U.S. "Footy" Promotion & Info

Footy Class General Discussion (Footy)
1

Hi Guys - those of you here in the US that would like to see info in Model Yachting, should send stuff to the Open Class Secretary (and register your boats there too), for inclusion in the Open Class and it’s reports - or for stand-alone articles. The articles really need to be co-ordinated by Bill Young (Open Class Secretary) to assure they meet deadlines for publication, as well as to assure articles and photos go to the right people at AMYA that are responsible for the development of each issue.

Until the Footy has reached “critical mass” (20 boats) and recognized as an AMYA class, the Open Class (with your membership) would be the point of general submission. This will insure that your articles and info are included in overview of class activities. Once a recognized class, the Class Secretary then becomes the point for article and photo collection and forwarding for publication considerations.

Please understand the process for promotion of this class of boat within AMYA. There is more submission info on the AMYA web site for those who want to write and submit articles. Always room for one more article - even to be held and used as a filler in later issues.

If there is a move aFOOT (heh, heh - good pun!) to develop the class for recognition, again, Bill Young seems to be the logical guy to be kept up to date on your efforts, since not all potential class members subscribe to this or other electronic forums. I have done this several times for multihull information, and although we aren’t yet a class, it gives us the opportunity to present to non-electronic readers, more info on the class. I have identified several builder/owners who heard about the classes through AMYA publication articles.

2

Thanks, Dick.

I’ve been in touch with Bill Young, and passed on some ideas. He seems interested in working with us to encourage class recognition. On our behalf, he’s making a request to the AMYA board to reduce the cost of Open Class registration to encourage people in the US to make their boats official.

I’m waiting as we speak for info from him about the sail numbers he’s assigned already. If any of you are wondering why I haven’t replied to your registration request, that’s the reason. Bill and I are going to try to work out a way so that we don’t assign conflicting numbers. Any suggestions are welcome. Bill maintains the AMYA registrations, whereas I will maintain all Footy info for both AMYA and non-AMYA members.

Bill suggested we set up a “class association” which sounds like a promising idea. If any of you have experience with doing so, please let me know.

I’d like any articles, info, etc. to be made available to Charles, too, so he can put them on our website.

Anyone interested in making contributions or bouncing ideas around can PM me or call me at home 603-284-6642.

Bill Hagerup

3

Bill -

I too received word from Bill (Young) about your inclusion efforts. Good luck!

From the guys at the AMYA Model Yachting group, I was reminded :watching_ (I knew, too) that registration for an AMYA Class is 20 OWNERS - not boats. Having gone through this issue with the F-48 Class and a builder, I recall the discussions. My initial post might not have been clear.

For forming a Class Association - you might want to visit Windpower and discuss with Bill Mullica. He was instrumental in setting up the ODOM as a Class Owners Association and can give you pointers. We followed his suggestions as the F-48 is a class owners group too - but they have a lot more members and can cite any issues to watch for. In any event - promotion through AMYA can be helpful for those members who do not follow electronic discusssion board threads/posts.

4

I was just looking at the AMYA site to see if there is any contact information for Mr. Young, and I learned that there are so many boats listed in the Open Class (and the Footy isn’t among them), so I couldn’t tell how you can submit a rgistration for a Footy. Even the online registration form listed only ‘Open Class.’

5

Tom, Open Class is a class composed of many different types of boats which don’t have another “home.” When registering a Footy, you submit a registration to Bill Young for an Open Class boat, and tell him it’s a Footy. When a minimum of 20 skippers have registered their Footys, and we have a set of rules (we do) and a temporary class secretary (I volunteered, but would gladly step aside for someone with the right combination of time and enthusiasm) then Footys can become a recognized class of its own in the AMYA.

Bill

6

AMYA membership costs $25 for twelve months ? Join now during the month of March 2006 and you will receive a renewal notice come March 2007.

In addition to the annual dues of $25 there are a few ?optional extras? available at additional cost. These are listed on the AMYA Membership Form or on the AMYA Boat Registration/Transfer Form. USA members can opt to pay $10 additional in order to have their Model Yachting magazine sent via First Class Mail instead of by Bulk Mail. Members in Canada are required to pay this $10 additional for First Class because Bulk Mail from the USA does not go through. In the case of countries outside the USA and Canada the additional postage expense requires $15 additional to the $25 membership fee.

As for Boat Registration, or transfer of boat ownership, the fee is $7. This is a one-time fee. Pay it once, you get your Hull Registration Number, and the boat is officially registered in the class in your name. When time comes to renew your annual AMYA membership you will discover right there on the AMYA Membership Renewal Form sent you by the AMYA Membership Sec?y a list of all boats registered in your name. All you need do is check off with a pencil that you still own the boat ? That?s all there is to it. No need to send any money beyond your AMYA membership fee in order to maintain the boat registration. For example, I own two EC12?s that have been registered continuously for almost 30 years having paid their registration fee only that one time long ago.

It should be mentioned that the one-time $7 Boat Registration Fee is sent to the AMYA Membership Sec?y. Your $7 is then forwarded to the particular Class Sec?y or Class Owners Association to use as the class sees fit (postage, trophies, promotion, whatever). The $7 is the class? money, not AMYA money.

The push is on here to get 20 AMYA members to each register a Footie. Once the AMYA Open Class Sec?y Bill Young sees 20 members each registering at least one Footie he will then communicate with AMYA President Dick Rutledge about appointing a Footie Class Sec?y and the Footie then becomes an AMYA Sanctioned Class. If it happens that only 19 members manage to each register on average two boats, the 36 registered boats are still one member-owner short of being a Sanctioned Class.

If you go to the AMYA website, www.amya.org, you will see that becoming an AMYA member or registering a boat has been made convenient. You can use a credit card by either Internet or secure phone line to pay the dues and fees. You can also do it the old fashioned way by sending in a money order or check.

Rich Matt
AMYA #004

7

Thanks, Bill

That’s what I was going to do. I would add a note to request they add Footy to the list. I would suggest anybody else registering to do the same. I would expect it to be there after the Footy gets the necessary registrations.

8

You probably won’t see a “specials” list of boats for registration in the open class, since that is just a holding area for OOAK. Best to just list the class of boat you want to register. I think if they can’t find it, they move it to the Open Class.

Rich - a question … you indicate the registration fees come back to the individual class. I would assume this happens “after” the class is recognized and until then the the Open Class holds this fee in “escrow” until recognition of the class occurs?

9

Dick, as I understand it, the registration fee goes to Open Class for use in Open Class activities. It is not held in escrow. Once the Footy is a recognized class of its own, then fees would belong to the Footy class from that point on.

Some Footy owners have told me that they are reluctant to register their Footys, spending $7.00 on the speculation that it might become a recognized class. That attitude, of course, becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy, because we’ll never get 20 skippers that way. Because of this, I suggested that Open Class registration be free to encourage the emergence of new classes. Bill Young took the suggestion seriously, but pointed out that there are some costs of mailing, etc. So he has proposed a significantly reduced rate. I don’t know when we might hear a judgement on the proposal.

Meanwhile, any of you who would like to see Footys recognized by AMYA, please register your boat. If you aren’t a member of AMYA and live in the USA you are missing out on a good thing…the magazine alone is worth the membership fee.

Bill

10

Hi Bill -

Ahhhh - therein lies one of my “pet peeves” regarding the Open Class - but not directed at Bill Young… What exactly has/does the Open Class do for the dollars it holds?

How many have been to an “Open Class” AMYA regatta?

How many have participated in an “Open Class” Nationals?

How about a regional or national handicap event, speed trials, OOAK (One-Of-A-Kind) ?

Any newsletters from the “Open Class” ?

…and …prior to Bill Young as secretary … how many past issues of Model Yachting have the published “Open Class” updates that read “No Information Received From The Class”?

Bill is giving it his best effort - but whether it’s Bill, Jose, Stan, or anyone at the executive level - the same level of support for members who are “ONLY” in the Open Class seems lacking when compared to other classes and their AMYA sponsored events.

You mention mailing costs - for what? Registration numbers and sail numbers are easily (and cheaply) assigned and provided over the internet. To my knowledge, I still have to provide my own sail numbers. There is no “Open Class” newsletter that I am aware of, and my yearly membership fee is supposed to cover the cost of the Model Yachting publication. Indirectly, I really see the point of some about paaying the registration fee - even if it is only $7.00 - and I have (at times) advised builders that they might as well wait until I have enough identifed owners before they register their boats for the class I am trying to develop. With the ease of internet communications, website builds, etc. - any person attempting to develop a class can certainly do it without cost. Promotions, identification and THEN registration can be done completely away from AMYA issues and registrations. Only when you have a committed 20 members ready to join AMYA, would you need to worry about paying for registrations. I really think this is one of those items that is a carry-over from the days when the only way to correspond was by US Postal Service. Of course, for an established class, this isn’t an issue.

Of course, I do note that this is my “personal” viewpoint and opinion - others probably have theirs.

EDIT / ADDED: the easy comeback to these comments is probably … “Why don’t ‘YOU’ do it then?” to which I can only respond that I didn’t run for office, I was not elected, or appointed by the President, and even then - this is an AMYA issue - not one for only the Open Class secretary to deal with. The fact that Bill Young seems to have taken the initiative to allow “free registrations” certainly is a step in the right direction. Hopefully it will help and encourage the owners of non-registered boats to reconsider. Now, if only we can get the “rules” changed to reflect this direction.

11

Since I don’t belive there is any chance ever of my National body having anything to do with Footys I may well join the AMYA myself.

12

Some good news, and, of course, some bad news.

The good news…Bill Young is serious about his new position and trying hard to make Open Class viable and helpful to folks like us. He just told me that, although it may not have happened in the past, he intends to forward unused registration monies to any newly formed class. That means we’d get some “start up” money from our registrations and the fees we pay will go toward helping the Footy Class.

More good news…Bill intends to devote his next column to Footys and will submit some pictures to go with it.

The bad news…The fee for registration will need to be kept at $7.00. I thank Bill for attempting to get it changed, but there are apparently too many issues re fairness, history, administration, etc. Please don’t start a rag on AMYA about this…they have a bigger picture to consider, and venting our feelings here won’t change the situation.

BUT WAIT! more good news…Bill tells me we have 7 owners registered, so we’re on the way. He gave me the numbers he assigned, so I can update my records and get back to those who have asked to be registered with me soon.

I really believe that if you AMYA members convince everyone you know to register the Footy they already have, we’ll get 20 skippers easily. So let’s work with the system we’ve got and make this class the most fun class in the AMYA!

Bill

p.s. Brett, you’re always wecome…but remember, we Yanks don’t sail upside down like you folks down under.

13

Brett? Currently 76 AMYA members reside in countries other than the USA. Canadians mostly because when AMYA first started, and for years after, gentlemen from Canada served on the AMYA Executive Board ? ?AMYA? might otherwise have been ?USMYA?. Other countries represented currently include England, Portugal, Italy, Australia, Norway, Japan, Barbados, France and West Indies. Only two of which are in your New Zealand (Email me if you want their mailing addresses.). Your membership would be most welcome and you would be in good company.

Dick? Your impressions of Open Class activities and/or non-activities are near correct. But, in sympathy with those that have served as Open Class Sec?y, there is really not a whole lot that he can do with diverse class members that are there only in the interest of waiting for their particular boat to eventually become a Sanctioned Class. For example, the venerable A Class has been ?relegated? from sanctioned to Open class because the number of A member-owners is no longer above twenty. I do not think there would be any point in scheduling any kind of regatta event that invited A?s and Footies. Hey! Let?s be fair. I could be wrong about this, but you have your opinion and I have mine.

Bill and Dick? As for waiving the $7 Boat Registration Fee, I have the feeling that the AMYA Executive Board will shy away from the idea. The move would be contrary to the AMYA bylaws. Changing a bylaw is process that takes a full year. Then too, there is no telling how many one-off and miscellaneous-orphan boats are out there that would want the same deal. A nice mess for the Open Class Sec?y. Look at it this way? A Footie Fan forking-over seven bucks is showing not only support for the Footie, he is showing confidence that the Footie will materialize as an Official Class. Allow me to digress, and hopefully not see anyone here get all pissy about it?I?m spending $45 a month on my ISP. I?m spending $25.00 a year on my AMYA membership. I kinda think the $7 registration is not a huge deterrent. Another way to look at it: Some two dozen classes have already come up thi$ hard way. The budget for the EC12 COA is part of the EC12 Class News in the next issue of Model Yachting. The EC12 Class handled over $3400 last year. Only part of that came in from boat registration fees, but those registration fees did help.

Bill? It is good of you to compliment Model Yachting magazine. MY #142 went to the printer yesterday. It is the sixth issue to be published in the last eleven months. With the next issue now in the works the magazine should be caught up and back on schedule. I?m hoping that the new Open Class Sec?y will be able to announce in his MY #143 Class News column that the Footie is either a new Sanctioned Class or almost there as a new Sanctioned Class.

Rich Matt
AMYA 004

14

Excellent Bill, I will be sending in reg money for two Footys today.

15

What day is it over there Bill? thought so…your one day behind mate!!!

16

Hi Rich -

I guess I would offer that if we are simply waiting in line - why does a fee have to be attached to it? I have no issue/problems with a registration fee for any “organized and recognized” active class - but having to pay for the privilige of belonging to a class that doesn’t do anything until there are enough boats to form a “different” class just seems - well - like a questionable practice, and a bit unfair.

I will have to look at the by-laws that you mention. If indeed it says all classes must pay a registration - then that is one thing and perhaps needs to be changed. On the other hand, (if I am correct) those same bylaws REQUIRE (AMYA) classes to hold at least one National championship event each year. Thus, I don’t feel like I’m out-of-line for questioning the fairness in how bylaws are followed … or not. In the meantime, I wait for a Nationals event for the open class - an experience “promised” (implied) by the bylaws you suggest. In the meantime, as I wait, perhaps the Open Class could continue to ignore the bylaws and suspend any registrations for boats in the Open Class. A double-standard perhaps?