Will Scream and Fly die w/us?

**JBS** · 10-05-2021, 06:51 AM

Back to the original question, realistically I don't see anybody stepping up to take our place with the two stroke pocket rockets. I will be on SnF for the long run . I went to CC route years ago. I picked up a v21 a few years back. I'm 65 years old now, so I'm good up to about 80 miles an hour. My vision and reaction time is not what it used to be.
Just got back from a week on a big freshwater lake, the only thing I saw that were fast were bass boats .

**Instigator** · 10-05-2021, 07:09 AM

A lot of things have changed since most of us got into it.

Most of us have the same story.
Saw our first fast O/B, rode in our first fast O/B etc.

That planted the seed and we could find running motors for $500-$1000, a hull that needed a transom/floor for the same cost, annndddddd, we could do our own work, and a yr later you had a pretty cool hobby/sport and also, for most of us, a huge sense of pride/accomplishment!

Pretty much, all of the above is gone.

Even if a young adult came along in a few yrs and wanted to replicate that, a running 4 stroke is $3k+ and weighs 600lbs and has no performance pts available.
If he buys a dead one, he’d have to go school just to dissemble it.

End up w/$6k in a motor worth $3k.

Then what’s he put it on?

Im sure there will alway be a few of the crazy talented fabricator/machinist to build their own mid and adapt a Sporty but would also guess, there’ll be very few.

I know we’ve been hearing they’re coming for 20 yrs.

And other than the rare few, youngins on here……, who’s going to replace us????

**GRH** · 10-05-2021, 07:11 AM

I'm 67 and still have my 97 21SB w/an 2004 300X.... don't use it much anymore but when I do I'm 18 yrs old again....lol.... my son is 30.... has a Y2k.... I believe because he grew up in fast boats he'll carry on the tradition... he'd never let me sell the 21... I considered going with a new 300R and his reaction was "I'll pay the difference get a 450R".... so I think "fast" is in our kids.... he and a couple of his buddies took a Nissan 240SX and did an LS3 swap.... they spent a couple years on it.... Tremec 6 speed.... all kinds of suspension parts... car weighed in at just over 2500lbs... 520hp to the back tires.... yeah..... our kids will keep up the good work....

**Turtleherder** · 10-05-2021, 08:38 AM

Things change. It’s not forty years ago. Just think about all things with motor sports that have changed. What happened to all the weekend drag racers that used to be around? What happened to all the little weekend hydroplane races that used to exist? As the engines got more complicated the interest in shade tree mechanics lessened. Also, general interest in getting outside and just screwing around has gone by the wayside. As kids we were always outside messing around somewhere. I got my first boat, a 14 foot flat boat with a 7 1/2 Johnson when I was 14. I was gone all day just messing around out on the River and my parents thought nothing of it. Kids just don’t do that much outside now unless it’s for some sort of travel sport like baseball or soccer. But like I said things change. How many people here still have a horse that they race? Anyone up for some wood circle track bicycle racing? Time moves on, you don’t have to like it, but you do have to eventually accept it.

**Stoker boy** · 10-05-2021, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by GRH

I'm not as fast as I once was.... but I'm as fast once as I ever was

Do you know Toby Keith?

**Stoker boy** · 10-05-2021, 02:04 PM

It’s really simple gentleman. Old guys die, old technology dies, that’s the way it’s always been. Do the best you can with what time you have left.

**GRH** · 10-05-2021, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by Stoker boy

Do you know Toby Keith?

No.... but he probably doesn't know me either

**Riverratt** · 10-05-2021, 05:26 PM

I am happy that my daughter and soon to her be husband are following in my footsteps and have a passion for boats. As you remember we restored the 14' Royalcraft for her years ago but it is not practical for her and her fiancee so it sits in the garage most of the time. Now she wants a small cuddy that will run around 60 so I have a feeling there may be another project in the very near future for us with the price of boats nowadays

**rock** · 10-05-2021, 06:54 PM

Old habits die hard. Had some health issues caused me to sell most all my boats and all but 2 of my motors. Figured it was time to hang it up and just enjoy the 25 on the 16' jon. Well that was yesterday and today I bought me a 19' basser with a 200 Merc. I feel better already.

Rock

**kellytheaker** · 10-05-2021, 07:43 PM

I believe the site is great - lots of growth if we all get involved in assisting others . Change is constant -
myself I find FBook has taken a group of individuals away from this site but the tech here is far superior in my opinion . I am a little older and not a big fan of FBook - I socialize in person and talk on a telephone -
This site is the go to site hands down - knowledge base is high and excellent membership .

**DangerNewb** · 10-05-2021, 07:54 PM

I'm doing my best to keep small hot rods alive. I have 2 young adult sons who love my fast boats. Plan to keep a couple boats around for us to enjoy and hopefully pass the torch.

**Instigator** · 10-06-2021, 06:33 AM

When I was in high school (mid 70’s’) me and 4 of my local buds all built hydroplanes.

I stuck w/it but none of the others did.

When I was racing kneel down (mid 70’s - mid 80’) and then go fast OB sport boats, I tried getting my then, mid/late teens nephews interested but both were more into computers, stayed inside and showed no interest.
Gave one of them an 8’ Minimost which he let rot to pc’s in their yard.
In my view/experience, that was the beginning of the paradigm shift.

Probably should look at parenting too.
Video games became pacifiers for their kids.

My 7 yr old grandsons are the only kids in our extended family that play outside.
That is due to their parents being outside w/them.

The rest are inside on the net or a video game while their parents do their own thing.
Posting pixs of their dinner on facetrash???

Similar trend to the loss of of upcoming tradesmen.

It is the world we live in.

I have a 4” thick, 3 ring binder that I named the “Bible”.

It has my 20 yrs of notes, tips, tricks I’ve learned about making an OMC looper run.
Ive given out plenty of info from it in all these yrs but have never left it from my possession.

When noticing it one day yrs back, it dawned on me.
What do I do w/this when I’m done w/it, for whatever the reason.
That kinda started that thought process.

Now it’s to the point, I think, who cares?