IMPBA Minutes 2006

August 29 2006:
International Model Power Boat Association
August Telephonic Board Meeting
August 29, 2006
7:00 p.m. Central Time

MINUTES

Present:
President, Bill Zuber
Secretary, John Equi(also Tech review)
District 1, Randall Thomas
District 2, Tony Jacuzzi
District 3, Glover Jeffcoat
District 4, Garrett Randall
District 5, Mark Bullard
District 7, Ed Mest
District 13, Bobby Halliday
District 14, Bryan Schymik (also IMPBA Treasurer)
National Fast Electric Director, Randall Thomas
National Gas Director, Kevin Sheren
National Record Director, Glenn Quarles

Absent:
District 6, Brian Nelsen(also IMPBA VP)
District 12, Tracy Dolphin
National Safety Director Brian Nelsen
National O/B Dir.Michael Zaborowski
National Scale Unlimited Dir. Steve Ball
Past President, Dick Jones

Bill Zuber determined a quorum was present and called the meeting
to order at 7:03 p.m.central time after the roll call.

Minutes of the previous Regatta Board Meeting were approved
(motioned by DD2 and seconded by Gas Director).

New Noise Committee Report: DD5 Mark Bullard. Glen inquired about goal of noise committee; Mark mentioned that Radio Shack meters were low cost, wants to calibrate one unit and to see if it holds calibration. He has a copy of S1.4 specifications. Glen asked if high quality meters were available…yes they are, but they cost over a hundred dollars. Mark mentioned a tolerance of the ANSI standard, which was 2.3db variance. Reflections, locations, buildings and tents may influence readings. We may need a static test. There was mention of experimentation to block the left side of the meters to catch the noise in front of the meter. Kevin Sheren reported 91db vs. 96db after a boat passed by. NAMBA noise rules were mentioned. Noise committee members are Joe Warren, Doc Turner, Stu Barr, Harry Gerhart, Allen Waddle, Kevin Sheren (if he wants to help), John Equi, and any others. It was mentioned to minimize postings on International Waters until we have good information. Randall found his meter reading low when he used the recently repaired non-calibrated thumper. The final conclusion of the Board was to shelve the noise research until a later meeting.

Agenda Item A, “New Sanctioned Event for our Clubs” - President Bill Zuber called for comments. DD2 Tony Jacuzzi had questions, Bill read part of the draft procedures and explained the NAMBA equivalent that we do not have. John Equi explained our insurance umbrella requirements. DD3 Glover Jeffcoat asked about restrictions. He has a member with an F Hydro with no experience, but is IMPBA, could he run? The answer is yes, since he is IMPBA. Bill read the entire draft rules to the group. Glover explained what he is currently doing, which is unlawful per IMPBA at this time. This new sanctioned event would cover Glover. Several directors commented they did not like the proposed event after a lengthy discussion. Bill would like something to offer new boaters; item tabled.

Agenda Item B, Rule Book Typographical Corrections - This concerns the Rule Book page, which prohibits the use of plastic props. Injection molded props or other plastic materials are still plastics; therefore the rule will be changed to state, “Only metal props will be used except for Fast Electric, Scale Electric and Production Class Boats”. Outboard Director Mike Zaborowski helped with this final wording. Approved by voice vote.

Agenda Item C, New Noise Proposal – This was submitted by DD14 Brian Schymik, and was read by DD5, Mark Bullard. The rule is identical to existing rule except the penalty is reduced to 40 points instead of disqualification. John Equi explained how the rule would work on race day. Apparently several directors did not receive the document so the proposal is tabled until next meeting.

Agenda Item E, Discussion Item, Security of Racers’ Radios - This concerns radios that are checked into radio impounds at local races. Bill Zuber explained that the radio impound at these events should have at least one person appointed to check membership cards to prevent theft of transmitters. DD5, Mark Bullard had a radio stolen at a recent Atlanta race.

Agenda Item F, Accident Reporting Procedures – DD2, Tony Jacuzzi explained that two accidents in his area were unknown to him until way after the events. The entire Board needs to know the details about any accident. In the future the District Director, Safety director, President and IMPBA office must be notified. Bill mentioned an accident where a racer got a bad cut on his foot.

Agenda Item G, Proposal Concerning Scale Unlimited Rules - Don Ferrette previously submitted. John Equi, Tech Review Chiarman read the proposal to the Board. Kevin Sheren would like us to act on this item and not table it again. Kevin made a motion to vote and Tony Jacuzzi seconded the motion.

D1- Approves, 2 votes D7 - Abstain
D2 – Approve, 3 votes D13 – Approves, 1 vote
D3 – Abstain LSG – Approves, 1 vote
D4 – Approves, 2 votes FE – Approves 1 vote
D5 – Approves, 2 votes President – Approves, 1 vote

13 Approval votes, Scale Unlimited Rules approved
for one-year trial beginning 2007

Agenda Item H, Discussion of Don Ferrette’s Alternate Internats Regatta Format –Bill Zuber explained that this item is for information and already exists as a National champion vs. US-1. Bill would like safety items placed in one place. Kevin Sheren mentioned that he has questions about run-offs and the wording concerning “ties”. Bill would like to have all Internats types briefly listed in the rule book. Full explanation would be in the guidebook.

Brian Schymik, IMPBA Treasurer joins the teleconference, but he can only stay a few minutes since he is on call. Brian is very happy about our finances and directed everyone to examine the Secretary’s financial sheet. He commented that we are in much better financial position compared to a few years ago.

After Brian hung up and left the teleconference, the Board continued discussing the alternate international regatta format. Bill Zuber will get clarification by Don Ferrette concerning Section 6, Number 1. Bill gets Board approval to add a separate section in the guidebook about this alternate format.

Agenda Item J, Discussion to Remove Survey Requirements for the International Regatta – This item was explained by Records Director, Glenn Quarles. This would lessen the burden of the Host Club by eliminating the costly survey. Mark Bullard explained the history of the Regatta timed event with comments by DD3 Glover Jeffcoat. Bill Zuber suggested revising the wording as an option. Randall offered a quick proposal referencing Rule Book Section E-4, Section 3, and B-1, Survey. DD3 Glover Jeffcoat seconded the motion. As a result of the continued discussion, this item will be resubmitted as a proposal for the next
or future meeting.

Item K Fast Electric Rule Change – Fast Electric Director Randall Thomas explained the N-2 change to the Board. He would like the rule to go out as a ballot. Discussion by Randall, DD5 Mark Bullard, Bill Zuber concerning the article about lithium batteries that Randall had in previous Roostertails. The lithium change would be a second ballot. Randall explained the dangers of model boating fuels and signing the waiver on our membership applications. Randall also explained the battery cell voltages for everyone. Lengthy discussion followed concerning the N-2 change and FE lithium change. Randall’s two items were approved by voice vote for ballot in September Roostertail.

International Regatta and Gas Nats discussion was next. Kevin Sheren explained that the Gas Nats will be held at Celina, Ohio by the Cincinnati Club and Driftwood Club for 2007. Glenn Quarles is contemplating Valdosta, Georgia for the Nitro Regatta but would need help. Glenn will talk with Jason O’Brien about a possible bid in a few weeks.

Bill Zuber calls for district reports.

D1 – The season is winding down, 2 races are left in this area, and point’s events are going well. Randall has noticed that attendance is down and suspects higher gasoline cost.

D2 – The Northern Nats were just completed, a big success, congratulations to Thames Valley Club. Tony has three races to go, plus one timed event in Flint. His last race will be held by the Lansing Club which is new.

D3 – Not much to report due to drought, no water. Glover told us that 2006 would be his last year as director. Bill mentioned that we would now have better representation than NAMBA in the Florida area if they wanted to come back. Glover has talked with several NAMBA people, but they are happy as is.

D4 – Garret reported that his season started out slow with the early Internats in June, but after the Internats, racing really picked up. Attendance was up. All clubs are working hard on safety, no accidents to report. He had 22 of his district racers come down to the Internats this year, a strong contingent. He only has one more point’s race and one more club race. Garret thanked DD5 Mark Bullard for putting together the noise committee especially considering everything that happened at the Regatta in June.

D5 – Racing has started, but the Louisiana Club is in turmoil. The Huntsville Race is having sickness problems with the Nashville Club who run the event. The Slidell Club is planning a race in November, but the hotel rates are running high. Jackson, Tenn. has a race in October. The race was originally billed as an all tunnel race but is now open to all classes. This race will be a who’s who of racers from all over. They are expecting maybe 150 to 200 boats. Johnny Ber’s race was cancelled in the spring due to Johnny’s death but will be held in the fall. The Mississippi Race is coming up.

D7 – Ed Mest has nothing to report. His action will be in Sept. and Oct.

D13 – Bobby is having a weird year. Races are up in attendance or being cancelled. The Georgia championships will have 150 plus boats and is probably the largest race they have very had on the heels of a cancelled Grand Prix Race. It’s either the price of gasoline or too many races scheduled. He still has 3 high point races and 1 Grand Prix left. Early entries for a few races appear good. Good response from District 3 racers. Glenn Quarles mentioned that Jerry Crowther is sponsoring Speed Week. The South Carolina Champs race in October will add an all-electric mono class. He is making good progress in his area.

Gas Director – Kevin has a new Super Sport Proposal, which is not going to be a US-1 or a Record class due to the requirement for technical inspection of the motors, he will have carburetor numbers called out in the wording. He wants the proposal to go to the membership. He would like IMPBA to consider a Johnny Ber Memorial trophy as a gas boat award similar to the Bill LeFeber award given for Nitro. Gas is growing real fast. Several Board members liked the Johnny Ber award that Kevin suggested.

Fast Electric – Randall explained that Fast Electric is growing by leaps and bounds. The 2006 Canadian Nationals held by his club in Collingswood was well attended. He is contemplating about making the Canadian Nationals an International Regatta format type of race for 2007. District one is offering along with standard Nitro and Gas classes, specialty electric classes. He thanked Mike Hallam at the Northern Nats for allowing Fast Electric to run in the Open Mono class, and added that those racers wanted to run their Fast Electric Scale with Nitro Scale, but maybe next time. With the introduction of lithium batteries, he expects Fast Electric to grow even faster.

Records Director – Glenn told us that we are moving into the time trials time frame of November with cooler weather. We have the normal timed events in Flint Michigan, Huntsville, a couple of events in Valdosta, these being Speed Week and the Fast Electric event in March. There is also another timed event by a returning club in Virginia this November. We welcome the Virginia group back! There is activity with the new class called multi engine, these records have been changing quite a bit and I expect them to continue to fall.

Technical Review – John Equi tells us that his area has been dormant at present and he is seeking a replacement for this position. He approached Mike Hallam, but Mike declined. Requirements for Tech Review were placed in the past several Roostertails for interested individuals.

Presidents Report - Bill told the Board that we are looking for someone that can take over the IMPBA website maintenance and perform updates as needed. Tracy Dolphin has been helping us out but he is often out of town; Brian Schymik has been doing a number of changes and John Equi has also been making changes. It would help IMPBA if somebody would make the hard-to-do changes and maintain the website. If we can find someone reliable we may even be able to pay them a reasonable fee, but not like the last web man. Contact Brian Schymik for details concerning the website language and expenses. DD3 Glover mentioned he might know someone that could help us. There is lots of activity in the Production Class, a new club in Kansas offered this with a good turnout. There are many new boats for this class that run real good. DD2 Tony Jacuzzi mentioned he has a member that has one of these boats that runs 38 MPH. The Tower catalog has several of these boats.

Secretary Report – New membership cards have been ordered for a cost of around $700.00 for 3000 cards. Since we have a bit of money, John ordered enough cards for the next four years. He added that this scenario would work providing we don’t exceed 1300 to 1400 members per year. The card colors are green and brown. He changed the process of printing the cards to a straight thru pass on a copier to improve quality. Office expenses are kept to an absolute minimum. He even refills ink cartridges instead of buying expensive Hewlett Packard units. The expense report you received shows that there are very few things we need to buy for the next several months. John explained the expenses and monies available in years 2006 vs. 2004, 2005. Several directors had minor questions.

Special Executive Question – Board members approve a bonus for John Equi as Secretary. Bill Zuber explained how we improved our finances in the last few years.

Several additional comments concerning the website were offered by Gas Director Kevin Sheren (Paypal and half size page errors).

Meeting adjourned 9:52PM CST.

August 14 2006:
International Regatta Board Meeting
Evansville, Indiana
June 23, 2006

Present:
President, Bill Zuber
Executive Secretary, John Equi (also Tech review)
District 1, Randall Thomas
District 2, Tony Jacuzzi (telephonically)
District 3, Glover Jeffcoat
District 4, Garrett Randall
District 5, Mark Bullard
District 6, Brian Nelsen (also IMPBA Vice President)
District 7, Ed Mest (telephonically)
District 12, Tracy Dolphin (telephonically)
District 13, Bobby Halliday (telephonically)
District 14, Bryan Schymik (also IMPBA Treasurer)
National Fast Electric Director, Randall Thomas
National Safety Director Brian Nelsen
National Gas Director, Kevin Sheren
National Outboard Director, Michael Zaborowski
National Scale Unlimited Director, Steve Ball
Past President, Dick Jones

Absent: National Records Director, Glenn Quarles

Bill Zuber determined a quorum was present and called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m.central time after the roll call.

Minutes of the previous telephonic Board Meeting were approved (motioned and seconded).

Bill informed the Board that several positions were up for election: D2, D5, D9, D10 and the Presidency.

District Reports:

D1: Randall reported his season is going good, there are 5 clubs, and 3 of them are holding Sanctioned events. He has a new club in Buffalo comprised of wall known IMPBA members and is hoping the club will start racing in 2007. All of his Sanction papers are submitted. The Collingswood club (Northern lights) will host the Canadian Electric Nationals, which will be race format only, no time trials with at least 50 boats. The Southern Tier club has a new pond at Eldridge Park which is not suited for an Internats sized event. He mentioned that E & F boat attendance is down in D1, with the 20 Tunnel being the predominant class. There was an inquiry concerning the Canadian Nationals Fast Electric race name by several attendees, Randall explained that he had received approval from the BOD at a previous meeting.

D2: Tony explained that everybody is busy with 16 races in the district, and has seen numbers down at the races due to too many events. He also told us that the Grand Rapids club wants to hold a race, and will check with them to find out their intentions. He contacted Bill Zuber and told him he would not seek re-election in 2007.

D3: Glover arrived at 8:15 p.m.

D4: Garrett has 3 races completed with an old club (Summer Thunder) returning and moving to Schaumburg, IL, a new site with steel walls around pond that caused concern. They did a good job with safety, netting, and pitting. Garrett is looking forward to building a stronger connection with the Schaumburg club. His district numbers are down due to early Internats. Badger club is holding a picnic event in July and invited all district members. One club needs to submit a sanction.

D5: Mark’s district has already completed 3 races this year, but 2 other races had to be cancelled. Slidell has very few motels available, and Johnny Ber, President of the New Iberia club passed away a few days before their race. The race will be rescheduled and named the “John Ber Memorial Race.” There was a tunnel only race in October that has now been changed to a full boat race called the “Tommy Lee Tunnel Challenge.” Mark expects to get Louisiana back into racing soon.

D6: Brian Nelsen’s district has grown dramatically due to the redistricting proposal, so he appointed Alan Hoyle as Assistant Director for the D6 southern area due to the large district area. Lots of APBA people are coming over to IMPBA, which is a good sign. One race in Iowa was cancelled. There is a race in Wichita, Kansas and the Minnesota club is strong with 2 races already run.

D7: Ed told us about his Lone Star Club hosting the Gas Nats which had a good turnout. Other district clubs are planning events in July, September, and October.

D12: Tracy has re-established the district point’s series and has already had 2 races this season with good turnout. He also tried to bring back the Scale Masters but bad weather cut the attendance. The district member numbers are low due to 2 clubs losing ponds in the Capital area. The Delmarva club has returned and found a permanent race site. They have 10 to 15 strong members. Overall D12 is strong with 9 district point races and all of them appear good. His next event is North Carolina, Greensboro, Mike Hemric’s club, in Piedmont with lots of entries.

D13: Activity in D13 has been mixed this year with a cancelled race and two very succesful races. The Tunnel Champs grew over the ’05 event with 90 boats participating this year. We expect the race to go over 100 boats in ’07 and with the race to be held on a full size course for the first time the racing should be better than ever. The Spring Nats was another success with racers from all over the country participating. The Atlanta Model Boaters and Charleston Model Boaters have both revived the club level race series and both are getting positive results. The rest of the year looks good with GP series attendance holding steady and early entries for the next two Highpoint races running ahead of last year.

D14: Brian’s club is hosting the International Regatta this year, which is one of the largest Internats in at least 5 years. He thanked everyone for their help in putting on the event. He has about 70 stable district members. He will attend every race event in D14 to keep in touch with race CD’s and Site Directors. There will be a new race in Louisville around the end of July. He changed the D14 Scale Director and the new man is doing a good job. One race in Indianapolis was cancelled due to medical problems of race officials.

Fast Electric: The Northern Lights club is hosting the Canadian Nationals Fast Electric race which is a 3 day event being held in Collingwood, Ontario. Attendance and boat count looks promising. 3 days of heat racing, and planning to reintroduce the Internats format in 2007. Today’s open class was extremely competitive in speeds between Fast Electric and Nitro boats.

Safety Report: Brian is compiling all the safety rules in the IMPBA Rule Book to one section for easier use. He found safety rules in many sections; some places where they did not belong, and a few odd rules. There have been no serious problems at IMPBA races during the year except for a few minor accidents of prop cuts. He is working on netting and has received photos of several pond sites to determine good netting use vs. actual conditions. He has received pictures of launch areas, pit areas and wants to formulate suggestions concerning safety for new clubs. Randall Thomas mentioned there was a discussion a few months ago about disposal of batteries at race sites. Brian will have a proposal to get something in the rule book concerning new batteries, ie lithium and manganese. These new batteries have lots of power but pose a possible fire danger. Brian thanked Randall for the documents he sent. President Bill Zuber acknowledged that we did have 3 accidents involving cut hands on boat props. All of these injured racers declined to file against IMPBA; they all used their own insurance.

Tech Review: John reports minimal activity, but he was requested to help D5 Director with an experiment to obtain new sound reading information. John also has an unfinished item of steps and vents for racing hulls that Randall Thomas requested. He solicited all Board members for any candidates for the Tech Review Chairman position.

IMPBA Executive Secretary: John mentioned that we have 1040 members as of June 19, 2006 and then proceeded to read a list of each district membership totals. IMPBA is growing in many districts with D6 almost doubling. Office expenses are being minimized and watched very carefully. We will need to order membership cards and renew our insurance for 2007. Joe Kenesek will help me to get insurance quotes. John explained how the office is managed, how he handles insurance requests from clubs and reported on the Steve Enneper medical payments.

Financial Report: Brian Schymik explained the monetary figures on the provided financial chart. A detailed analysis revealed a huge impact on IMPBA financial well-being. He is very pleased with the budget figures and finances. Dick Jones would like a projected expense report based on 2005 expenditures that we have. We would know in advance how much we have. Dick said the financials that were submitted are not an accurate projection. A discussion by Schymik, Jones, Jacuzzi and Equi followed with Equi agreeing to examine the 2005 expenses and working with Schymik.


***** NOTE:***** For the following agenda items, the District Director votes will reflect their membership numbers as voted by the IMPBA membership by Ballot #05-013.


The following is each districts voting power:
D1- 2 votes; D2- 3 votes; D3- 1 vote; D4- 2 votes; D5- 2 votes; D6- 1 vote; D7- 1 vote; D12-1 vote; D13- 1 vote; D14-1 vote; Past President- 1 vote; President- 1 vote; Fast Electric- 1 vote; Gas Director- 1 vote.

Agenda Items:

Submitted Proposal – Change IMPBA Engine Class Designation from Alpha character to numerical. Bill Zuber read the proposal that he, Russ Williamson and Jerry Dunlap prepared. Discussion ensued by Dick Jones, Randall Thomas, Bill Zuber, Mark Bullard, Kevin Sheren, Brian Schymik, and Mike Zabrowski. D5 Director Mark Bullard wishes the alpha system to continue to be utilized. Dick Jones seconded the proposal, and Bill called for a vote. D1-yes, 2 votes; D2-yes, 3 votes; D4-yes, 2 votes; D5-no, 2 votes; D6-yes, 1 vote; D7-yes, 1 vote; D12-yes, 1 vote; D13-yes, 1 vote; D14-no, 1 vote; FE-abstain; GAS-abstain; PP-yes, 1 vote; President-yes, 1 vote. Proposal passes for one-year trial by 13 to 3 valid district votes.

Submitted Proposal – Reduce Family and Junior Membership Dues back to $10.00. This was proposed and explained by Bill Zuber. These dues were increased in 2000 to bring in more money. After a discussion by Mark Bullard, Bill Zuber, Brian Schymik and Dick Jones, Dick seconded the motion. If approved, this will be a Board directive for the 2007 season.
A vote was taken and the proposal passed unanimously.

Submitted Proposal – An Alternate Internats Format was submitted by Don Ferrette, read to the Board by Bill Zuber and discussed by Dick Jones, Mark Bullard, Bill Zuber, Tony Jacuzzi and Brian Schymik for a short time. Brian would like the words “national champion” only, not US-1 recognition for this alternate format. Mark Bullard explained actual time usage at existing regattas vs. this proposed format with several members of the Board commenting. Bill Zuber read each of the proposal sections and the Board discussed these in great detail. Several sections were removed and it became apparent that more changes were needed. Dick Jones made a motion to table the proposal and Mark Bullard seconded. The motion to table met with majority approval, D2 and D12 opposed the tabling. Bill asked Tracy Dolphin, D12 director to talk with Don Ferrette and prepare a new document.

Submitted Proposal – Steve Ball and Brian Schymik explained the reasoning behind the Scale Unlimited Rule Change submitted by Don Ferrette to the Board members. Both of these guys were extremely knowledgeable about the Scale rules. Brian wants to utilize the easy-to-use APBA Hull Roster. Steve had questions concerning a few areas and a lengthy discussion followed. Randall Thomas made a new proposal to turn the item no. 7 on the existing proposal into a stand-alone proposal. The wording is “The drive dog must not extend beyond the transom unless the prototype’s strut and/or drive dog did so. Photo documentation may be requested for proof by race CD or district scale director.” This was seconded and a vote was taken. This new stand-alone proposal was voted yes by all members with the exception of the Gas Director who abstained. Proposal passes. Steve Ball will prepare a letter of understanding for Don Ferrette.

Submitted Request – A document was presented by Outboard Director Mike Zaborowski that was sent by John Knight of the Charleston Model Boaters (CMB). This club solicits the Board to use the word “Nationals” in the name of their boat race, “Outboard Tunnel Nationals”. Discussion ensued by many Boardmembers including Mike Zaborowski, Bill Zuber, Bobby Halliday, Randall Thomas, Mark Bullard, Brian Schymik, and Tony Jacuzzi. This document was not originally considered a proposal, but D13 Director Bobby Halliday voiced it as a new proposal. Bill Zuber suggested “Outboard Masters”, Mark Bullard mentioned “Outboard World Championship”. D13 liked “Outboard Tunnel Championship” D1 Director seconded. President called for a vote. D1-yes, 2 votes; D2-no, 3 votes; D3-no, 1 votes; D4-yes 2 votes; D5-no, 2 votes; D6-no, 1 vote; D7-abstain; D12-abstain; D13-yes 1 vote; D14-no, 1 vote; PP-yes, 1 vote; President- no, 1 vote; FE- yes, 1 vote; Gas-no, 1 vote. Proposal fails 10 no, 7 yes, 2 abstain.

Bill Zuber offered to shelve the documented discussion items till later.

Board moved to executive session.

Meeting adjourned 10:33 p.m. CST