The Bill is now a law

The Bill is now a law... but let's not get too excited. Already, the owners of these boats that belong on larger bodies of water are making plans to get around the law. Some examples, from www.cathouseperformancemarine.com:

(note: the following posts appear on cathouseperformancemarine.com; however, the owners and operators of the website do not necessarily agree with the views expressed; they have merely given people a place to air their own particular viewpoints.)

Baja Dave
04-4-2006 10:20:15 am CDT
Imagine what that engine would do to a "legal" size 26 foot Eliminator Daytona !!!! It could be classified as a strategic weapon and hence would be named "Seek And Destroy".

Livin' Loud
04-5-2006 06:49:23 pm CDT
Can't decide : 30' cruiser W/4-5 waves 26' pontoon w/some serious CATHOUSE PERFORMANCE modifications 26' cat---- w/BIG CAT POWER GOT PLENTY OF TIME TO DECIDE

SCARAB MAN
04-5-2006 08:42:02 pm CDT
This is a sad day,i'm just sick . Don't worry Steve,BIG POWER can come in small boats.Im selling after Tic Faw.We'll find me a bad ass 26"11 cat to piss everybody off at Lake Martin.

mike&carrie
04-5-2006 08:50:15 pm CDT

hey this would be a good boat to put a monster in... got a lot of good Qualitys in a SHORT package, measuring in at 24',8" its just right to sneak in under the law... trim tabs, ballast tank,ect...lets go for a boat ride!

Baja Dave
04-5-2006 08:51:00 pm CDT
I am with you Mr Plott. I was at the lake Saturday and stopped by and looked at a Sea Ray 280 Sundancer and 300 Sundancer. I pulled up the spec sheet on the 300 and this cruiser weighs in at a whopping 12,900 lbs, dry!!! This SOB should part the water like Moses parted the Red Sea. At 25 mph this bad boy would produce a wake that would splinter a dock and put pontoon boats up in the yard... but it is LEGAL. Also, Baja is going to discontinue the 25 Outlaw and replace it with a new 26 Outlaw. With a 525 EFI, ought to be good for 75 + mph... but it is LEGAL. My Baja is 27 feet, 2 inches in length and might squeak out 63 mph with the right prop. Talking about sitting on the bubble. I might just chance my luck and keep right on cruising and make 'em prove it will run "in excess of 60 mph". My poor wife, bless her heart, is in tears. She loves "her" boat.

lakefun
04-5-2006 08:56:31 pm CDT
I'm with you Dave I have a 29 foot Scarab that will barely break 60. My wife is sick, she is the reason we bought this boat. I think we will keep running until they pry it from my cold dead hands.

Baja Dave
04-5-2006 08:58:51 pm CDT
Hey Scarab, I was telling Steve earlier today that I pulled up the Eliminator Daytonas in the 24 - 26 foot length for sell on BoatTrader online. There was a 26 Daytona on there with a Mercruiser 575 SCI with a bunch a goodies that had it producing around 1000 hp. Said it would run 120 mph. Also found one that had a Viper V-10 engine in it!!! Would these be sufficient???

John Davis
04-6-2006 12:00:50 pm CDT
Steve, since we all know that this damned bill passed I was thinking about downsizing to a 25' eliminator cat with a large blower motor. Do you have any that might be for sale. I have always been a fan of the 25 daytona. You might want to stock up on a few of those "legal" boats.

INDY27
04-6-2006 07:45:01 pm CDT
This bill is a joke! So I take my boat to Lake Martin...what will happen? Will I get a ticket? BIG DEAL!! If this bill is signed into law it probably wont even be enforced and if it is then so what, will they arrest me? I doubt it!

Magicfloat
04-14-2006 04:51:18 pm CDT
If that's true I 'll find someone else to vote for. BTW,any hot boat owners worried about not being grandfathered in and think you will be banned 10-01-06,think again. All you have to do is register your boat as a houseboat. It's easy,whoever wtote the bill listed a 3 point dfinition of a houseboat. Sleeping accomadations,galley,and marine sanitation device.Most of our boats already have that,and if not a portipotti is $59 at West Marine,a propane stove is $35 at Walmart,and sleeping accomidations are simple.Not the best ending,but grandfathered in is better than a ban.

Unfortunately, the posts calling for violence were deleted before I could copy them. (I can't remember the exact wording, but one post in particular said something like "certain people need to have their boats sunk to the bottom of the lake... with them in them. And if it takes a bullet to the head to keep them in the boats while they sink, that's even better.") It would be too easy for me to say I saw the post, but not be able to prove it; however, in the following thread (from lakemartin.com; see the disclaimer above, it applies to lakemartin.com as well) the owner of the cathouseperformancemarine.com site confirms that such a post was made on his board:

Name:	babygirl	View This Message
Subject:	POSTED in wrong thread
Date:	4/7/2006 10:01:07 PM IP ADDRESS: 24.181.123.155

the leader of anything!!!! I think he has handled himself very well!!!People on this FORUM (pro and con) have voiced opinions , in the heat of the moment, that they felt they needed to say. Right or wrong!!!!! People simple handle emotions differently. Both sides are QUILTY of being harsh at times. As far as HIS forum goes, if you do not like what you read, don't go there. And for heaven sakes, don't copy and paste it to a FORUM that people all over the United States can read!!!!!!!! I know what the reasoning was for the copy and paste thing and the person who did it knows too. To stir the pudding!!!!!! Just like the IMPOSTER, that used Lakefun's alias did to stir the pudding. You know the one. He said something like, they got their @sskicked/or got shot in the head. I am not going to waste my time to quote. Skin me up if want to. I really don't care, because I have said everything I want to say on this issue. If you do, that will prove my point even more.!!!!!!!!!!!!

Name:	longtimer	View This Message
Subject:	POSTED in wrong thread
Date:	4/8/2006 12:14:31 AM IP ADDRESS: 66.32.73.26

I someone is guilty-- or "quilty"-- of copying something to a forum that "people all over the US can read," then isn't the person who made the original post also guilty (or "quilty")? Or does Cat have some sort of special filter on his site that keeps people from "all over the US" from being able to read it?

Also, the original post I was referring to-- the one that said I needed to be shot, or something along those lines-- was not the same as the one that was posted here by the fake lakefun. It was posted on the "other" forum. Not here. There. Ask Cat; if's he's as honest as forthright as I think, he'll tell you the same thing.

Name:	CAT BOAT	View This Message
Subject:	Longtimer is correct
Date:	4/8/2006 8:36:57 AM IP ADDRESS: 205.188.117.10

That post was indeed made. It was made after I had gone to bed that night, and PROMPTLY removed the next morning because I saw it as unfit. He was able to see it because at the time, I was getting up at 6:00am to delete post that I saw unfit, and with the hours some keep, they are able to view things before they get removed. I have gotten emails from both sides of the debate of the big/fast boat issue and ask to remove post. And I can honestly say that I honored all those request also. Longtimer, I am sorry that post got there.

Also from lakemartin.com was this beauty (taken from two different threads, regarding the same subject:)

Name:	LifeTime Laker	View This Message
Subject:	About loud boats...
Date:	4/13/2006 10:28:49 AM IP ADDRESS: 24.181.123.15

.... Sunday I went out on the ole tooner for a ride with friends. We beached at a little spot on Madwind Point. After being there for a while one of the 'loud go fast boats' came up the river. He was 'hooked up' and flew by. A little while later he came back down the river. Both times he stayed far to the other side of the 'big water', skirting Youngs Island. Both times we had to suspend our conversation because he was so loud we couldn't even hear each other across the boat. The only 'up side' was he was going so fast that it didn't last long.

I don't understand the desire to have something that infringes on everone else's enjoyment. His rights end where ours begin. I know there are noise ordinances on the lake, but come on, we all know enforcment with the current levels of staff for the WP is not likely.

I grew up on 'big water' and actually enjoy the sound of 'normal' boats passing in the distance. It lets me know that somebody is getting to do what I LOVE most in life, enjoying the lake. But this monster was just obnoxious.

Name:	Maverick	View This Message
Subject:	About loud boats...
Date:	4/13/2006 11:47:24 AM IP ADDRESS: 68.16.60.5

Agree if it was an white and blue Eliminator with a HUGE engine sticking out of the back.

If so, it is my understanding this boat was from Slidell and did not contain mufflers, so it should have been ticketed, even under the current laws.

This is what I have been told by several of the other boaters on Live Chat.

Just an FYI.

Name:	CAT BOAT	View This Message
Subject:	About loud boats...
Date:	4/13/2006 11:50:20 AM IP ADDRESS: 205.188.117.10

Lifetime Laker, sorry your conversation was interupted by a loud boat. There was a new person on the lake this weekend, making excessive noise zipping around the lake. It is an out of towner that has moved here from LA. Some are not as considerate as others. If he comes to Chucks while we are there Saturday, we'll get him for you.

Name:	HP HQ -
Subject:	eliminator speaking on our act
Date:	4/14/2006 11:42:56 PM

first of all i would like to set the record strait the boat is a 25 warlock,1400 hp 600 ci.i have read all the post for several days and here is what i have to say:i am not the owner of the boat just very good friends,the owner is from new orleans and is a world renowned off shore racer and engine builder,this man has a license to drive every boat except for hydoplane,this is for livin loud(cause i know he is bent on folks ability to handle their vessel)and for all those in question,this man is on a first name basis with fountain,baja,formula,cig,eliminator etc.this man was here to make a point and i believe the point was made and that is simpily this is what you can expect from this new law! this boat would be 100% legal with a set of mufflers which it has just opted not to use for the point,for the fact that he would be seen.he went to every marina on the lake and pleaded his case with very good results,what does this mean for everyone else i dont know,but i beleive he was very justified in his actions.sorry to the ones who where offended,but somebody needed to make a point and he had the balls to do it.we all believe that this law is ludicrus but has it set in to anyone head untill this boat showed up and stirred things up a little.i am anxious the hear what everyone else has to say now that we have stated part of our case.

Name:	CAT BOAT -
Subject:	CATHOUSE MARINE SPEAKS..
Date:	4/15/2006 10:58:01 PM

We dont need your help, especially in the way you present it. I am an Eliminator Dealer, and they know nothing of what you speak of! You are full of crap. I had heard that you were at Smith Lake two weeks ago, making lots of noise and now on Lake Martin trying to make a statement. I wonder what Lake homeowners would think if I took the mufflers off of my Daytona and busted Lake Martin wide open all day running triple digits to "just make a statement". The Marine Police was hot on your tail, but you left too soon. It is acts such as yours, that we are dealing with the laws we are faced with now. Please, stay off our lakes, unless you are willing to change your ways, or take your attitude somewhere else. You speak highly of the owner of the boat, and say nothing of yourself. Don't take this personally, but maybe you need to go back south, if they'll still have you. ... And from what I have heard, they probably want.

Name:	HP HQ	View This Message
Subject:	CATHOUSE MARINE SPEAKS..
Date:	4/15/2006 11:04:45 PM IP ADDRESS: 71.12.96.97

cat how can you say these things when ,the way i understand it ,is the type of stuff that you like to build.we didnt mean anyone any harm but simple put,, boats of this caliber are what can now be expected out of the crowd that you run with.when this boat came to the lake it was to late to turn the bill over,but it did instill in alot of peoples minds the mistake that was made on the laws fault,which inludes the boat that you own.

Name:	CAT BOAT	View This Message
Subject:	CATHOUSE MARINE SPEAKS..
Date:	4/15/2006 11:13:16 PM IP ADDRESS: 64.12.117.6

It's like this.... We are trying to promote boating laws that benefit the boating community as such. The last thing we needed was more trouble. And for what it is worth, if you shine the light on your actions, you will be included in the next legislation. Count on it. Meet me in Live chat, and I will explain it too you.

Name:	longtimer	View This Message
Subject:	I wish.....
Date:	4/16/2006 12:31:26 AM IP ADDRESS: 165.121.232.254

I wish that everyone who shared your passion for fast, loud boats also shared your common sense. I'm sorry something you love has been negatively affected, but maybe if others in the same boat (no pun intended) approached the situation the same way you are, then we wouldn't be facing more legislation in the very near future.

And have no fear... if any more clowns like this Eliminator guy continue to pull stunts like this, what many people fear WILL become reality-- a Lake Martin where nothing larger than a 12-foor johnboat with a 15-HP outboard will be allowed. Because stunts like this do nothing more than anger the general public, and show the legislators that there is still work to be done.

When that day comes, and y'all are looking for someone to blame, look close to home; it's guys like this one who are going to be your downfall.

And I'll hate it for people like you, CAT... but like I said in an earlier post, if you can't police your own, someone else will police them for you.

Here's one on a different subject, made by one of the people above. Consider it a nice illustration of the kind of people some of them are:

Name:	SCARAB MAN
Subject:	Its confirmed.....
Date:	4/28/2006 4:36:52 PM

WSMS is a @sshole .People like you are the reason arguments get started on this site. Keep spitting out facts that you don't have a clue about.

Tyler