FLW DQ

What is wrong with using a boat with no horsepower rating plate? I own three boats and none have a plate. Would this mean if I decided to fish a tournament, I could not? All my boats do not have a horsepower rating plate because they were all custom built aluminum boats. Many of the local boat builders built there boats according to commercial USCG laws and not recreational thus not horsepower rating plate is needed.

Sarge

Actually the Coast Guard does not rate any boats. They have a published HP calculation table for boats 20' and under which a boat manufacturer is supposed to use If the boat complies they are supposed to provide their own data plate which says "Coast Guard Max HP Rating of XXX".

Some boats like Blazer actually put a plate in their boats which says,

The Coast Guard Does Not Rate Boats over 20' The Maximum Horsepower for This Boat is Unlimited

Its stupid, and if the BFL is going to claim to honor their own rule in black and white they must disqualify every boat over 20'. Their rule says Coast Guard max rating, not just manufacturers rating. No boat over 20' has a Coast Guard rating.

Of course, what is not clear in original article I read was whether or not the disqualified party had any rating plate in their boat at all. Many manufacturers of 20' boats do not put any rating plate in them. My 20' Baker has no rating plate anywhere on the boat. It was licensed as a home built so I could technically and legally create my own data plate for it, but that's not the point. The point is the whole thing has gotten spun out of control by both sides, and they are ruining fishing because of it.

Bob La Londe www.YumaBassMan.com

Chris

"It is not a violation of Coast Guard regulations to install or use an engine larger than specified on the capacity label, but there may be state regulations prohibiting it, and restrictions from your own insurance company regarding this. There are no Coast Guard regulations against exceeding the safe loading capacity, however, there may be State regulations or restrictions from your insurance company which prohibit this. There is a Coast Guard regulation that gives Coast Guard Boarding Officers the power to terminate the use of a boat (send it back to shore) if, in the judgment of the Boarding Officer, the boat is overloaded. There is no fine for this, unless the operator refuses the Boarding Officer's order. We certainly hope that you will abide by the rating, as overloading may lead to capsizing or swamping of the boat. NOTE: The Coast Guard Capacity Information label is required only on monohull boats less than 20' in length. The label is not required on multi-hull boats, pontoon boats (catamarans), or on any sailboats, canoes, kayaks, or inflatable boats, regardless of length."

So, if the state in which the tournament was held or his insurance carrier has their own restriction that requires the plate to be there, the DQ is legit. -Jim Jr. www.teamhornerfishing.com

"9. Boat and horsepower regulation All boats must be a minimum of 17 feet in length and have a rear deck. All boats must be equipped with wheel steering; no other steering device will be permitted. No barges or similar cumbersome crafts will be permitted. Each boat must have all required U.S. Coast Guard safety equipment. Boats must contain a properly aerated livewell space to maintain alive a limit catch of bass by both contestants. Maximum horsepower for all outboards used in tournament competition will be 250 HP, not to exceed the horsepower limitations as set by the U.S. Coast Guard. Each boat must have a U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate attached to the boat by the manufacturer. The horsepower of the outboard engine must not exceed the rating specified on this rating plate or the 250 horsepower maximum set by FLW Outdoors. By signing the entry form, each pro agrees to submit their boat and/or motor to an inspection by factory trained personnel. Falsifying information on entry forms or altering the horsepower numbers on the motor or rating plate will be cause for disqualification from the tournament and may result in ineligibility to compete in future FLW Outdoors events. Fuel may be carried only in factory installed (built-in) fuel tanks. Any additional fuel used during the tournament day must be purchased from a retail facility open to the public" -Jim Jr. www.teamhornerfishing.com

Warren

"go-bassn" <donwar@erols.com> wrote in message news:FK6dnbI94sWN-QjcRVn-gQ@rcn.net... Joe, is there a link to an article that gives the specifics of this incident? I'd like to know alot more than the fishfactory article states...

Warren

Try this one.

"Bob La Londe" <usenet@diycomponents.com> wrote in message news:LNidndERV4DV9gjcRVn-rA@adelphia.com... http://bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=1158

Try this one.

WHAT AN ATROCITY!

"The tournament organization was probably not in tune with what the regulations are."

That's particularly scary when 'the tournament organization' in this case is the same organization that owns ranger and stratos and champion and about half of the bass boats built in the country.

Warren

"Huck Palmatier" <HuckP@kox.net> wrote in message news:c8Hld.1978$ol.1118@lakeread02... ....I imagine Viper might wade in too. said Huck

They're a fine boat, I'm kind of partial to them.

In any event this seems to me to be a "contract case" and many would scream and holler (which is what FLW seems to be doing) that all that governs the behavior of the parties to the contract can and is solely found within the four corners of the document ( the rules signed by contestants). That's probably more true than not, but there may be "issues" if the contract can be found to have not been executed with uniformity. In other words, have other winners gotten a "slide", as some have suggested here.? If so FLW may have to get a check book out: if not . . . as nasty and mean as it seems to me, looks like this fine young man just got screwed by FLW.