Blarney Island ?????WHEN ????

[KaptainKirk]

Rules
sign up
practice weeks
actual racing
how much
?????????
anybody have some info?



check this out.....http://mall.lnd.com/ron/blarny.htm

[KaptainKirk]

and can anyone answer ?

[Sam Baker]

It's the same routine every year. The first two weeks are practice weeks (no points) and they start the Thursday after memorial day I believe. You sign up right there. $20 bucks to enter and you're in. You need to have your boat weighed at our shop and the motor inspected prior to the first week. Based on your motor (280 with bolt ons) we're going to have to find a weight for you - your's is the only motor of it's kind, but it'll probably be 1700 lbs. Since a 260 with bolt ons has to weigh 1650 and the stockers weigh 1600. In Lake Racer (APBA/ODBA) your boat would have to weigh 1750, but because Blarney Island is a shorter course, we've always felt the weights shouldn't be as different and it's worked so far - we had a ton of different winners last year.

I'll be announcing a Weigh-in and Inspect day - might even have it at the Swap Meet (that date will be announced this week too) and you can do it all in one trip.

When you come up, make sure your fuel tank is completely dry and the boat is empty of anything you won't be racing with.

Rules are simple, although your engine - as I mentioned before - is different than anything out there. Seating for minimum of 3, center steer is allowed, boat weight is dependent on engine (similar to ODBA/APBA engine to weight rules). Starts are idle up like APBA/ODBA and you stand on the pedal and go like a banshee for 800 feet, try to avoid the REALLY BIG cruiser wakes, wave to the pretty girls as you go by, then buy me beers after the race....oops did I say that out loud????

I'm going to talk to John this week about having a rules meeting (we always used to but haven't the last couple of years).

Sam

[KaptainKirk]

What kind of eguipment you using to weigh my boat?
If your slinging ARE YOU LIABLE FOR DAMAGE ????
Would rather you weigh it onda trailer then I dump in the water and you weigh the trailer.
Do I throw all my safety gear inda boat for the weight in ?
Also wasn't my boat weighed for pete to be able to race??
Please keep me as informed as quickly as possible!!!.........................My schedule is very tight for like the next 6 weeks !!
OH YEAH REMEMBER I AM A ROOKIE THIS IS ALL NEW TO ME !!
SO when ya say the same every year .....this is my first year !

[Sam Baker]

Bring your own sling if you want to be more sure. Yes we weighed it for Pete, but that was 2 years ago and I don't have those weights, plus you weigh a lot less than Pete and you have to be in the boat.

We've weighed boats up to 1800 lbs. without any problem. I think yours will be in the 1500 lb. range based on my recolection of what Pete weighed.

Must have EVERYTHING in the boat as you will race (other than extra weight). The extra weight will be made up of 25# bags of shot and those are counted at the dock after you race. So, if you weigh 1500 lbs. dry and you need to weigh 1700 lbs. to race, you would need to have 8 bags of shot (200#).

Can't weight the boat, then dump it. That would be different scales - have to use the same scale for all boats.

Call Mary Pope at 847-356-9314 if you want her to sew up a sling for you. It would be great if everybody had their own sling anyway. Makes it a lot easier than the one that I have anyway. Mine is adjustable, but even for STVs, the driver has to move around to balance out the boat. Just like every other boat race though, the sling isn't perfect for EVERY boat, so the driver has to be the balancing weight.

I'm sure you can find time to stop by for 30 minutes at some point in the next 6 weeks.

Sam

[KaptainKirk]

just let me know when.
I will check out your sling when I come to weigh/swap meet.
If I don't like it....then I will be a spectator as I have been all these years.
Thank you for your help and support as always....
K.K.

[Sam Baker]

You let ME know when you can come out. I'm open to your schedule. I realize that not everybody can make it on a certain day.

As for the sling issue, what are your required specs for a sling? We've used this sling for 4 years now and it's never been an issue. I'm going to have a new one made, but I find it interesting that the sling is going to make or break your racing future. Have you been talking to your engine builder about this? You're starting to sound a lot like him. He's always finding a reason to not weigh his boat. He even sat out several weeks because of it. Then when more boats showed up than the year before and we had closer racing, he finally showed up and weighed it. That was after he said that nobody would race because of the weight issue.

When we lift your boat, it only comes off the trailer about 6 inches - just enough to make sure it's free. We have 3-4 people around the boat making sure the boat doesn't spin or tilt and we also watch the sling to make sure it isn't shifting or chafing the boat anywhere. We use towels to protect the boat from the sling and all hooks and as I mentioned, we've never had an issue even when weighing boats 300 lbs. heavier than yours.

If the sling is going to make you sit as a spectator what are you going to do when somebody screws you on a start - which does happen time to time out there.

I want you to go out and have fun. It's all about that. Taking 10 minutes to weigh your boat versus 16 weeks of the cheapest, most fun and convenient racing possible seems like an easy tradeoff. I GUARANTEE you that if any of the ODBA guys were as fortunate as we are to have this in our backyard, they'd be all over it.

Come on out, weigh your boat (don't worry, I use the same sling to weigh my boat) and go out and have fun. If you're a sling expert, then maybe you can give me some pointers, but this one has worked for Allisons, Mirages, STVs, Rapid Crafts, Grand Prix Tunnels, HydroStreams and anything else that's run out there.

I'll take good care of you. I want to see you go out and have fun and get your feet wet (not literally of course).

Sam

[KaptainKirk]

I am not picking on your sling....HAHA
The Liberty I had was lifted with a sling incorrectly with the straps pushing on the rub rail and crushed the rub rail.....the boat was never the same again after that on the two spots where it was lifted. This was about a foot back from the nose on each side of the bow.
Also I have seen the bow eye used.....well my bow eye is for **** thanks to petes abuse of a boat!!!
He drives right over the bow stop and onto the winch....this more than once so the bottom is chewed and the bow eye loose as hell!!
Afraid if that is used for lifting will tear right out!
So its not you as much as the boat being the problem(until I fix the eye)
And yes if the boat is gonna be damaged by weighing before I even have a chance ta get my feet wet I will sit out!
I finally have a Riot after wanting one all these years.....
ANY damage is not worth it if I can avoid it!
As for my complaining about false starts or so on.......EVIDENTLY
you forget who I am !!!!
I am there just for the fun of it !!!!
I raced probably the fattest slowest boat ever at Kosh....and loved losing !!
And as for GOD.....remember I am the President of the fan club!!
You gave me that nickname remember....others sure do!!
I like it.....it wears well!!
I will and have in the past supported you and all your functions.
I was at Blarneys for your last race meeting....So was Balzy.
Gotta go post more later.....K.K.
I am sorry if it sounded like I was whining.....it sounds like ya'll real careful so as soon as fix my shifter, size the seat for me, and hook up a gauge I will call ya....meanwhile I will plan on making your swap meet...maybe boat will be ready and I will bring it with knock down this weight thing and go racing !!
By the way have helmet, neck brace, suit jacket..pants on back order, and helmet restraint still ta order what else I need ta race?
Thanks for your time Sam !!
K.K.
Gotta go call GOD.....Tell him the President is waiting........
Later...LOL