Desert Storm Sold

[LargeOrangeFont]

Disagree.
Thursday night is meant to draw locals.
If the street event was Friday or Saturday it would be a packed shit show.

Locals are not buying $20 burgers from food trucks and $10 beers. They aren’t waiting an hour to go to a restaurant when they can just go there 5 days later when the town is calm again. Yea locals come to hang out and walk up and down the street. They are not driving the revenue stream. Why would they? They can go to any of those businesses on Main St. any time they want to without them crowds.

 

[Heylam]

Disagree. Thursday night is a dick swinging contest for the big boys to show off and pat themselves on the back.

 

[RiverDave]

So some observations on the replies on this thread..

1. Charging for the street fair - if you charged 2.00 in theory you could raise over a 100k. In reality you would take an event that has 50’ish thousand walking the street and turn it into maybe 2,000 people.. and 48,000 people would be bitching that something that used to be free is now “all about the money” etc.. and in truth we are talking about 2.00.

This all aside from the businesses now being located in an area where there is a cover charge etc. They wouldn’t ever go for it.

The solution is simple but I’m not gonna put it out there for someone else to figure out..

2. The common theme in here is “shit I can’t afford and can’t relate too.” The reality again is if a bunch of sub 100k boats lined the streets of Havasu.. very few people would show up to see it. The draw to the street show is the super boats / exotic cars / crazy trucks / etc..

3. I have read on here about stereo wars and seeing “somethings” we don’t want kids seeing. I will freely admit I don’t get to walk the street fair because I’m usually stuck on our street or out working.. wtf are you guys talking about with this? What are you supposedly seeing?

Any show stereos are part of the game. They are used to draw people in and create a fun environment. RDP has had live bands with full fledged stages in our booth and giant dj rigs etc..

This is going to lead us to part 4.

4. Concert or Entertainment - in part three I mentioned lived bands.. I brought in normal bands like Littletown, I brought in electric avenue, and we have even brought in local
Celebrities such as Matt Farris to play.

Every single time after it got dark I ascertained what the cost vs value of this was.. I sat there and watched in a couple of occasions 10-15 people really dancing and listening to a live band.. I paid 200-300 per person for that entertainment lol.. by the time I get the stage / band etc it’s anywhere from 6-10k depending on the band etc.

Ironically enough the lines to buy the shirts were longer than the people watching the band.

5. I keep hearing about these cliques.. I still don’t know wtf anyone is talking about? Their boats on display.. there is no entry fee, most the owners are happy to talk to anyone about their boats?

In a bit of irony rdp put on a party for seven or eight years that you literally had to he an rdp member of sponsor to get in? I am reading some of these replies written by some of the same guys that literally ditched their own friends to attend it.. lol.

6. The highlights of desert Storm.. if you go back and read the replies on that subject historically it has always been the street show followed by the rdp after party. I stopped doing the after party last year because honestly I really found myself asking “why?” I put blood sweat and tears into desert Storm for a decade and dealing with the recent management was nothing short of a nightmare.

One of a hundred stories for those that have never seen behind the scenes..

RDP has been exhibiting at the DS street fair forever. Started with a blue ezup and all the way up to trailers.. we have tried to bring unique and different things to the show every year.

As mentioned above we started bringing real deal entertainment and our own costs.. Jim appreciated it and recognized it helped fill a big gap right in the middle of the street fair. It added to the show and we did it because we loved the event.

In the few years christina ran it.. it went from my favorite event to something we literally dreaded. We went through so much bullshit.. last year was the topper and honestly I was on the fence if we were going to do 2023 or not. We decided a month or two later after the event we weren’t going to do it anymore.

We made all our arrangements in February this year.. locked in our sponsorship level, basically doing the same street we have been doing for years.. a couple of days before the event I noticed we had never received an invoice so I text her to remind her for the invoice.

The response I got back was “I didn’t think you were coming.”

I’m going to make a very long and horrible conversation shorter.. I ultimately just asked her “did you sell my street?” When she said “no” it pretty much summed it all up.. a bunch of crazy drama for absolutely no reason.

If she or anyone else didn’t think I was coming they would have sold the street months ago.. there are a lot of mfg’s that have tried to get it because of location etc.

It was basically trying to get me to spend another 3k for no reason. I gave an extra 1k over what we had originally agreed on and somehow in all of that lost my dock..

It was literally down to two days before where we decided we were gonna exhibit. Main reason I did was I talked to several people in the marine industry that just said it would be a shame to not show up and let the rdp crowd down.

I have so many stories of fucked up things I’m actually getting angry just thinking about some of this shit.. I will share some of those stories another time. Everything from paying for all that entertainment only to have her stick a real estate booth literally right in front of my wife’s.. (which we made it really really clear that wasn’t gonna happen before hand).. telling me I have to sponsor more because we have a business in McCulloch..

I got a couple of seriously wtf stories?? Not that those weren’t bad enough.

The main thing that went wrong with desert Storm is they forgot about the “fun.” Events should always be fun first and money second. If it’s fun the money will come. They event went from fun and love to money and miserable.

I loved desert Storm. I much like Summitkarl
And countless others put a ton of effort time and money into it. I continued on through misery because of that love for it. At this point the event is dead to me and I don’t give a shit who owns it.

Our budgets between t shirts / entertainment / helicopters / parties you name it varied between 40-60k for the better part of a decade.. the most money I have ever profited when it was all over was under 2,000.00. Every other year breaking even or even losing money. To get continually shit on by the very people you are propping up is a horrible feeling. All that money all that promotion and you have some lunatic yelling at you for no reason and trying to literally take things from you. (I’ll get into that later)

I think she knew that myself and a ton of others were going a different direction saw the writing on the wall and sold Jim Russle a bill of goods..

Monster Storm this last year is a great example Of what happens when you remove just one key figure from An event. Boom Bandits will NEVER work with her again no matter how much she offers to pay.

Little to no promotion, no real entertainment and nobody showed up. The couple of people that did there was an incident.. that all stems from paying to participate and being frustrated with what you get.

(Not to mention it was two major players that had the incident, whom wouldn’t ever go to one of her events again after that)

Desert Storm was DOA after 2022.. John Q. Public just didn’t know about it yet.. but believe me after last years deal I think it would have a hard time growing legs again because all the people that once loved it are moving on.

RD

 

[Pivot]

So....I got nothing. Geezus sounds like a pain in the ass for you.

 

[RiverDave]

So....I got nothing. Geezus sounds like a pain in the ass for you.

Working with Jim Nichols was a pleasure and it was for the love of the community.. some of the best times of my life.

Last few years was a fucking nightmare. That isn’t just me.. go ask ANY vendor or sponsor. They will all have their own stories.. literally every single one of them.

I have been asked by every (without exception) every single major sponsor of desert Storm to take it over. I had to tell them every year you can’t just take someone’s event.

The amount of work etc to put that deal on is huge and I didn’t want to do it. After this year I decided I’m going to do something different. It isn’t worth the politics and bullshit anymore.

 

[Havasu blue label]

So I

Residents of Havasu consider them pompous assholes.

guess I’m a asshole

 

[Havasu blue label]

Seriously, you gotta stop arguing with everyone about everything..

It’s all good sounds like he is having a bad day

 

[RiverDave]

With regard to the locals and the street fair. LOF is 100% wrong. The number of people that show up for the street fair from out of town I’d guess to get 2-3,000.. the other 47k are in fact locals and they do buy shirts and burgers and beers.

No different than fright night on Halloween. It’s pretty similar to the DS turn out and it’s 98% locals

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

So I

guess I’m a asshole

Makes 2 of us

 

[Singleton]

@RiverDave - street party 2021, I had turn my daughter away from 2 things.
1 - Someone receiving a blow job on the back side of a boat display (between boat and sidewalk)
2 - someone doing lines

I told Christina at the awards dinner about both and said you need to clean this up, or it will be gone. The response I got was not what you would think.

 

[farmo83]

So from the sounds of it the event used to be great and returning it to that form is not in the cards due to liability

 

[Ace in the Hole]

Working with Jim Nichols was a pleasure and it was for the love of the community.. some of the best times of my life.

Last few years was a fucking nightmare. That isn’t just me.. go ask ANY vendor or sponsor. They will all have their own stories.. literally every single one of them.

I have been asked by every (without exception) every single major sponsor of desert Storm to take it over. I had to tell them every year you can’t just take someone’s event.

The amount of work etc to put that deal on is huge and I didn’t want to do it. After this year I decided I’m going to do something different. It isn’t worth the politics and bullshit anymore.

I told you and Stacy both, that the RDP event this year was the most fun event I've participated in over the last few years.. I meant that (not just because we won a hand lol). The event was fun, it was low pressure, it raised money for a good cause and you guys did what you said you would. This year I have put less than 20 hours on my boat...burnout factor was in full effect...hell I would go up planning to go boating and wind up never taking it out of the garage. That event, seeing some of my friends from here on RDP etc kinda snapped me out of that funk. People ask you, because you tend to understand the average person, and what will appeal to people....you also do what you say you will...even if its at your own expense.

I was going to write about my experience at DS's and Monster storm, but no point in beating a dead horse. DS had problems, everyone knows it..that said it was far more fun working the event as a safety boat than doing the poker run etc IMO. Other events have popped up....SCFW is something we will attend, your Regatta we will attend. I think at this point I'd rather explore some other stuff vs DS... Even thought it's "local" to us as the boat is there...its still a big expenditure weekend...for myself and those who attend with me such as @Shlbyntro in terms of flights, etc. The fun factor return isn't there for me anymore. We'll see what happens though.

I still think its pretty fucking shitty what they pulled with @Skinny Tire AH and skater... That whole deal never sat well with me...childish bullshit. Steve is a cool cat, he built a bad ass machine and was excited to show it off...they robbed him of that opportunity which I'm sure wasn't cheap either.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

With regard to the locals and the street fair. LOF is 100% wrong. The number of people that show up for the street fair from out of town I’d guess to get 2-3,000.. the other 47k are in fact locals and they do buy shirts and burgers and beers.

No different than fright night on Halloween. It’s pretty similar to the DS turn out and it’s 98% locals

Attendance and driving revenue are 2 different things Dave, that is what I was getting at. There are predominately locals there, no one is denying that.

As far as what people are complaining about.. the same stuff they see in the channel minus the super soakers.

Scantily clad people doing inappropriate things…

 

[RiverDave]

@RiverDave - street party 2021, I had turn my daughter away from 2 things.
1 - Someone receiving a blow job on the back side of a boat display (between boat and sidewalk)
2 - someone doing lines

I told Christina at the awards dinner about both and said you need to clean this up, or it will be gone. The response I got was not what you would think.

Holy shit!

 

[was thatguy]

With regard to the locals and the street fair. LOF is 100% wrong. The number of people that show up for the street fair from out of town I’d guess to get 2-3,000.. the other 47k are in fact locals and they do buy shirts and burgers and beers.

No different than fright night on Halloween. It’s pretty similar to the DS turn out and it’s 98% locals

Full-time population at Havasu is roughly 50,000 total.
I’ve read winter population is close to 70,000

Your numbers might be right but that would mean basically every person that lives in Havasu goes to the street fair

 

[RiverDave]

Full-time population at Havasu is roughly 50,000 total.
I’ve read winter population is close to 70,000

Your numbers might be right but that would mean basically every person that lives in Havasu goes to the street fair

I think the population numbers are higher than that now. But basically most people under the age of 75+ goto the street fair. Lol.

 

[rivermobster]

I think the population numbers are higher than that now. But basically most people under the age of 75+ goto the street fair. Lol.

I've been going for more years than I can remember.

I can tell you for sure, I get the hell outa there before 5pm! It turns into a total shit show at that point. My guess has always been...

Cause that's when the locals get off work?

Walking around, the stereo wars are Ridiculous. Everyone trying to out-do everyone else. You can't even hear yourself think at that point! Luckly I'm the fuck outa there before it gets Really bad.

Hope you represent this year. I KNOW it's a Major league PITA for you, so maybe scale it back so you Can make a profit?

Hope I'll see you there.

 

[rivrrts429]

I told you and Stacy both, that the RDP event this year was the most fun event I've participated in over the last few years.. I meant that (not just because we won a hand lol). The event was fun, it was low pressure, it raised money for a good cause and you guys did what you said you would. This year I have put less than 20 hours on my boat...burnout factor was in full effect...hell I would go up planning to go boating and wind up never taking it out of the garage. That event, seeing some of my friends from here on RDP etc kinda snapped me out of that funk. People ask you, because you tend to understand the average person, and what will appeal to people....you also do what you say you will...even if its at your own expense.

I was going to write about my experience at DS's and Monster storm, but no point in beating a dead horse. DS had problems, everyone knows it..that said it was far more fun working the event as a safety boat than doing the poker run etc IMO. Other events have popped up....SCFW is something we will attend, your Regatta we will attend. I think at this point I'd rather explore some other stuff vs DS... Even thought it's "local" to us as the boat is there...its still a big expenditure weekend...for myself and those who attend with me such as @Shlbyntro in terms of flights, etc. The fun factor return isn't there for me anymore. We'll see what happens though.

I still think its pretty fucking shitty what they pulled with @Skinny Tire AH and skater... That whole deal never sat well with me...childish bullshit. Steve is a cool cat, he built a bad ass machine and was excited to show it off...they robbed him of that opportunity which I'm sure wasn't cheap either.

That was one of the biggest BS moves that those managing Desert Storm pulled on Skater. Not sure what that was about but not hard to connect the dots when MTI was given the red carpet.

Similar to Shark Tank… “for those reasons I’m out!”

Hope the new promoters know what they were sold.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

Disagree. Thursday night is a dick swinging contest for the big boys to show off and pat themselves on the back.

Complete bullshit post. Yes, there are those in every demographic. But to paint it as a "Dick Swinging Contest" is nothing but an insult to those very boats that make DS possible. As @RiverDave stated, nobody would come to look at a bunch of pontoons or 25' Eagles. They're all cool, but they don't draw the crowds required to make DS "an event" I am extremely proud of my rig. I worked my ass off for 40 years to get myself into a place in life to put one in my garage. I'm sure most share that same story.

I've been coming to this event long before I ever had a Skater. I always came to see the boats. I'll keep coming as a spectator but leave the boat back at the islander and in the slip.

So some observations on the replies on this thread..

1. Charging for the street fair - if you charged 2.00 in theory you could raise over a 100k. In reality you would take an event that has 50’ish thousand walking the street and turn it into maybe 2,000 people.. and 48,000 people would be bitching that something that used to be free is now “all about the money” etc.. and in truth we are talking about 2.00.

This all aside from the businesses now being located in an area where there is a cover charge etc. They wouldn’t ever go for it.

The solution is simple but I’m not gonna put it out there for someone else to figure out..

2. The common theme in here is “shit I can’t afford and can’t relate too.” The reality again is if a bunch of sub 100k boats lined the streets of Havasu.. very few people would show up to see it. The draw to the street show is the super boats / exotic cars / crazy trucks / etc..

3. I have read on here about stereo wars and seeing “somethings” we don’t want kids seeing. I will freely admit I don’t get to walk the street fair because I’m usually stuck on our street or out working.. wtf are you guys talking about with this? What are you supposedly seeing?

Any show stereos are part of the game. They are used to draw people in and create a fun environment. RDP has had live bands with full fledged stages in our booth and giant dj rigs etc..

This is going to lead us to part 4.

4. Concert or Entertainment - in part three I mentioned lived bands.. I brought in normal bands like Littletown, I brought in electric avenue, and we have even brought in local
Celebrities such as Matt Farris to play.

Every single time after it got dark I ascertained what the cost vs value of this was.. I sat there and watched in a couple of occasions 10-15 people really dancing and listening to a live band.. I paid 200-300 per person for that entertainment lol.. by the time I get the stage / band etc it’s anywhere from 6-10k depending on the band etc.

Ironically enough the lines to buy the shirts were longer than the people watching the band.

5. I keep hearing about these cliques.. I still don’t know wtf anyone is talking about? Their boats on display.. there is no entry fee, most the owners are happy to talk to anyone about their boats?

In a bit of irony rdp put on a party for seven or eight years that you literally had to he an rdp member of sponsor to get in? I am reading some of these replies written by some of the same guys that literally ditched their own friends to attend it.. lol.

6. The highlights of desert Storm.. if you go back and read the replies on that subject historically it has always been the street show followed by the rdp after party. I stopped doing the after party last year because honestly I really found myself asking “why?” I put blood sweat and tears into desert Storm for a decade and dealing with the recent management was nothing short of a nightmare.

One of a hundred stories for those that have never seen behind the scenes..

RDP has been exhibiting at the DS street fair forever. Started with a blue ezup and all the way up to trailers.. we have tried to bring unique and different things to the show every year.

As mentioned above we started bringing real deal entertainment and our own costs.. Jim appreciated it and recognized it helped fill a big gap right in the middle of the street fair. It added to the show and we did it because we loved the event.

In the few years christina ran it.. it went from my favorite event to something we literally dreaded. We went through so much bullshit.. last year was the topper and honestly I was on the fence if we were going to do 2023 or not. We decided a month or two later after the event we weren’t going to do it anymore.

We made all our arrangements in February this year.. locked in our sponsorship level, basically doing the same street we have been doing for years.. a couple of days before the event I noticed we had never received an invoice so I text her to remind her for the invoice.

The response I got back was “I didn’t think you were coming.”

I’m going to make a very long and horrible conversation shorter.. I ultimately just asked her “did you sell my street?” When she said “no” it pretty much summed it all up.. a bunch of crazy drama for absolutely no reason.

If she or anyone else didn’t think I was coming they would have sold the street months ago.. there are a lot of mfg’s that have tried to get it because of location etc.

It was basically trying to get me to spend another 3k for no reason. I gave an extra 1k over what we had originally agreed on and somehow in all of that lost my dock..

It was literally down to two days before where we decided we were gonna exhibit. Main reason I did was I talked to several people in the marine industry that just said it would be a shame to not show up and let the rdp crowd down.

I have so many stories of fucked up things I’m actually getting angry just thinking about some of this shit.. I will share some of those stories another time. Everything from paying for all that entertainment only to have her stick a real estate booth literally right in front of my wife’s.. (which we made it really really clear that wasn’t gonna happen before hand).. telling me I have to sponsor more because we have a business in McCulloch..

I got a couple of seriously wtf stories?? Not that those weren’t bad enough.

The main thing that went wrong with desert Storm is they forgot about the “fun.” Events should always be fun first and money second. If it’s fun the money will come. They event went from fun and love to money and miserable.

I loved desert Storm. I much like Summitkarl
And countless others put a ton of effort time and money into it. I continued on through misery because of that love for it. At this point the event is dead to me and I don’t give a shit who owns it.

Our budgets between t shirts / entertainment / helicopters / parties you name it varied between 40-60k for the better part of a decade.. the most money I have ever profited when it was all over was under 2,000.00. Every other year breaking even or even losing money. To get continually shit on by the very people you are propping up is a horrible feeling. All that money all that promotion and you have some lunatic yelling at you for no reason and trying to literally take things from you. (I’ll get into that later)

I think she knew that myself and a ton of others were going a different direction saw the writing on the wall and sold Jim Russle a bill of goods..

Monster Storm this last year is a great example Of what happens when you remove just one key figure from An event. Boom Bandits will NEVER work with her again no matter how much she offers to pay.

Little to no promotion, no real entertainment and nobody showed up. The couple of people that did there was an incident.. that all stems from paying to participate and being frustrated with what you get.

(Not to mention it was two major players that had the incident, whom wouldn’t ever go to one of her events again after that)

Desert Storm was DOA after 2022.. John Q. Public just didn’t know about it yet.. but believe me after last years deal I think it would have a hard time growing legs again because all the people that once loved it are moving on.

RD

Completely agree Dave. There was so much dysfunction, there is no way to even begin to fix it. Wipe it clean, start over.

I told you and Stacy both, that the RDP event this year was the most fun event I've participated in over the last few years.. I meant that (not just because we won a hand lol). The event was fun, it was low pressure, it raised money for a good cause and you guys did what you said you would. This year I have put less than 20 hours on my boat...burnout factor was in full effect...hell I would go up planning to go boating and wind up never taking it out of the garage. That event, seeing some of my friends from here on RDP etc kinda snapped me out of that funk. People ask you, because you tend to understand the average person, and what will appeal to people....you also do what you say you will...even if its at your own expense.

I was going to write about my experience at DS's and Monster storm, but no point in beating a dead horse. DS had problems, everyone knows it..that said it was far more fun working the event as a safety boat than doing the poker run etc IMO. Other events have popped up....SCFW is something we will attend, your Regatta we will attend. I think at this point I'd rather explore some other stuff vs DS... Even thought it's "local" to us as the boat is there...its still a big expenditure weekend...for myself and those who attend with me such as @Shlbyntro in terms of flights, etc. The fun factor return isn't there for me anymore. We'll see what happens though.

I still think its pretty fucking shitty what they pulled with @Skinny Tire AH and skater... That whole deal never sat well with me...childish bullshit. Steve is a cool cat, he built a bad ass machine and was excited to show it off...they robbed him of that opportunity which I'm sure wasn't cheap either.

@Ace in the Hole

Agree, more politicking from Christine. She took more sponsor money from other manufacturers, to guarantee better placement, and worse placement for others (Skater). Mine and Mike Ciasulli in his new 438, were 5-6 exhibits apart, waaaaay down across from Albertsons. Skater paid for our placement, she intentionally separated us, the two newest Skaters off the line that year.

Ask yourself, Self, "How bad must one screw up to lose Skater Powerboats as a sponsor of one of only a couple performance boating events in the west?"

Moving forward, how to make it better?

Me, looking at it through the prism of a businessman. Why do people come? My belief is to see the big boats. See them run hard in the shootout and first card-stop drag race. OK, how to get more big boats? I connect with all of em across the country. I personally ask them to come.

I offer spiffs for performance to include a LARGE purse for Shoot-out top gun, top speed in every class.

I offer payouts to "first to card stop one" Which requires redefining things as far as liability, wave starts and classes. The way it is now, it's a giant goat rope in Thompson bay.

The stereo wars sucked, made us leave. It's just dumb. Tried to talk with a few folks, I can't hear great when there is no background noise, that's just stupid.

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

That was one of the biggest BS moves that those managing Desert Storm pulled on Skater. Not sure what that was about but not hard to connect the dots when MTI was given the red carpet.

Similar to Shark Tank… “for those reasons I’m out!”

Hope the new promoters know what they were sold.

All the Eliminators were together
All the DCB's were together
All the MTI's were together

The Skaters were spread out and it was obviously intentional.

 

[Joe mama]

Sounds like Calizonia coming. Bummed to hear how bad this event is, I have always enjoyed it.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Disagree.
Thursday night is meant to draw locals.
If the street event was Friday or Saturday it would be a packed shit show.

If that is the case, any discussion about monetizing it with an entry fee is a mistake.

 

[steamin rice]

I was a supporter of Desert Storm at the beginning and still have a few "Heatwave" poker run shirts from 1999 or so. I stopped participating more than 10 years ago. I agree that it is the big boats that draw the crowd, and from what I can tell the people who own those big boats have worked hard and take on a lot of risks in business to get themselves to where they are.

I would be surprised if there was a lot of value in the Desert Storm franchise, but I suppose it was worth something. I would think that a competing group could put together an event with a different name with good organization and draw the crowds without the need to purchase the Desert Strom name/branding.

 

[Fastdadtsmith]

All the Eliminators were together
All the DCB's were together
All the MTI's were together

The Skaters were spread out and it was obviously intentional.

Great to see you post AH. Hope you stick around. Love to read about your adventures!

 

[Peto]

They have a Poker run on Lake Powell each year and I avoid the lake at all cost..... Douches everywhere.... LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME !!!!

 

[Skinny Tire AH]

They have a Poker run on Lake Powell each year and I avoid the lake at all cost..... Douches everywhere.... LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME !!!!

Douches, noted.

Lake Powell Challenge donates $500,000 to JDRF | Boating Mag

Generous powerboaters make a huge contribution to help fund type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.

www.boatingmag.com

 

[RiverDave]

They have a Poker run on Lake Powell each year and I avoid the lake at all cost..... Douches everywhere.... LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME !!!!

Lol.. dumb

 

[Fastdadtsmith]

Douches, noted.

Lake Powell Challenge donates $500,000 to JDRF | Boating Mag

Generous powerboaters make a huge contribution to help fund type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.

www.boatingmag.com

That's a pretty substantial number for a single event.

 

[RiverDave]

That's a pretty substantial number for a single event.

It was an amazing event year after year.. I was sorry to see it go away.

 

[rivermobster]

Douches, noted.

Lake Powell Challenge donates $500,000 to JDRF | Boating Mag

Generous powerboaters make a huge contribution to help fund type 1 diabetes (T1D) research.

www.boatingmag.com

 

[Ziggy]

It’s a for profit boating event. Over 60% of America lives paycheck to paycheck. The pure nature of boating is a cliquey.
The two easiest ways to generate more revenue is to charge everyone at the street fair or give some VIP options. Whether we like it or not VIP pricing is a part of virtually every event. Even Burning Man has premium option. If the goal is to make it affordable for the locals, then give Havasu residents a discount.

Understand all that. I'm talking about some of the comments I've heard walking the street party such as, "must be nice, fuel for a ride down to Spring is my annual budget, fuckin dick entension, stuck up bastards", and so on. Then I read the pissy posts on rdp about locals taking up beach space with EZups and chairs.
Jealous & Chip on the Shoulder peeps rarely see eye to eye, my idea is more along taking the high road. That's all.

 

[stephenkatsea]

I first met Jim Nichols, many years ago, when we were each pumping gas into our vehicles at Terribles on the south side, 95 and S Acoma. He was a straight up guy. I immediately liked him. Jim did well for DS. He knew, even then, the open Poker Run full on runs had a limited life span. But damn, they were sure fun to watch. Back then the PR was at the top of DS. The Street Party was just getting started. Jim did well managing the entire event.

 

[JFMFG]

I’m guessing the boat(s) were write offs as much as anything. It’s not like they were cruising in Kustom Nordic deck boats. My guess is that the whole deal was sold for less than the Magic Deck molds.
I’d bet whatever Dave is going to spill the beans on is going to throw a whole new curveball to the whole deal.

Hey now leave magic out of this

 

[steamin rice]

They have a Poker run on Lake Powell each year and I avoid the lake at all cost..... Douches everywhere.... LOOK AT ME, LOOK AT ME !!!!

The Lake Powell Challenge? That is a great event which raises a bunch of $$ for charity. I participated in it before covid and had a great time in my non-baller boat.

 

[playdeep]

I was lucky enough to be around in the early Halcyon days of the Arizona Hot boat association ...When C-2 ,Jim&Art started the whole Heat Wave shebang...of what morped into Desert Storm.
Seems like another lifetime but I'll never forget launching at the main marina&seeing Riverdave tied off in his 22 Nordic open bow waiting for Andy(skinny cocky guy)to park the truck so they could just float out and innocuously observe the whole deal.
Havasu Barney's place&Hot Boat was where you'd go to catch up on what was going down.
Predator l was the shit&every year there'd be numerous threads as to which east coast latest greatest Skater would dethrone it...never happened. The anticipation of who'd win the ensuing poker run was palpable.
Good times time marches on ...miss those days.
It was simple back then&stupid fun.
...kinda miss those days.

 

[wet hull]

Here is where I stand on Desert Storm. Read all the posts.

Street party is kick off to my season. I love looking at the big toys and all their other toys done up to match. Its simply awe inspiring and makes me want to work harder. We then move straight to the bars where we get hammered and pretend we will be on lake by 8am. This is always a guys trip. My wife and the other wives hates going. Its not their style. We dont twist their arms.

The poker run is boring now. Balls to the walls is best but I also understand not trying to blow up your $200,000 motors for a shitty trophy. The best year was a few back with the large RDP tie up. Thats really more about the tie up and occasionally looking over as a boat goes by.

Heading to Pirates after or channel is our typical move right after. The channel is just a massive party before all the non boating idiots show up on Memorial weekend. Just a damn good time.

The shoot out is so hit or miss. The best one recently was the year Lickity Split crashed, unrelated. RIP. Weather was perfect, no wind and top speeds. That year off of site 6 was a perfect spot. I can go either way on this event.

Overall I dont really pay much attention to the events at this point but go every year without fail. I would pay a cover into street party if I knew funds were being used appropriately. Its just that good of a time. I don't really know how to improve on Fri and Sat for us spectators. Like others have said, improve experience for the big boys and maybe the rest will naturally follow? Dave, I really respect everything you do and appreciate all of it. Business 101 says to never lose money. This is clearly whats happening on your end but hopefully it drives sales throughout the year and offsets this event.

See you all out there for 2023 Storm.

 

[Tommy Gun Images]

I got nothing, but this is an interesting read…

 

[DWC]

Understand all that. I'm talking about some of the comments I've heard walking the street party such as, "must be nice, fuel for a ride down to Spring is my annual budget, fuckin dick entension, stuck up bastards", and so on. Then I read the pissy posts on rdp about locals taking up beach space with EZups and chairs.
Jealous & Chip on the Shoulder peeps rarely see eye to eye, my idea is more along taking the high road. That's all.

Understood 100%, but also.. Isn’t your wife somewhere on a beach with a drink waiting for you?

 

[Ziggy]

Understood 100%, but also.. Isn’t your wife somewhere on a beach with a drink waiting for you?

Taking a break from floating to have a drink in some shade for a minute

 

[was thatguy]

I think the population numbers are higher than that now. But basically most people under the age of 75+ goto the street fair. Lol.

Lol
Maybe.
But consider that there are almost 3000 “vacation rentals” in Havasu, plus hotel rooms. I did a quick check of total hotel rooms in Havasu and it didn’t take long to see that even at only 2 people per room, plus just 2 people per air BnB you will quickly bury that 2000-3000 estimate.
There are zero vacancies during desert storm as we all know.
(I’ve seen 11 cars at once at the bnb next to me before)
Considering that every out of town person is here that week for that event, it would seem obvious to me that practically every single out of town visitor would be at the street fair.
That is the big event to actually see the hardware up close and the big draw especially to non boat owners.
I think your 2000-3000 estimate for non resident street fair attendees is exceedingly low!
I am not a vender so I have no data, but I can count hotel rooms and BnBs which are all sold out that week.
My guess would be closer to half and half, total start to finish not depending on time of day.

 

[HNL2LHC]

Disagree.
Thursday night is meant to draw locals.
If the street event was Friday or Saturday it would be a packed shit show.

CA residents roll to the street event. Had two cars roll up on our lot when I was pulling the pins and caution tape. Asked them if they were with the RDP group. Deer in headlights. Then I told them the the taped off lot was for RDP members only. Then the “pompous ass” as some might say said…..”this is a dirt lot who are you to say who can and can’t park here?” I said “I own this lot and can say who parks here and who doesn’t. You can stay since you unloaded all you kids already. Just don’t leave any trash!!!!” Ugh…..People!!!! LOL

 

[Cole Trickle]

I don't think charging for street fair would work but i think there are work arounds.

Seems a couple swag tents on both ends of the street with some bad ass apparel would sell. I can't recall ever seeing or wanting to buy something DS related but probably would have if they had cool shirts/hats or sweatshirts.

They could also set up a 50/50 raffle and a silent auction with donations from the street fair vendors. Don't do the drawling that day as it would be a cluster.

How about a bunch of charity buckets placed randomly for cash donations. Couple bucks here and there would add up and make a difference

I guess it all comes down to if it's for profit or for charity? I think the Lake Powell event does good because it had a charity (JDRF) as part of the event so people felt like it was going to a good cause.

 

[mjc]

Well if Dave is out I will go to LS Fest West this year then.

 

[skater40]

Hey Gary, how you been hope all is well for you

Couldnt be better.Missed you at DS last few years.

 

[RiverDave]

Lol
Maybe.
But consider that there are almost 3000 “vacation rentals” in Havasu, plus hotel rooms. I did a quick check of total hotel rooms in Havasu and it didn’t take long to see that even at only 2 people per room, plus just 2 people per air BnB you will quickly bury that 2000-3000 estimate.
There are zero vacancies during desert storm as we all know.
(I’ve seen 11 cars at once at the bnb next to me before)
Considering that every out of town person is here that week for that event, it would seem obvious to me that practically every single out of town visitor would be at the street fair.
That is the big event to actually see the hardware up close and the big draw especially to non boat owners.
I think your 2000-3000 estimate for non resident street fair attendees is exceedingly low!
I am not a vender so I have no data, but I can count hotel rooms and BnBs which are all sold out that week.
My guess would be closer to half and half, total start to finish not depending on time of day.

I'm not LOF, and don't care to argue the numbers.. I was trying to make an overall point that the locals come out in force, and do in fact spend money as well. That and they are there to see the big boats and exotic rigs.

RD

 

[Hammer]

I got nothing, but this is an interesting read…

Not even boating content? Surely you have a photo to brighten up this thread….

 

[farmo83]

As far as the mass start and turning big guns loose to card stop one what is the real issue, insurance?

The last poker run I went on we all went to a safety meeting were lectured about no drinking or racing. Everyone left the meeting, hopped in the boats and started cracking tops. The no racing was followed about as strictly as the no drinking. The guy that put everyone on was encouraging the two fastest boats to get after it after a few stops and drinks.

Point being what can the event do after folks roll out?

 

[RiverDave]

As far as the mass start and turning big guns loose to card stop one what is the real issue, insurance?

The last poker run I went on we all went to a safety meeting were lectured about no drinking or racing. Everyone left the meeting, hopped in the boats and started cracking tops. The no racing was followed about as strictly as the no drinking. The guy that put everyone on was encouraging the two fastest boats to get after it after a few stops and drinks.

Point being what can the event do after folks roll out?

You can have a fatality and not have an event anymore? Lol so there’s that?

Back in the old days there were at least three incidents that could have changed the landscape of poker runs across the country.. all three it was lucky nothing happened.

Dave Hemmingston lost a drive on an f34 and narrowly missed predator right behind him. Nobody was hurt

There was a skater that cut a corner and went behind part of the spectator fleet at 150+ mph. Luckily nobody was floating in a tube or anything behind them so nothing happened.

An M series DCB ran behind the first M44 and ran right up the rooster tail and blew over.. (the infamous floating rdp hat). Luckily nobody was seriously injured.

Any one of those three (and those are off the top of my head) would have had payouts if they ended badly, and this make the event uninsurable.. meaning no more poker run.

There was other things that happened at other poker runs.. there was the Flash Gordon crash that killed everyone. I believe statement marine owners passed at a poker run (might have been the same crash?).

There was another couple close calls at Cumberland etc..

Obviously there has been a few fatalities at the shoot outs over the years.. which is why they shortened the course to 3/4 of a mile.

The promoters have to balance working with the insurance companies and the participants to put on a fun yet safe event.. the participants will literally kill themselves if you let them (or someone else).. the insurance would have you all sitting in lawn chairs drinking iced teas if ya let them.. lol

Somewhere in the middle is the modern day poker run / shoot out etc.

 

[twocents]

As far as the mass start and turning big guns loose to card stop one what is the real issue, insurance?

The last poker run I went on we all went to a safety meeting were lectured about no drinking or racing. Everyone left the meeting, hopped in the boats and started cracking tops. The no racing was followed about as strictly as the no drinking. The guy that put everyone on was encouraging the two fastest boats to get after it after a few stops and drinks.

Point being what can the event do after folks roll out?

Liability insurance isn't the only consideration on how the event is conducted. DS has to get a U.S. Coast Guard permit for the Poker Runm (and the Shoot-Out). If the Coast Guard doesn't feel the 'poker run' will be, or is being, conducted in a safe and reasonaable manner, they have the authority to terminate the event at any time. The worst thing that could happen is if a non-participant(s) (pontoon boat, jet ski, family boat, etc) is involved in an accident with a'poker run' participant. The 'deep-pockets' rule immediately prevails and everybody even remotely involved with the event will be dragged into the mess for years to come.

 

[El Rojo]

Waiting for LOF to say to Skinny Tire AH "See? I told you you'd be back"....should be any minute now...