|
|
| http://bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=1158 |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Nope,
Not a cheater!!! FLW has gotten egg on their face with this one.
I'll predict he gets the money and the trophy.
If it goes to court (as it should if the FLW doesn't change their mind) it will cost the FLW a lot more in money and respect.
Either way, the FLW has a black eye from this one. How they handle it from this time forward will show if they are a class act organization or not.
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | I'm thinking the FLW would be better served with a simply rule that stated "No bass boats 20 feet or larger are allowed". Or until the CG starts rating these boats for horsepower. Nobody can get into the mind of this guy whos been disqualified, but you have to assume that if his boat didn't qualify for CG rating, and their is no FLW length rule, he assumed he was legal all the way. (IMPO) The whole thing is a shame for this guy, who must have thought he was playing by rules.
Edited by walleye express 11/4/2004 9:00 AM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | All they need to do is say all boats under 20' must have a USCG rating plate. They'll never limit the boats to less than 20' Dan. Boats will continue to get bigger and the motors will get bigger.
They need to reinstate this guys' victory asap and let him compete in the championship. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 389
| no message
Edited by Juls_OH 11/4/2004 9:17 AM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2445
Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | Well, after reading the article it seems he could not have complied with this rule. Nor, could any of the contestants with a boat over 20'. It states it very clear that a boat over 20' cannot have a plate stating US Coast Guard, and yet the BFL requires a US Coast Guard plate on it. Soooooo, there is a catch 22 here. You have to have something on your boat that is not legal to have on your boat. Just like the article said, if his disqualification stands there will be several tournament finishes in the FLW family that will need to be scrutinized.
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2445
Location: Fremont, Wisconsin | Juls, you jumped out?
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 714
| If he gets a lawyer going on this, the FLW will have to decide between DQ'ing everyone who has placed in any of their events in a boat over 20', dating back to the inseption of this rule, or give him his money and title. The other problem for the FLW on this is that they have now tarnished this man's name and reputation (FLW Cheater is the title of this thread), they took all the glory and possible exposure he could/should have had at the event with the press (even if they took pictures, it was sometime ago, and not current) and crushed any emotional high, or elation, he was justly entitled to. In other words, he is, by law entitled to PUNITIVE DAMAGES for the irreversible harm and loss that has been forced onto him by the mistake of the FLW.
As they say on the radio, "The hits just keep on rolling..." for the FLW that is!
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 194
Location: Northern Illinois | I am currently in a class for Power Squadron and am reading the rules book we have been provided. USCG requires a rating plate on boats less than 20 feet - LAW. USCG encourages boat manufacturers up to 26 to' also have a rating plate - not LAW.
I think the FLW/BFL may have created a rule without understanding the industry and coast guard perspective. Is Viper unique? Do the 620/621/2025 have rating plates? Otherwise, BFL would be legislating boat manufacturers for their tourneys - intened perhaps.
They may have to slug it out with this guy, rather than possibily unravel prior winners who may have similar boats. I also wonder if the fact that the article read like a 1 day DQ was more typical, if there are other issues leading up to this specific DQ. mike |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Out of curiosity...................does 621 Rangers have the USCG plate on them? Does this have ramifications for the wealleye circuits?
Great minds think alike Mike  I just finished typing and saw you asked the same qusetion....
Edited by Sunshine 11/4/2004 11:15 AM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 194
Location: Northern Illinois | Dennis, it is an interesting situation I think. As you said, what does this potentially hold for walleye events? Maybe the major brands do have plates on their over 20 footers. Mike |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Taken from the article:
After an investigation by BassFan, it appears that enforcement of BFL rule 9 "to the letter" may be problematic. The crux of the problem is this: Since the Coast Guard doesn't rate bass boats 20 feet and longer for horsepower, no "U.S. Coast Guard horsepower rating plate," as mandated in rule 9, exists for Snider's boat – nor for any bass boat 20 feet or longer.
Phil Cappel, chief of the Recreational Boating Product Assurance Division of the Coast Guard's Office of Boating Safety, told BassFan: "Manufacturers can put a plate on their boats and we appreciate it from the standpoint of safety. But if the boat's over 20 feet, the plate should not say 'U.S. Coast Guard' on it in relation to horsepower."
If I read this correctly, even if a Ranger 621 has a plate it can not be a "USCG" plate as required by the rule.................. very interesting.
|
|
| |
|
| Yes they have rules but a missing CG plate should'nt labael him as a cheater. I mean come on did that help him pattern fish or catch them give me a brake. |
|
| |
|
| Yippee!!!
Now I can through one of them hot, new 300 HP motors on my 621!!!
But, "the FLW has no plans to change its rating-plate rule." So I guess I won't be able to fish the new FLW Walleye Tour or League events next year. 
In the end, I bet FLW changes their rule #9 and gives this guy his prize money. It'll be cheaper than paying all those lawyers to drive trucks through the gaping holes in that rule. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 540
Location: Milw, WI | The 620 is not 20' just short 19'10"so the 621 only model that is a ? in rangers walleye line.
Never been in one so do not have first hand knowledge if there is a rating plate.
The 04 620 has a rating plate, that I do know.
I think they are way out there DQing for this the rule is to stop motor /hull mods.
Giving every one a fair shot.
No 350 's on a 620, thats the deal.
Plate is to prove to the public combo is safty rated I guess.
Not prevent 20+ footers from being used, they do not restict the type of boat.
That is a market boat and motor package.
Any one can buy it.
Unlike a few in the recent passed that were not used to FLW events.
Expairimental rigs they are called.
Nit picking , and a written rule was broken.
It will be interesting to see how this ends, I hope statisfaction is reached with out court, but in or day and age.
I bet the rules get a rewrite real quick like.
It is not stated if there was a non-coasty plate on the boat or not.
If there were it would be a illeage plate, if coasty approved.
They don to do over 20"ers.
I thought I used to read top hp restriction in the past, for some of the tours, just can not remeber which walleye set it was.
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 2393
Location: Waukesha Wisconsin | Rich:
All walleye tournaments that I know of have a max of 250 hp. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 22
Location: Sioux Falls, South Dakota | An Article from Yesterday:
http://www.bassfan.com/scotlaney_article.asp?ID=70
Some points from the article. QUOTE!!!
If FLW wants to stick with the "rules are rules" viewpoint, then I can go along with that – as long as they go back to the genesis of this rule and apply it fairly to all money-winners since inception. As we now know, there is no such thing as a Coast Guard plate in boats 20 feet and over in length. So it should be pretty easy to find all the money winners (all the way up and down the money list) from all the tournaments involved and go and get that money back.
That's called "equal application" of a rule, and most people can go along with that. But when we have a long list of winners that were paid under false pretext, and one lone guy who was not, that's called an "unequal application" of the rules. We Americans have a long and storied anathema to this type of "unequal" treatment. Heck, it got us so fired up at one point that we told the only reining superpower of the era to shove off, then backed it up on the field of battle. Kicked them right out of the country. UNQUOTE
Edited by Dutchman 11/4/2004 3:04 PM
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 794
Location: Elgin, Illinois | Just re-read the FLW / RCL League rules.... Says the same thing and limits HP to 250 max. Now, I know I have fished two league events out of Ranger 621s... NO CG Plate on them or Lund 2025s.... Hmmmm
Gotta agree with Dennis on this one... They (FLW) will pay... Can't have a rule that you can enforce "whenever" you want to and ignore "whenever" you want to... And, I don't think you can apply a rule to a situation that it cannot be applied to...
Edited by hgmeyer 11/4/2004 4:18 PM
|
|
| |
|
| Wow, amazing the FLW did something like this. (We need a smilie that rolls its eyes, becuase it would be right here) |
|
| |
|
| I wonder if this whole thing came up because another competitor either filed a protest or called FLW on their 'rule'. Like, maybe, the dude who finished in 2nd place. If FLW was that concerned with their rules, this would have come up before. Did they disqualify all other competitors finishing in the money at this tournament that were in Ranger 521's or 522's? Triton 21's? etc, etc. |
|
| |
|
| Man is that guy getting screwed over.....what a shame
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 265
Location: Combined Locks, WI | I agree this guy is getting shafted. I just looked at my Crestliner TS 202 which is 20'2'' and it does have a US Coast Gaurd plate that does say max HP 250. |
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 38
Location: Laurel, MT | Did you confirm that it said Coast Guard or is it just a manufacturer's plate? CG says that manufacture's can't say Coast Guard Rating when it is over 20-feet. I have a 202 at home but am out of town and can't look.
Thanks,
Honsie
|
|
| |
|
Member
Posts: 859
Location: Appleton wi | If the plate say's "u.s coast Guard approved" in wich my yarcraft says is that ok? |
|
| |
|
Location: Rhinelander | One can apply a tag that says:
This boat complies with all US Coast Guard regulations on the Date of Manufacture
And then list the builder's selected HP ratings, weight capacities, etc. If the builder decides to certify the boat, all tests have to be completed and turned in for a ratings plate by a certification specialist. The key here is that it's vluntary for a 20' plus boat to carry a ratings tag unless the builder is NMMA rated, then it's a requirement.
If the builder doesn't test the 20' plus boat for flotation, horsepower, etc. and sells the boat as a recreational boat in the US, liability is a HUGE issue.
If the builder doesn't choose to test the boat it is considered a 'ship' or unrated offshore boat. |
|
| |
