Thoughts on the Stock Class rules

[Randy Rapedius]

Just what is the holy grail of being STOCK in any class?

The gas STOCK classes work and are by far the most popular classes in IMPBA. A stock racer must fine tune their set up plus hone their driving skills to be successful. I believe this is the appeal to most. No need to spend $600-$800 for a race prepped motor just to race competitively is another reason I believe the stock classes are so popular.

I understand your concern about there being too many classes and cringe when people start talking about adding more. Many have suggested adding more STOCK classes such as Stock Cat and Stock Sport Hydro. As I see it now, gas classes are doing great and are flourishing at the races. If it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it.

 

[SayMikey]

The gas STOCK classes work and are by far the most popular classes in IMPBA. A stock racer must fine tune their set up plus hone their driving skills to be successful. I believe this is the appeal to most. No need to spend $600-$800 for a race prepped motor just to race competitively is another reason I believe the stock classes are so popular.

I understand your concern about there being too many classes and cringe when people start talking about adding more. Many have suggested adding more STOCK classes such as Stock Cat and Stock Sport Hydro. As I see it now, gas classes are doing great and are flourishing at the races. If it’s not broken, don’t try and fix it.

Stock class racing is NOT about $$$$$ its setup and driving. Much like B Sport Tunnel was for years and years

 

[Mark Grannis]

Mike, I do believe driving, setup and reliability are the most important factors in racing RC Boats. Even highly modified engine will not overcome a bad driver or poor setup.

There are well know exceptional boaters that ran/run stock engines in their classes. They still won & win. If it is not about $$$ then the only benefit in offering a Stock version of a class is you can actually enter the same hull in multiple classes.

In a nutshell, this thread started out asking for the best way to hold to the "STOCK" aspect of the class, and what policing can be done to limit the "he who cheats best wins" scenario. The underlying tone of expressing someone may be cheating or actually is cheating leads to discontent and a negative connotations in our hobby. I do not believe there are enough benefits in offering any STOCK classes to overcome this derogatory image. The solution would be to eliminate Stock all together...problem solved.

Going back many decades the Stock 20 OB was intended to be a beginner class. That didn't last long.

Randy, if it is about the $$$ why not offer every current class in IMPBA & NAMBA an option for Stock? Lets also add Slightly Modified, & Fully Modified. 80 plus classes here we come with compounded image issues.

My hopes are all boaters in every class enjoy this hobby / sport as much as I! I do not need to concern about cheaters in the classes I participate.

MG

 

[Grimracer]

Stock (Sport) outboard was never intended to be a beginners class. It was and is a bragging wrights class for anybody.

Grim

 

[SayMikey]

Mike, I do believe driving, setup and reliability are the most important factors in racing RC Boats. Even highly modified engine will not overcome a bad driver or poor setup.

There are well know exceptional boaters that ran/run stock engines in their classes. They still won & win. If it is not about $$$ then the only benefit in offering a Stock version of a class is you can actually enter the same hull in multiple classes.

In a nutshell, this thread started out asking for the best way to hold to the "STOCK" aspect of the class, and what policing can be done to limit the "he who cheats best wins" scenario. The underlying tone of expressing someone may be cheating or actually is cheating leads to discontent and a negative connotations in our hobby. I do not believe there are enough benefits in offering any STOCK classes to overcome this derogatory image. The solution would be to eliminate Stock all together...problem solved.

Going back many decades the Stock 20 OB was intended to be a beginner class. That didn't last long.

Randy, if it is about the $$$ why not offer every current class in IMPBA & NAMBA an option for Stock? Lets also add Slightly Modified, & Fully Modified. 80 plus classes here we come with compounded image issues.

My hopes are all boaters in every class enjoy this hobby / sport as much as I! I do not need to concern about cheaters in the classes I participate.

MG

Mark lets just agree to disagree. Anyone who runs these classes love them. Next race ask the thunderboaters what there thoughts are or better yet reach out to the IMPBA GAS director as his club is well populated with these boats

 

[ChrisHerzog]

It would be “STUPID” in my opinion to eliminate some of the more popular classes that run at any given race today.

I don’t and did not ever want to change or eliminate the class when I started this thread. I only wanted to come up with a better, faster and more consistent way for the engines to be checked from one race to another since there is nothing printed about that anywhere that I have seen.

With that said, the guys in our club that run boats in the Stock class are a combination of new and old guys, experienced and novice. You can build one of these boats for about 500.00 cheaper then a boat with a full blown modified motor. If you think for a minute that anyone (and I don’t care who that anyone is) is going to race a “Stock” boat at one of our races down here and be consistently competitive against the mod boats, you are a Dreamer and you have no idea what you are talking about. Yes a blind squirrel can find a nut but there is no way in hell a Stock boat can win consistently against a mod boat at a Voodoo Race period.

The Stock motors are also run in Thunderboat witch is not really a beginner or novice class. That class is also one of the most competitive classes that we race and always has a huge turnout at just about all the larger races. Why on earth would any rational person want to mess with that class right now is beyond me.
If your looking to eliminate some gas classes, I would say eliminate LS and XLS or LS 27 (or whatever it’s called these days) and just have Gas “fill in the blank, Mono, Cat, Rigger or Sport Hydro” and do away with the big block/ small block BS.

 

[Bret Muldner]

Years ago most dirt tracks in the USA Stopped the tech problem by installing a claim rule. And on top of that they installed a protest rule to satisfies everyone, it worked very good. Stock class motors had a 500 dollar claim rule, before race you could go to official and give him $500 cash on #23 and if he wins he is given the option to give his motor up and he will get the $500 to go down to junk and get another motor, at time $500 would get you a good motor that could win with a good drive/mech. at the wheel, OR he could turn the $500 down and be band from racing in that class for at least 6--12 months..
The protest rule was about $250 at time and with in 10 minutes after race you could take your $250 to official and protest #23 for big motor, then the motor got tore down and checkd, if motor was OK "Legal" the motor owner and official spit the money so owner could buy gaskets ect. If illegal well you know..
It stopped all of the problems.
This is just how dirt tracker stop a big problem IN THE STOCK CLASS racing
Stock class racing in most organizations was never meant to be a beginner class, the beginner class was.

 

[Daniel's Racing]

We have all the modded classes we need too.

Why would you want to eliminate stock classes ? Surely not because people can't keep their mods out of stock classes.

You want to mod the %^&$%^ out of it have at it.

There is a place for modded engines, boats, props and anything else you want to mod.

If that is you awesome but please only BONE STOCK in stock classes. Not a lot to ask.

The holy grail is ACTUALLY running a STOCK engine and beating everyone else with DRIVING and SETUP. Easy to see the drive.

 

[DPeterson]

And on and on we go.

Can't believe the lack of knowledge there is among racers in both these organizations. Stock classes in electric, nitro and gas were never beginner classes. Yet it keeps getting brought up as such.
The only true beginner class there was or could be is a RTR. Unfortunately there is little to chose from.

The issue with Stock is the lack of consistent administration of the rules. For example someone showed up to a race one time with a spark plug sticking out of a Thunderboat cowl. Rather than enforcing the intent of the class, the easy thing to do was to just say "oh well". Now look. You know the story. Then some one drills out the stock cooling nipples. Again the easy thing to is to say "oh well". They say none of this effects motor performance. Maybe not but it opens the door for more fiddling. All this together makes it more difficult to monitor and tech.

I know it takes some gonads, but make the rules clear, enforce the rules consistently, figure out the proper tech procedures and then penalize the racers with infractions.

It's not rocket science, it ""STOCK"" boat racing.

Doug

 

[dr gary turner]

And on and on we go.

Can't believe the lack of knowledge there is among racers in both these organizations. Stock classes in electric, nitro and gas were never beginner classes. Yet it keeps getting brought up as such.
The only true beginner class there was or could be is a RTR. Unfortunately there is little to chose from.

The issue with Stock is the lack of consistent administration of the rules. For example someone showed up to a race one time with a spark plug sticking out of a Thunderboat cowl. Rather than enforcing the intent of the class, the easy thing to do was to just say "oh well". Now look. You know the story. Then some one drills out the stock cooling nipples. Again the easy thing to is to say "oh well". They say none of this effects motor performance. Maybe not but it opens the door for more fiddling. All this together makes it more difficult to monitor and tech.

I know it takes some gonads, but make the rules clear, enforce the rules consistently, figure out the proper tech procedures and then penalize the racers with infractions.

It's not rocket science, it ""STOCK"" boat racing.

Doug

STOCK=Malfeasance Modifications

 

[Chuck Mason]

From the Newbie
I have taken the time to read all eleven pages here in this thread so that I may better understand what I am getting myself into. I have built and raced StreetStocks on asphalt. I have drag raced in Factory and Super Stock Classes w/ (Claim rules, spec engines, Cam lift and stroke with dial indicators, Carb bore and BEST of ALL.. a simple wire tie with a tamper proof seal that was placed on the head bolt and timing cover bolt.
ONLY AFTER THE ENGINE PASSED ONE TEAR-DOWN. The idea of a simple wire tie placed on 2 of the cylinder bolts once STOCK is met within Specifications there would be no need to go further.

I Can Not speak on Pipes or rudders or ect but I can say I will be building more than one boat. I 1st bought a SLR Thunderboat from Zippkits and joined the forums, the IMPBA and working on getting involved with the Atlanta Boat Club. My intention WAS learning to build a RC Boat (Only build for fun and learn How To Do it. thanks to the few here who chose to share), The next One is of the Blazer Lauderbeck and or a Steve Gualtieri RC Boat Company Fiberglass Round nose. I want to come out and have fun. No mater what sport I have raced in, STOCK has always been the hardest to be competitive in and it had nothing to do with interpretations of the rules (Mods) but how well you can consistently run your set-up and finish the race.

My 2cents:

I say bring on the 2 head bolts with aircraft wire tie holes and a tamperproof seal to be installed after the engine is inspected and found Non-Modified. KISS and have fun.

 

[teddyd]

Here we go again!!! Leave the engine rule alone! It's works....Stock means stock....No machining !!!! No mods!!! Some of these port are ...........I'm going to keep my mouth shut!!!!