Should I buy this F41 Stryker cat?

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I guess it also doesn't help that I didn't particularly feel welcome when I went back to the pond. I told one of the guys I might sell it off and they won't answer my call or texts anymore...Bastards lol

 

[Ron Olson]

Things keep moving around here also. We tried getting a club rolling around here but it was 50 miles away for me but no big deal. That fizzled after about 2 years so now I've been running either with a buddy or a group of "run wut ya brung" people on Sunday mornings so we get a big variety of boats showing up.
These boats aren't that hard to set up compared to the nitro burners. Don't let those people deter you from having a good time. You'll find those kinds of people in whatever you get into.

 

[override]

Yeah from the get go It was ok going, they would give me advice and compliment my work on the boat. Then it got to the point that they would still compliment my work but it was always followed with a negative, generally directed toward racing. They were all serious racer type guys, go to events and what not. Always telling me that I needed to do this and do that or I couldn't race with/without this. Then came the point were the club president told me that I needed to register for the racing stuff to run and then came the point were a membership fee was required to run at the pond.

The fee was cheap no big deal, I liked the advice that went towards racing but what these guys didn't understand (I think they just choose to not listen) is that I didn't care to try and build a racer. I simply wanted to go have a beer, listen to music, swap stories and run boats. Although since my boat was on the slow side, it was difficult to run with them cause they would all lap me big time.

I still want to sell the boat, I'd like to start over fresh maybe with a mono or whiplash. A virgin boat with no holes, no damage to have to repair. I really have wondered if this boat is just tweaked from the damage and will never run true again, thought well I could sell the hull or just trash it and put the hardware on a new cat hull. Although then comes the expense of a new hull, boats aren't cheap lol

 

[Ron Olson]

What seems to be bad to you is becoming the norm with almost every boat club around. They have dues because they may in the future want to hold a race and that takes money to buy everything needed to put one on from buoys to a PA system, retrieve boat and any other things.
The club that I was with along with any other one nowadays will require membership in a sanctioning body whether or not you race. Our site was owned by a cement company and like any other business are worried about liability issues. We registered our club through the IMPBA and it helped immensely that then president Kevin Sheren was a member of the club as the bodies provide $3,000,000.00 in liability protection in case somebody does something stupid.
Everyone has to start somewhere and you started a lot higher up on the ladder than I did. These boats don't get fast overnight, it takes time with them to find out what the boat likes. A Whiplash or the newer Backlash hulls are very fast boats when set up correctly. I've know Brian Blazer for a long time, he makes top-shelf hulls and seem to be the ones to beat anywhere. If you want a mono, I love my Rampage, the best mono that I've ever owned.
Just because those guys are racers doesn't mean that you have to be also. Many clubs have members that aren't. Those are the ones who become handiest if and when they ever decide to host a race as they aren't tied up in the pits working on their boats. It sounds like in some ways they still need to get their heads out of their asses.
Seeing how you're in Texas I may know a few of the people that you're talking about. Does the name Tim Martin ring a bell?

 

[override]

Well the president of the club is an old man, which his name escapes me right now. He is the one that told me the last time he was out there (which is rare, he is really shakey and can't run the boats well anymore) that I needed to register with the IMPBA. The second in command which is Dave Melonie is the one who told me that there will be a yearly fee, I think it was $60.

Dave is also the one that has been saying for years (according to the other guys that run) that they are going to start holding races and events. That has yet to happen and they seem to think it will never happen. He is headed towards the right path I think but I also believe that Dave's arrogant attitude keeps everyone from wanting to help. He can be a peepee in sorts sometimes in the ways he speaks or acts towards you about your setup/new items on the market. I am one to spend weeks of time browsing the internet looking for the best new stuff and the hottest deals, so many times Dave would mention something and say it just came out when in reality it's been out for awhile. I would tell him oh yeah I saw that like a year ago, he gets kind of butt hurt and then doesn't socialize with you the rest of the time your there. In fact the last time I was out he noticed I had a super collet and asked me where I got it, I told him off of ebay about 2 years ago. He said "no you couldn't of they just came out" then literally turned around and just walked away.

Another thing that erks me is that I was all for opening a pond and putting time and money into holding races/events. I told him that I am only a phone call away, anything you need (heavy equipment which my father has, or money to buy wood for a racer stand etc) to let me know. He would text me or call everyonce in awhile and invite me out. Then I would get there and after an hour or two he just started acting the way he always would. I got sick of it personally and I also got sick of offering my help for him to never cash in on it.

The times that I would text him mostly would end in him reading the text (iphone read receipt) and then never texting back. Last time he texted me and asked me what I had been up too. I told him I just bought a Harley (sent a picture) and he never replied, the next day I text him again and he again never replied. I have not spoke to him since and to be honest don't think I ever care too again.

So is it me that should be the one trying to forgive and forget or am I justified in my opinions of the club?

Tim martin does not ring a bell off the top but It wouldn't surprise me if he has been out there before or knows the guys that run in that club. One of the guys which is actually really cool makes his own engines (Mason Racin') I can't think of his name right now either.

 

[Ron Olson]

There should be several clubs in your neck of the woods that you might need to check out instead of them. Dave's name does sound familiar though. He seems to be one of those types of people that I'd love to give a good talking to! Like I said, there's a lot of Dave's out there. I saw a guy from Florida at the Gas Nat's, Eric Lis, what an anus to be nice. Airline pilot whose crap he thinks doesn't stink.
I've gotten to know some Texan's as they've come up this way for big races. I know a few more like Bob Finn, a grumpy old fart on the outside but a good guy inside with a heart of gold. A few of the others that I know are nitro boat racers, as crazy as they come, my kind of people!
Dave seems to have an ego problem with wanting to have the best of everything and probably has a wallet large enough to buy those things. The dude probably hates to settle for anything other than 1st place. Too many people don't remember where they came from in this hobby/sport which is kind of sad. The ones with the deep pockets though may have started off with the best or close to it. I'm not rich, far from it but doing OK. It's taken me a long time to get where I am today and get by doing a lot of my own fabrication when I can with very limited tools. There sure as Hell isn't anything fancy in my shop, mostly the old trusty Dremel, hand drills and a drill press. Cheap stuff from Harbor Freight. Maybe one of these days a low-buck lathe.

I personally know a lot of the big name racers but don't sit around name-dropping. I don't think that they're saying "Hey, I know Ron Olson!" like I'm a Rock Star or anything, I just seem to be one of those people in the background at races.