossi and OS) and directed toward the racers to me.

"Negativity like that does nothing but hurt not only the outboard manufacturers but the sport as a whole and spits in the face of the few that still support it."

"Rod if you don’t want to eat what you sow then don’t make statements like that. This could’ve been a very positive and helpful thread about a new tunnel class but you totally ruined it with those comments."

"I love the second part of Rods post but totally do not get his motives in the first part. Go back and read the first part. He says he wasnt talking about racers but after I pointed out exactly what he posted and my concern as to how he threw two manufacturers that are still supporting the tunnel racers, (Novarossi and OS) completely under the bus about pricing and that that may go out of business, and then he throws the “health” card as an excuse. If OS and Nova walk away from outboards, we all lose. He says he doesnt have a vested interest but his post is all against two manufacturers and all positive on the one he has interest in, JAE. His health didnt get in the way of him making a negative post but only when he was called out. Anyway, no plusses at this point going forward, only negative. Rod can say whatever but his own post contradicts his explanation. What could have been a great thread was preceded with un-needed negativity and manuf bashing."


Your a piece of work Ron Shaw - many love ya , and you have done a lot of good in your return - no doubt . But for those that see through your smoke and mirrors - YOU are a problem in this thread and in the hobby to a degree. You have opened doors and chit right in em , all in one fell swoop.
The replies you have made to Rod and the disrespect in this thread show that.

My statement is made on real life experience - what I have seen and heard FIRST HAND , so dont bother to reply to me. If you dont remember well enough , then the Winternats in Riverview should rattle that memory, you showed your true colors and I just happened to be within earshot to let you bury whatever you may do well now and in the future in my mind forever. Just is what it is , you said it - I listened- and I wont forget or let it go.

Hopefully this thread can get back on track and we can show some actual support for the efforts Rod is TRYING to make. I for one would LOVE to be able to built a pretty easy to assemble Wood tunnel and bolt on some low cost power - run 25perc nitro and cheaper plugs -
But then again , Im not selling $450 motors and $300 dollar hulls and telling you Im your buddy................

Just my .02 - Im done .

 

[Doug Smock]

Good stuff Rod. Looking forward to seeing what you and Joe come up with.

It's been awhile, I'll call you when I have an hour..

 

[RonShaw]

Rod,
I feel a lot like you. I loved the second part of your initial post about this new 28 idea, but the first part of your post ruined it.

“How many of you are tired of paying $450.00 for a Novarossi 3.5 powerhead or $550.00 for a O.S. to race nitro outboards..... Outboards that could be out of production in a heartbeat....”

I am just as passionate as you about this hobby but that statement made it personal for me. As I said in my initial response, many people ( including me) deeply respect you and the contributions you have also made to this hobby, and is all the more reason to be conscious of posts that could be read as an attack on a product or manufacturer, thats all. Im glad you are motivated!!! Thats a good thing. A JAE tunnel would be a killer project and a hit I am sure!!!

 

[Geraghty]

Good stuff Rod. Looking forward to seeing what you and Joe come up with.

It's been awhile, I'll call you when I have an hour..

Looking forward to it bud....lolol

 

[Andy Greene]

Rod,
I feel a lot like you. I loved the second part of your initial post about this new 28 idea, but the first part of your post ruined it.

“How many of you are tired of paying $450.00 for a Novarossi 3.5 powerhead or $550.00 for a O.S. to race nitro outboards..... Outboards that could be out of production in a heartbeat....”

I am just as passionate as you about this hobby but that statement made it personal for me. As I said in my initial response, many people ( including me) deeply respect you and the contributions you have also made to this hobby, and is all the more reason to be conscious of posts that could be read as an attack on a product or manufacturer, thats all. Im glad you are motivated!!! Thats a good thing. A JAE tunnel would be a killer project and a hit I am sure!!!

Stop already - everybody gets your feelings - 5x over. get over yourself.

 

[Chris Wood]

I have not raced for a while. I have seen the decline for many yrs, i see it first hand in alot of hobbies. Children don't care, give them a x box or ps4 and they will choose it 9 our of 10 times all day long. and rod i am with you 100%. and this post below from the race events page is just another reason why.. and before anyone says anything, i have been both on the mfg side, and the racing side. facts are the facts.. this hobby is and always will be made up of great, older HANDS ON people, today's generation could care less about boats, planes, and cars, all rc stuff for that matter. pretty much phones and video games rule the time spent category now.

Guys when we offered to host this IMBPA Nitro National event there was great feedback from the nitro community. There was also great feedback stating that folks would surely attend the event. As of today the event has been open for entries since Jan. 4th and we have only 23 drivers and 79 boats. As with any National event, of which Voodoo has hosted five of these type National events, there is a lot of planning, purchasing, vendors and event personnel scheduling that goes into an event of this magnitude. We are going to have to see these entries go up soon or we may have to cancel the event which we really don't want to have to do. We are going to have to see a minimum of 150 boats by Feb. 15th for us to proceed with the event. We are also going to have to see more sponsorship confirmations which we assured would not be a problem for this event. If the event does not meet the minimum boat count required by Feb. 15th we will start issuing refunds to all current entrants and sponsors. Let’s get those entries in and move forward with this prestigious IMPBA Nitro Nationals!!!

 

[RonShaw]

Great post Chris Wood. Yes, our hobby has a lot of competition these days for sure. The VOODOO guys are a great group of boaters and if they are having a hard time gathering enough to hold the national race this year, that tells you there is a huge decline of nitro in their neck of the woods as well. Most of their group are gassers, but to show their support, many of them are building nitro boats so they can run in the race as well.

One area where we could all spend more time is recruiting more sport boaters to our hobby. Its amazing to me how many sport boaters are out there that have no drive whatsoever to join a local club or sign up for a race. Weekends on a private pond tinkering with boats seems to fulfill their boating appetite.

 

[Geraghty]

While the sxxt storm was going on I was seriously re-miss in not thanking Fred Howe at Lawless Drives for his participation in this effort....
Fred really stepped up to the plate and volunteered to get involved in this effort....Thanks Fred for your interest and joining in this effort.....
The prototype motor is in Alabama with David Hall and he is installing it on the O.S. lower on his Sport .21 Lynx......
Using this test bench we already have baseline info to compare to.....I.E. Props , set-up and speed and handling....
If all goes as planned we should have video of the boat / motor combo in 2-3 weeks , assuming the weather cooperates...
I am very anxious to see those results......If you have questions on the adapter call Fred....1-607-687-0143 http://www.lawlessdrives.com/
When we finish our initial testing and development I will post a complete list of materials that we used and the results of our testing ....
The Zipp tunnel prototype is still in the full speed ahead mode....more on that later....

 

[LawlessMan]

While the sxxt storm was going on I was seriously re-miss in not thanking Fred Howe at Lawless Drives for his participation in this effort....
Fred really stepped up to the plate and volunteered to get involved in this effort....Thanks Fred for your interest and joining in this effort....}

Thanks Rod for the kind words. This is a project that strikes a chord with me. When I started racing, with absolutely no experience with R/C boats at all, except making the first Lawless Drives (long story about why), the assistance, mentoring and generosity of several members of the local club - Southern Tier R/C Boaters of Elmira, NY - got me through the learning curve without too much damage. I started with a third hand boat, and a second hand motor and radio. I only had to buy nitro fuel (from some of the club members) and I was in the thick of it. Scary at first, but I sort of got the hang of it and pretty soon I had a second boat, and a third, all used. Then, I got new boats to replace them, you know how it goes. That was 22 years ago and I still have all three of the original boats taking up shelf space. I plan to resurrect my 3.5 tunnel and put one of these adapters on an old Lawless 3.5 (funny how I seem to have a few of those), and take it to the pond this spring. I want to test it out before the first race and see the looks on the faces of some of the guys who already think I'm kind of crazy. So far, my investment is the cost of a car engine, which was only about $65. I am hoping this will spark a small revolution in the HOBBY (I'm not saying "racing world"), which might eventually trickle up to the "racing world".
I am open to any ideas that anyone might put forth - my steering arm that i include with every drive was designed and suggested by Mr. Wally Marsh, and the anti-vibration motor mount plate for my gas drive was designed by the late Mr Joe Monohan. Neither of these guys ever asked anything in return, but they have my eternal gratitude. Rod has asked nothing of me in return for building this adapter, and, to be honest, I am going to sell it at about cost, because the bookkeeper won't let me give them away.
If anyone has an idea that might benefit the HOBBY, give me a call or send me a sketch and we can talk about it.

Fred....1-607-687-0143, [email protected] http://www.lawlessdrives.com/

 

[Vince Fantauzzi]

Great post Chris Wood. Yes, our hobby has a lot of competition these days for sure. The VOODOO guys are a great group of boaters and if they are having a hard time gathering enough to hold the national race this year, that tells you there is a huge decline of nitro in their neck of the woods as well. Most of their group are gassers, but to show their support, many of them are building nitro boats so they can run in the race as well.

One area where we could all spend more time is recruiting more sport boaters to our hobby. Its amazing to me how many sport boaters are out there that have no drive whatsoever to join a local club or sign up for a race. Weekends on a private pond tinkering with boats seems to fulfill their boating appetite.

Very true... I'm a sport boater, and would love to rip around a nice pond with other like minded boaters... I live in the greater Toronto area, in Canada, and there is very little going on rc boat wise in the area... Only club I'm aware of is southern Ontario is Northern Lights club.

 

[Geraghty]

Here is the .28 Outboard mounted on a O.S. lower unit and on a Lynx just waiting for the opportunity to be tested.....
Truthfully is doesn't look as bad [ugly] on the back of the boat as I thought it might......
When you are as old as I am and you break from tradition , sometimes it just takes a bit of time to get used to the results.....lololol
This is David Halls Sport .21......It ain't going to win a concours competition but it is probably one of the fastest Sport 21's on this planet.....This boat is very well established and will give back excellent feedback for speed and handling comparison information.......

 

[Grimracer]

There is a whole lot of "practical" going on here!

I like it..

Grim

 

[Grimracer]

I like the fact that this eliminates the PTO.. two bearings gone!

Grim

 

[Shane Bastick]

nice and simple, looks good too, looking forward to the test results and video

 

[Brandon Atwell]

Super cool setup guys. Looking forward to seeing some video of this!

 

[Kris Flynn]

Wow, that is awesome!

 

[BradSpencer]

Lots of positives with this setup.
Might be time to dust off a boat when these are released

 

[Don Ferrette]

Alright people this thread has been getting edgy, stop pushing the limits and stay on point.