Southwest Michigan Model Boat Club

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Ron Olson

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2001
Messages
7,195
Located on a private lake in Grandville, a suburb of Grand Rapids. The lake is 4.1 miles west of US-131 off 28th Street at 2605 Sanford Drive SW just west of the Chicago Drive overpass or just east of I-196.

An IMPBA sanctioned club but also welcome NAMBA members. All boat types are welcome. IMPBA course set up. Sanctioning body current membership required to run as part of the contract with the site owner.

We are located behind Battlefront Gaming and RC which has a concession stand plus modern restrooms.

Normal running days are Tuesday nights and all day Saturdays.

Map to site

Contact myself or Walt Radzinski (Waltr).
 
We've now got a Facebook account and coming soon, a website hosted by Me Time.

Any club needing a low-cost site should contact them, they're only going to charge $25.00 a year.
 
Hey guys,

I have a few electric boaters that would like to come by and check out your lake in Grandville. I know of at least 3 of us, maybe 4 that would like to come check out the lake. Two of us belong to MMEU, but we are looking for clubs that are closer to us. I live in Spring Arbor and my fellow MMEU boater lives in Coloma.

Jay
 
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I think that you've contacted either me or Walt before as I remember someone talking to me about someone from Coloma.

Here's what's going on right now, nothing unfortunately. Last year hardly anyone used the lake so Walt didn't put the buoys out this year. It's kind of a drive for me also living 51 miles away from the lake. I have been in touch with others who would like to join the club and get it going again. I'll have to contact Walt and John DeMeester who runs the off-roads tracks next door at Battlefront Gaming and RC. Somebody has to have the paperwork giving us the OK to run at the lake as it's privately owned by Grand Rapids Gravel. Kevin Sheren came over and inspected the site so that we could have it covered by the IMPBA. NAMBA members are welcome anytime as long as your membership is up to date just like IMPBA members. The gravel company required the sanctioning to keep them from getting sued in case something happened..

What we really need are a few things. One, help in keeping the site in shape. Meetings. People to use the site. Walt invested a lot of time nad money into the club and site in the past, now it's time for others including myself to help out.

I really hate to see this club die off as it's the only one in all of SW Michigan or all of west Michigan as far as that goes. I requested the Southwest in the name to cover everyone on this side of the state.
 
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Ron,

Can we meet at the lake? I'd like to check it out. I also have a few others who would like to see it.

Jay
 
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You can go up there but I won't be available this weekend. The map to the site is in the first posting. Please try to stay off the cement at Grand Rapids Gravel, just use the Battlefront drive on the north side of the building as the south side is for parking for the other half of the building. John and his wife are usually there during the weekends so the building should be open.
 
Ron,

Will I be able to throw a boat in? I do have insurance through NAMBA. And I do have an electric rescue boat.
 
In case John or somebody at the site asks, they might want to see your card. Their property and the pond property just abut each other, they just keep an eye on the place for us. The water does drop off quickly so it's not a place to go to without a way to retrieve a dead boat. I usually throw them a few bucks if I need to use the indoor facilities. The also have a concession stand inside.
 
Ron,

A couple of us checked out the lake in Grandville today. It has lots of potential. There were some branches in the water close to the shore. They were probably from the last storm. It looks like a great place to hold a race. We talked to John for a while. He is very nice. He was getting ready for a car race. We watched two races. I'm afraid I could get hooked on car racing again. It looked like a lot of fun. He says that the people from the cement company are very nice. We took boats, but didn't run them.

OK! What needs to be done to get things going in the club? I'm not sure what I can do from long distance as far as clean up goes. Do you have a current members list?

Jay
 
I don't have a member's list, Walt if anybody would have that. I've run into people that I didn't know were members if that tells you anything. About the only thing that I've got are some members on the Facebook page. Feel free to post on there if you wish to.

John and his wife are good people as they want to se the club make a go of it as much as anyone else. John went out and bought himself a couple of boats after we gave him the bug.
 
Ron,

How do I contact Walt? I Pm'd him, but didn't get a response. Does he give out his phone number? Do you know his email address?
 
iv got walts number ron, i will pm it to you. and keep me posted on whats going on with the club. thanks mark
 
Frqankly, I don't know what's going on if anything. I put up the Facebook page so that we could stay in contact with each other, plan days to run or work at the lake, etc. but that fizzled also.

This year I've found a couple of guys to run with locally so I've just stayed around town.
 
Jay I'm a member of the club I think?? been so busy this summer with getting married and moving that I have not had any time to get to the pond. please keep me in the loop if something is going on at the pond. I have not spoken to walt in about 6 months myself. I know he was busy at work again not like his slow times over the last couple of years. If yo are going to stop in at the pond or the car club, let me know and I will get over to say HI.

John anten cell 616-890-4183 IW "nitronewbie"
 
You finally tied the knot? Congrat's on the fine catch!

The last time that I saw or spoke to Walt was last year at the Hobart race as he brought his bride-to-be along for the ride. He did alright himself, even Mattie likes her!
 
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