Magazine of the New Zealand Model Power Boat Association Incorporated Issue 2 May 2003 In this Issue • 2003 Nationals Report • More Silly Names from Doris • How to Get Your Boat to Throttle • ASP 61 Engine Review • Scale Hydro Stuff NZMPBA NEW ZEALAND MODEL POWER BOAT ASSOCIATION INC. NZMPBA Website: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/nzmpba PRESIDENT VICE PRESIDENT Grant Binns Greg Clarkson 11 Westhaven Grove 12 Kenilworth Place Palmerston North Hamilton Ph: 06 355 1625 Ph: 07 846 7117 Email [email protected] Fax: 07 839 8829 at work Email: [email protected] SECRETARY / TREASURER Grahame Haines 130 Maxwell Road Blenheim Ph/Fax: 03 577 5124 Mob: 025 220 4596 Email: [email protected] COMMITTEE Wayne McNaught Tony Rutledge 263 Mitchell Street 16 Reuben Grove Brooklyn Lower Hutt Wellington Ph: 04 567 6362 Ph/Fax: 04 384 8968 Scott Pickering John Belworthy Soon to be living in Tokoroa 37 Mahoe Street Mainly at the lake Lower Hutt Email: [email protected] Ph/Fax: 04 569 2312 Email: [email protected] Steve Trott Craig Oram 50 Gravatt Road Cnr Rongotea & Pioneer H/way Royal Palm Beach, Papamoa RD 5 Ph: 07 572 1366 Palmerston North Fax: 07 572 1567 Mob: 021 706 737 Email: [email protected] Propshaft Publisher Anna Clarkson Scale Hydro Registrar Grahame Haines Records Collator Grahame Haines Presidents Cup Points Collator John Belworthy Trophy Custodian Tony Rutledge Cover Photo FOR SALE 90 rigger. Hull & hardware only. Needs motor, pipe, radio and prop. Set up for CMB 90. Fast , good handling boat in good condition. $240 Enquiries to Daryl Christiansen ph 06-344 3776 THE NEXT PROPSHAFT IS DUE TO BE PUBLISHED IN July/August 2003 2 2003 SUBSCRIPTIONS ARE NOW DUE If you haven’t paid them, this will be your last Propshaft! They are $30.00 Adult $15.00 2nd Adult family member living at the same address $7.50 Junior Member Please send your subs to Grahame Haines at the address listed at the front of this magazine if you haven’t already done so. STUFF FROM THE PRESIDENT Well there has been a little bit happening since always says). Sometimes I think that thing is the last Propshaft: our Nationals at Palmerston glued to his hand because he checked every North, the second round of the Scale Series in boat at Tokoroa (and got Tui) and he got some Tokoroa and I visited the Manukau Model Power interesting numbers in Auckland as well. Boat Club for the first time to have a look at their club champs, meet some of the members and It was good to meet the local guys but I didn’t attend the SUHA meeting on Saturday Night. really get a chance to christen any of them with the exception of Hollywood (Malcolm Miller) who The Nationals at Easter was a great event, which actually earned this name after his efforts at you will be able to tell from the write up, and the Hamilton. Don’t worry the rest of you, your time results, elsewhere in this issue. will come. The Scale round in Tokoroa was a good fun I must admit to being very impressed by the weekend as well. My racing wasn’t very finish and presentation of several of the boats, successful but the company and the they are certainly a credit to the guys who put entertainment for the weekend was first class. A them on the water. special thanks to Tui (Steve Trott) and Snorkel (Scott Pickering) for all the hard work preparing The SUHA meeting was interesting to say the the venue and running the event. I hope you least but didn’t enlighten us at all as to why both felt it was worth it. I know the crew in my SUHA has to come out of recess. The only room LM, Elvis and Harry Potter had a great answer we could get out of Merv Sowden on the time. night was “because we want too”. This Claytons answer has unfortunately upset a few people. I The trip to Auckland was a bit rushed, we must admit that after the weekend, I am really (Mother, Tracy and Elvis) left Palmerston North struggling to see why the Auckland region needs at 8:00pm on Friday night because I had a late another club that will effectively be a club within meeting and we arrived at Gergs in Hamilton at the club. Manukau MPBC is the largest in the 1:00am. A few winks (cause Gerg gets up at country, they are well organised and have a race 6:00am) then up for breakfast, hello, goodbye day every month with points contributing to a and off to Auckland. series. They have sufficient Scales and Sport 45’s within their own ranks to run their own Elvis and I got to the lake to see the end of the series (and they do) and they are happy to 1/8 scale racing and then the class I and II involve out of town visitors as well. They racing. Tui was there with a boat as was Paul concentrate on semi scale. Why then do they Garner from the Naki but they were the only out need SUHA and the additional cost that imposes of towner’s competing. Nitro had also flown in on their members when they can already do from the deep south and he was out with his what SUHA will do? noise meter as usual (just interested as he 3 SUHA will also have the cost of incorporation, In this issue there are two letters, which set the and one would assume, insurance but for what background as we know it One from Merv gain? Sowden to the old and potential members of SUHA and a letter from the NZMPBA which we At the meeting it was eventually resolved to bring asked Merv to circulate before the meeting in SUHA out of recess even though we tabled Auckland. Unfortunately he refused to distribute information from the company’s office that the NZMPBA letter believing that it had some indicated that this would be difficult. We also inaccuracies in it. I believe that our members tabled an alternative remit which would have need to be informed about what is happening so allowed a new SUHA to be established (quicker, we will publish both letters (set out immediately easier and cheaper than coming out of recess) below) and let you decide what you think is going but again, this option was ruled out. The final on. outcome was that only past financial members at the time of the recess were allowed to vote. I That’s all for now, I hope to catch up with you believe this sets the criteria for who can sign the soon, perhaps at the scale series, or the mid form to incorporate which requires 15 members. winter endurance champs, both events to be From the list read out on the night there were held in Palmerston North. only 13 financial members at the time. Perhaps it will all come out in the wash in due time. Enjoy your Boating Doris Editors Note Sorry folks, at this stage we have not published Merv’s letter due to the note below. Please also note that although Merv has stated that it was the case, the letter was NOT sent only to past Suha members, however we are unaware who did receive a copy. -----Original Message----- From: Merv Sowden [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 30 May 2003 16:04 To: [email protected] Subject: Fw: Suha Letter Dear Greg The letter in question was sent only to ex SUHA Members. It was not intended to be an open letter nor was it intended to be published in the Propshaft or any other publication. I do not give you or the NZMPBA permission to publish my letter in any form, what so ever. Regards Merv Sowden 4 If you would like further clarification please feel free to contact Merv direct. His email address is [email protected] ______________________________ Grant Binns then wrote the reply set out below. 29 April 2003 To Past Members of the Scale Unlimited Hydroplane Association To Members of the NZ Model Powerboat Association Dear Model Boater, I am writing this letter on behalf on the NZ Model Power Boat Association in response to letter from Merv Sowden dated 31 March 03. I agree with Merv that it is time to put the record straight and as an interested party I feel you need to hear the NZMPBA’s point of view directly so I have asked Merv to circulate this letter to all on his SUHA mailing list to ensure that a more balanced view of the current situation can be presented. I will also have both of these letters published in the next Propshaft. After that the balls back with you to decide the future of Scale Hydroplane racing. Firstly NZMPBA members don’t all race 1/8 Scale Hydroplanes, as an Association we have to represent the interests of those who build and race model power boats. As you are aware from previous correspondence, moves have been made to bring SUHA out of recess because some people (the NZMPBA don’t know who they are) are not happy with the High Points series currently run by the NZMPBA. If you are one of these people please feel free to contact me directly or write to the Association with your issues and concerns. When SUHA went into recess in 1998 for 12 months or less, the NZMPBA took on the responsibility of running Scale Hydro racing for all who were interested in this aspect of our hobby and current SUHA members were urged to join the NZMPBA.