TOPIC: What do you want to see?

We're at a crossroads here at Fiberglassics.

Our team of scientists, theologians, Tarot card readers, mathematicians, and a donkey have been all working behind the scenes at a furious pace to anticipate what would be the best addition to Fiberglassics.

Right now, the debate is between:

(1) A contest for the most dramatic restoration of a glassic boat within a specified time (3 months maybe) with members voting for the winner. The winner would receive a plaque as tangible evidence of their victory and a (completely worthless) lifetime Super Premium Titanium Membership with Fiberglassics.

(2) Another contest for the best "Chop Shop" restoration. The coolest and most outlandish hot rod of an, as yet, nonexistent boat. The winner would receive a plaque and the same (worthless) Super Premium Titanium Membership, plus a gold painted hatchet!

(3) I won't say which member of the braintrust suggested this, but I've been asked to add this option: Best picture of a hot lady donkey. Winner receives a bag of oats.

So that's what we've come up with. Anyone who officially enters the contest(s) will able to purchase any materials and supplies at cost from a sponsor we're currently trying to woo.

Right now, we're gauging the level of interest to see if either of these are good ideas.

Whaddya think?

(Teams would be welcomed)

I think a custom hot-rod fiberglassic would be a fun contest, sort of like making a lowrider for the water. But then again, lady donkeys are nice too.

jamil,im in ,i hope,lol,as soon as i get my devil ray,i want to custom rebuild it,it has nothing in it ,not even a seat so im going to do my own thing,but it will take awhile,small budget ya know,lol
so i dont know which classifacation that will fit ,lol,thank ,john that fill fit

I'd like to see the boating FAQs section expanded and easier to find (ok, so having to click 4 times instead of 2 isn't the end of the world, but I think that section gets forgotten and doesn't get updated as often as it could.)

Topics like winterization, things to check before buying a used boat, motor trim, prop selection, fuel/oil ratios, common repairs and maintenance. The general stuff that the new recruits (like me) often don't know much about.

Also a slide show option for the gallery, so we can just start it and it will roll pictures of boats until we tell it to stop.

John,

This is still in the "work out the bugs" stage, but that's why I'm thinking it should be open to teams. It will help defray the costs.

That's also why I want entries (teams or individuals) to be able to buy materials and supplies at cost.

I'm also looking into having two divisions, a Professional Division and a Member Division to keep the playing field level.

Anyone can enter the Professional Division if they choose, but the Member Division would be limited to existing fiberglassics members.

Again, this is preliminary to gauge the interest, but I think this could be a ton of fun to be a part of, and to watch, and we could make it an annual event. Maybe even with real prizes.

Wavetrain,

I agree completely and it's definitely going to happen. Right now, it's a matter of squeezing a few more hours into a 24 hour day.

For now, we're putting how-tos and professional articles under the restoration tab. I promise, we'll get it all sorted out and more easily navigable "soon"

Jamil

jamil,that would be great to get materials at cost,it helps the guys like me .
as for the member part,thats what i want,i cant compete with pros,and im just one guy.lol,but it sounds like alot of fun,john

Hummmmmmmmmmmmmm,,,,Sounds interesting. I still have that Impala Sport Craft. Would be a nice small hot rod candidate.

How about a junior one for us boat lovers under 16??

I'm working out the kinks as we speak. Starcraft15, I'm an idiot. I didn't read your post correctly and thought you were talking about the boat length, not your age.

I don't know if we have enough junior members to have a whole division, but I'll tell you what, if you want to enter, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you get a special recognition regardless of the outcome.

The Fiberglassics world is too small. Guys like you are the future of Fiberglassics and I respect that more than you know. You're kind of my hero.

Jamil

Starcraft15 wrote:

How about a junior one for us boat lovers under 16??

I believe he means 16 years old. Seeing that a under 16 age group would probably only consist of Starcraft my money is on him! Maybe under 21 or 25 years might draw a few more entries.

Mr. 88,

Yeah. I'm kind of dim. I edited my previous comment to answer the actual question and not the one from the voices in my head.

Yea that is true but ill be waiting to see what happens

lol, sounds like fun, Mike

It sounds like a good idea, but I am not sure how the judging would work, especially with the restoration. These things could be all over the country. Is it fair to judge a boat by pictures alone? Who would be the judges and what would be their criteria? The Chop Shop might be a little easier to do that way.

What might be fun is a video contest. Would need to be done in teams, but we have enough camaraderie and some people savvy enough with video to pull it off, I think. It would also encourage people to get together with their boats. Judging could be by members not involved in production. We can work a donkey into that. Just a thought.

JUDGING!!!!oh boy i can see it now!

I have a plan for the judging.

50% value by member vote using the same polling feature we have right now, and 50% value by a panel of judges who will remain anonymous for the duration of the contest.

No judges will be allowed to be a member of a team or be related to a team member. Also, the judging will be "blind". The identity of the teams boats' won't be known to the judges or members until after the competition.

It's a work in progress, but I think it could be a blast.

Sounds VERY interesting, here's a question. I love watching progress reports and pics on projects as they come along. (Hoping that pics and progress reports are part of the "requirements" to compete.) It occurs to me that if someone was in a competition, they wouldn't want the other competitors to know what they're doing, or how far along they are with their lady donkey. Something to consider, I guess.

Since I have the CCSR project in front of me, I'll be watching to learn more than usual. (My first MAJOR project, mind you.) Maybe there will be a "Novice Resto-Mod" category. LOL (Not sure 3 mo. would be a realistic time frame for me though.)

Noticing some new advertisers/sponsors showing up, and some old friends checking back in as well as new faces! Renewed interest abounds. Congrats Jamil, looks like your "tweaks" are working.

I already built one "Hot Rod" complete wit dual appelton spots, Dash mounted Tach, Water temp, and Volt meter, rolled and pleated naugahide interior, and lace paint. It's powered by a 75Horse "Fat 50" motor. You think you can beat that?

jerry, i think this would give you a little competition.

You bet Ron. I love what John did wit that. Can't wait to see the next project.

Yours has that custom look too.

It's a statement, a piece of us, not just something that came out of a factory.

HOT RODS RULE!!

Well I think my Invader would be a good candidate. I thought about it on my way back home with it today. I'm a novice but think I could pull off something wild. Since I plan on getting the Cutter DeVille I can restore it.

50s Flash wrote:

You bet Ron. I love what John did wit that. Can't wait to see the next project.

Yours has that custom look too.

It's a statement, a piece of us, not just something that came out of a factory.

HOT RODS RULE!!

i'm not in the class with you 2 guys.

I like both ideas. They would be fun to watch and follow along with, maybe even be part of one. Judging will have it's challenges and I hope you can work them out. Maybe you could alternate contests. Like the changes and the new faces .

WOW!!!
Ya don't just poop these things out. The one I'm working on now we went out to California for. I would guess I have 100 hours and $1,500 in the TRAILER.
It was taken all apart, sand blasted, powder coated, lowered, reassembled, fenders painted, new decals ($75 to have the decals made) new wheels and tires (3) winch, front jack, hitch and lights. That's just the trailer.

This isn't a spectator sport. Get a boat and have fun.

I have a friend with a Jet DeVille (hull only) that he would probably parts with. Could be a good base for a "wet rod"

Well - first of all - I just wanted to address all the speculation - when Jamil says Donkey - he means, of course, me.

Now that that's out of the way...

I like it. I like judging in that I believe it spurs better work and deadlines promote completion :~)
I agree that judging restoration - especially by photos could be very dicey. Hot rods - customs - that's more subjective.

The idea needs some development but I think it's a good direction.

Some great ideas for the contest, I like it. Although still a novice, I think 3 months might be hard for some folks if they're only working on the weekends and a few odd nights after work but as Peter said it does promote competition. I think the judging will be tricky but doable. This will definitely be fun to watch.

Bob

Well jamil, I kind of had about the same train of thought before you bought the site had a post on the NBR about it that seemed to go flat but over all the idea was based not on the boat itself but how it was presented in a "slide-show" format.

the over all problem with "judging" a boat by a picture is simple, guys like me with some super -off the shelf- editing software like CS-5 can take a pos and and make it look like a charmer, and knowing how to manipulate the files names to make it look as if that what the camera took is even worse...

so, in the lines of a "slide show" I was thinking even people with a POS boat could enter, giving the boat wasn't what would be judged "over-all", as for what was would have been the presentation of it. knowing full well some folks out there have their as the day they got it and it floats but they use it every weekend pos boat, and then there the trailer queens...all buffed and nos^ed to look glamorous, in a slide show sometimes beauty just won't show over a guy using his boat with his family having fun.

the problem seemed some guys didn't know how to make a slide show, and I think where it got left off at was telling them to think of it as a soapbox derby in reverse...go find a kid in the family that can help you build your project...

well anyways...that was just some ideas I had, along with having a entry fee that would have covered -A- trophy of -sorts- that each entry would revive just for entering, and that wasn't going to be just some print out, what I had lined up was having a picture of their boat laser engraved on glass that could be set on their pride shelf, the fee would have covered the shipping, and engraving and no matter what place they came in each entry would have received one.

just sharing...

in the past something like this caused a bit of flack amongst the entrys

If a third party professional photographer took the photos of all the boats, that would solve the judging bias issues, wouldn't it?

If all contestants agreed to meet in one of three or four regional locations that would cut down on the photographer's travel time as well.

I appreciate all the constructive criticism so far. These are are all important factors to address, and it's better to work out the kinks before they become an issue. All the comments have been extremely helpful.

If I can make one suggestion:

Let's focus on ways to make it work rather than reasons why it won't. It might be difficult, but anything is possible if we decide it is.

godelescher wrote:

If a third party professional photographer took the photos of all the boats, that would solve the judging bias issues, wouldn't it?

Can't see how unless the photographer really likes to travel. Giving the "scale" of the world wide web I can see all ready where your going to have people from around the world wanting to submit pictures.

again you can have the perfect "setting" for a professional photographer to take a picture and then you can take a shot of the same boat "being enjoyed" and the pictures would be completely different as in day and night. That is why when I was thinking of it I figured using slide shows would give a better "rounded" view of the boat, and the story behind it here an example of one I made years ago for Robert Tolleson.

I have had to deal with the "professional" picture(s) and yes even those are grazed over by an editor for on thing or the other, lines a refection in the water, algae, channel markers and water lines to just name off some of the things I have taking out of some. The funnest item that was requested was for me to remove digitally from a boat was a Mexican.

i think this is a great idea jamil,i dont have much in the money department,lol,but would still love to customize the devil ray,and just do the best i can,with what i have,my camera is old,but its what i have and i can make that work too,i hope,lol,lol,lets have fun,john

quote houston..."The funnest item that was requested was for me to remove digitally from a boat was a Mexican." hehe