The Best Boat Regatta | Share Your Experience

[Sportin' Wood]

What is your best Boat Regatta memory? @angiebaby were talking about some of the great times we had in the mid 2000s attending the Classic Boat Beach Bash and the Hallett Regatta's.

For me the Classic Boat Beach Bash's at the Avi were some of the best times. We met so many fun people at those events. Times in the bar, the shenanigans and just bench racing in the parking lot all come to mind. It was some of the best times just hanging out on the beach with a bunch of like-minded individuals who all shared a love of old performance boats.

The Hallett Regatta gets a solid runner up for how the Hallett team helped gets boats off the water and organized the launch ramp when a storm hit lake Mead and turned it into an ocean. No matter what size or age Hallett, they treated everyone very well.

The Lake Mojave Dam run's while not an official regatta also was a fun time.

What is your favorite memory from a Regatta? What made it memorable?

 

[steamin rice]

For me, the best overall experience at a regatta was probably the RiverRacerX regatta sometime around 2003 or so in Havasu. It was open to all boats and was a great laid back event. There was a raft up and everyone had a good time, no drama just people enjoying the day.

A few years ago some people coordinated an unofficial Shockwave regatta (notta regatta) that was also a good experience. It was an informal lunch run to pirates and everyone spent some time on the beach.

 

[Backlash]

Two stand out to me.

Ultra Custom Boats regatta at the Avi when JW was running the show, and the Howard Custom Boats regatta in Havasu when Gene was still alive. Both were great for different reasons.

 

[FreeBird236]

We went to several of the Eliminator regattas, and they were all great, but 2009 stands out a little bit.

 

[85RiverRAT]

Lake Mead Hallett Regatta's for sure were amazing. 100's of boats lining Boulder Beach at the crack of dawn, 100+mile poker runs, hanging out on Hallett Beach, In-n-out truck in the park, live music. We were top finishers two years in a row, had some good hands.

@Hammer has made HIH a major event, more then known now as one of the top representations of West Coast boat brands, and as an annual "un-official" regatta. We always enjoy that weekend. Lots of fun.

 

[CommanderLee]

Classic Boat Beach Bash was awesome as you said. The entire deal was super cool and fun. I wish it could happen again.

 

[HNL2LHC]

Sadly I have only been to the last two Hallett regattas. Had a great time but it was just the wife and myself. We were able to connect with @BUDMAN this past year. Maybe you @Sportin' Wood and @angiebaby should join us this year.

 

[pixrthis]

The Lavey Craft regattas at Mead were a great time.

 

[Hammer]

Lake Mead Hallett Regatta's for sure were amazing. 100's of boats lining Boulder Beach at the crack of dawn, 100+mile poker runs, hanging out on Hallett Beach, In-n-out truck in the park, live music. We were top finishers two years in a row, had some good hands.

@Hammer has made HIH a major event, more then known now as one of the top representations of West Coast boat brands, and as an annual "un-official" regatta. We always enjoy that weekend. Lots of fun.

We are doing an "un-official" mead meet up in August.

Thanks for the kind words. Its been 9 years running now.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Sadly I have only been to the last two Hallett regattas. Had a great time but it was just the wife and myself. We were able to connect with @BUDMAN this past year. Maybe you @Sportin' Wood and @angiebaby should join us this year.


View attachment 1384955

Just need an invite.

 

[RiverDave]

We are doing an "un-official" mead meet up in August.

Thanks for the kind words. Its been 9 years running now.

Oh good I can make that one!

 

[Hammer]

Just need an invite.

Consider this your invitation! KOH honorary guests!

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Consider this your invitation! KOH honorary guests!

We are great boat bitches.

 

[Hammer]

What is your best Boat Regatta memory? @angiebaby were talking about some of the great times we had in the mid 2000s attending the Classic Boat Beach Bash and the Hallett Regatta's.

For me the Classic Boat Beach Bash's at the Avi were some of the best times. We met so many fun people at those events. Times in the bar, the shenanigans and just bench racing in the parking lot all come to mind. It was some of the best times just hanging out on the beach with a bunch of like-minded individuals who all shared a love of old performance boats.

The Hallett Regatta gets a solid runner up for how the Hallett team helped gets boats off the water and organized the launch ramp when a storm hit lake Mead and turned it into an ocean. No matter what size or age Hallett, they treated everyone very well.

The Lake Mojave Dam run's while not an official regatta also was a fun time.

What is your favorite memory from a Regatta? What made it memorable?

My most memorable was HIH year#1.... I had no clue if anyone was going to come or what I had gotten myself into. No registration really, just paypal and cash for shirts. I was stretched out financially on apparel and vendor costs hoping I'd at least break even.

My wife was pregnant with our first child together and I was in our Vector nervous as hell about the rough water we were going to endure all weekend..

I had a contract with Havasu Springs for breakfast at the Outer Harbor (Still my #1 favorite banquet spot for regattas) , I misunderstood the contract and thought they'd charge each attendee as they walked in.... NOPE! They handed me a fat bill( I'm pretty sure thats the manager handing me the bill on the left side of the photo) at the end and @YoPengo, my wife and a few others went around asking for donations to cover the tab, which we did. I was so embarrassed and my wife was pissed. .

I remember when I flagged the last boat out of Thompson Bay for the helo shoot clear as day... As I watched a sea of boats heading south with a helo in chase all I could think was, holy shit..... I did it. I may have teared up a little.

This Photo by @Tommy Gun Images pretty much sums it up. Photo gear in the middle of the seats trimmed up headed north from the springs. Crazy how time flies, my life and HIH has changed so much since this picture was taken. Both Tom and HIH have grown immensely since.

 

[Hammer]

We are great boat bitches.

@River Dave has plenty of room in his new boat! J/K, shoot me a PM and we can figure something out ! October 11th-12th.....

 

[havasuhusker]

I've only been to one. It was the Playcraft Regatta. Probably around 2002-2003. My whole family was there - mom, dad, brother and his family, my then GF(now wife) and stepson. We had an absolute blast! I remember the owner of PC brought a toon w/two motors hanging off the back - a big deal at the time, now the norm. Just hanging w/other people, the helo shots, the poker run, dinners, hanging w/family....just great, great memories!

 

[Riverhound 2.0]

The best one for us was RiverRacerX, my wife's restaurant was even one of the event sponsors. Chris was great, the participants were laid-back, and everyone had a great time. OP6C was awesome but for very different reasons.

 

[X Hoser]

We went to several of the Eliminator regattas, and they were all great, but 2009 stands out a little bit. View attachment 1384948 View attachment 1384948

Bob Leach’s Regattas in the early to mid 2000’s were great. Made many of them and always a great time.

 

[boatnam2]

Hard to beat the 93 ultra regatta, just so many layers of fuckery, dam it was fun!

 

[rrrr]

We had a blast in 2004 at CCCB IV, and met some great people.

The gathering at Plowman's Creek Park on the Brazos every October was a huge amount of fun for years. The TP&W rangers and local cops ended that when a jet boat ran up on shore about 8'. No one was hurt, it wasn't a big deal at all. As a result, and in collusion with the Corps of Engineers, a years long tradition was killed.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

ThOP6C was awesome but for very different reasons.

I thought there was a rule about talking about OP6C? That was a party.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

Despite having a history with Bob Leach and Eliminator Boats in the family since before I was born, I’ve never been to an Eliminator regatta.

Wouldn’t make much sense to go to another manufacturer’s regatta, and I won’t go to an Eliminator regatta now (under new management) so really don’t know what I’d do in the future.

So for me, the best gathering of boats wasnt a regatta but the ski racing nationals down in Mission Bay in the 90’s. Tons of boats, multinational teams, hot chicks who could ski and parties all around. It was awesome.

 

[Sharp Shooter]

The first "non race" regatta I attended was the Hot Boat Regatta back in the early or mid 90's on Havasu. I'd have to dig up an old flyer for the exact date. After that, I went to so many (mostly v-drive) regatta's I'm not sure I could pick just one favorite.

Idaho Regatta

 

[HNL2LHC]

Just need an invite.

Jeff you guys are ALWAYS invited. You are the only one that was willing to jump in the boat that crisp December morning 2 years ago. Just let us know when you are in town. And if you are there during the regatta let’s plan on it.

 

[mash on it]

The Avi.
Mother's Day.
The blender incident.
Good times.

Dan'l

 

[Tommy Gun Images]

My most memorable was HIH year#1.... I had no clue if anyone was going to come or what I had gotten myself into. No registration really, just paypal and cash for shirts. I was stretched out financially on apparel and vendor costs hoping I'd at least break even.

My wife was pregnant with our first child together and I was in our Vector nervous as hell about the rough water we were going to endure all weekend..

I had a contract with Havasu Springs for breakfast at the Outer Harbor (Still my #1 favorite banquet spot for regattas) , I misunderstood the contract and thought they'd charge each attendee as they walked in.... NOPE! They handed me a fat bill( I'm pretty sure thats the manager handing me the bill on the left side of the photo) at the end and @YoPengo, my wife and a few others went around asking for donations to cover the tab, which we did. I was so embarrassed and my wife was pissed. .

View attachment 1385036

I remember when I flagged the last boat out of Thompson Bay for the helo shoot clear as day... As I watched a sea of boats heading south with a helo in chase all I could think was, holy shit..... I did it. I may have teared up a little.

View attachment 1385040
This Photo by @Tommy Gun Images pretty much sums it up. Photo gear in the middle of the seats trimmed up headed north from the springs. Crazy how time flies, my life and HIH has changed so much since this picture was taken. Both Tom and HIH have grown immensely since.
View attachment 1385041

This is one of my favorite ones as well! Awesome to watch you guys build such an amazing event!

 

[FreeBird236]

Bob Leach’s Regattas in the early to mid 2000’s were great. Made many of them and always a great time.

The ones put on by Eliminator and Jokers Wild Productions were some of the best, not sure if we were at the same ones. Won a lot of cool things, but never won the one I really wanted; The trip to Catalina with Bob in his 30 Eagle, or the day on Havasu in his 36 Coupe. But good times non the less.

 

[sprintcvx]

Seems to be some kind of Eliminator deal going on this weekend by the looks of all the boats in Don Laughlins casino parking lot yesterday.

 

[X Hoser]

The ones put on by Eliminator and Jokers Wild Productions were some of the best, not sure if we were at the same ones. Won a lot of cool things, but never won the one I really wanted; The trip to Catalina with Bob in his 30 Eagle, or the day on Havasu in his 36 Coupe. But good times non the less.

The first boat we bought from Bob was a new 1994 22’ Daytona. Kept it 10 years and bought a new 2004 25’ Daytona from him. Kept it 8 years also. Made a lot of the regattas in the earlier years. Always won cool stuff in the raffles. Towards the end didn’t make as many as I was injured and had a knee replacement. We were probably at many together.

 

[Hammer]

This is one of my favorite ones as well! Awesome to watch you guys build such an amazing event!

Thanks Tom. It’s been awesome watching you build your portfolio of clients as well!

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Is Camp Far West still going? Always wanted to make that one, never did.

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Seems to be some kind of Eliminator deal going on this weekend by the looks of all the boats in Don Laughlins casino parking lot yesterday.

They’re doing a Dam run today.

 

[Joe mama]

I had a blast doing the dam run in the early days. The best was when Bling Bling and 3DO were out there Running it Hard while Frenchy was also running the dog hard.lol

 

[coolchange]

circa ‘82?

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Jeff you guys are ALWAYS invited. You are the only one that was willing to jump in the boat that crisp December morning 2 years ago. Just let us know when you are in town. And if you are there during the regatta let’s plan on it.

We should be back in LHC early Oct as long as there is no civil unrest.

 

[HNL2LHC]

We should be back in LHC early Oct as long as there is no civil unrest.

Alright then you should be in town for Halletts in Havasu. I have to be in Hawaii on the 13th. I will fly back for the week before and the HIH weekend if you guy want to do it. Let me know and we will sign up for the event.

 

[JFMFG]

Fine I’ll say it RDP regatta 2024

 

[Sportin' Wood]

Alright then you should be in town for Halletts in Havasu. I have to be in Hawaii on the 13th. I will fly back for the week before and the HIH weekend if you guy want to do it. Let me know and we will sign up for the event.

The political climate will influence our return dates this season. I'm hopefully our abundance of caution is unwarranted. Oct 1st is our move in date at Islander. Oct is the best month for weather.

 

[Sportin' Wood]

What I'm perceiving from the comments is, what made these experiences great was the opportunity for like-minded individuals to assemble and share a common interest. Not necessarily the individual features of the event, but more the by-products of what became of the gathering.

I would say it that rings true for most events. The Regatta was just the excuse to get people together and the memories are what are made from that opportunity. The manufacture regattas in particular seem like a great way to show appreciation and build community. I have to imagine it helped with boat sales as well.

@angiebaby & I have been associated with this community for over twenty years starting with Hotboat forums in 2001 and attending CBBB which introduced us to tons of great people and spinning off to multiple forums during and after Hotboat unraveled. I think I met @RiverDave at a Meet and Greet in San Diego.

Yea, what makes my favorite memories is the people you connect with. As I sit here on a Sunday morning enjoying coffee and the view, I'm grateful for all the people that have kept this culture going. The arguing about current events is always going to be the undercurrent of an online community, but the gold is found in the opportunity to connect with good people.

Thanks everyone, for the opportunity.

 

[Riverhound 2.0]

I thought there was a rule about talking about OP6C? That was a party.

I think we've passed the classified period. We can admit it existed, but the inner workings are highly classified to protect the not-so-innocent,

 

[YoPengo]

My most memorable was HIH year#1.... I had no clue if anyone was going to come or what I had gotten myself into. No registration really, just paypal and cash for shirts. I was stretched out financially on apparel and vendor costs hoping I'd at least break even.

My wife was pregnant with our first child together and I was in our Vector nervous as hell about the rough water we were going to endure all weekend..

I had a contract with Havasu Springs for breakfast at the Outer Harbor (Still my #1 favorite banquet spot for regattas) , I misunderstood the contract and thought they'd charge each attendee as they walked in.... NOPE! They handed me a fat bill( I'm pretty sure thats the manager handing me the bill on the left side of the photo) at the end and @YoPengo, my wife and a few others went around asking for donations to cover the tab, which we did. I was so embarrassed and my wife was pissed. .

View attachment 1385036

I remember when I flagged the last boat out of Thompson Bay for the helo shoot clear as day... As I watched a sea of boats heading south with a helo in chase all I could think was, holy shit..... I did it. I may have teared up a little.

View attachment 1385040
This Photo by @Tommy Gun Images pretty much sums it up. Photo gear in the middle of the seats trimmed up headed north from the springs. Crazy how time flies, my life and HIH has changed so much since this picture was taken. Both Tom and HIH have grown immensely since.
View attachment 1385041

The amount of work you and Mrs. Hammer have put into these events is incredible. Those were great times and I miss them. I look at boat ads everyday (Looking for a deal) and someday I'll get back to a HIH event. I'm lucky to have friends that have boats. Find me a seat for my girl and I and I'll make the trip to HIH 2024.

 

[Racey]

The OG Hallett Regattas on Mead were unmatched. The boating, Poker Run, and After Parties were all next level.

 

[Hammer]

The amount of work you and Mrs. Hammer have put into these events is incredible. Those were great times and I miss them. I look at boat ads everyday (Looking for a deal) and someday I'll get back to a HIH event. I'm lucky to have friends that have boats. Find me a seat for my girl and I and I'll make the trip to HIH 2024.

Are you back in AZ? I'm sure we can figure something out. It's crazy what this has grown into......

 

[twocents]

The OG Hallett Regattas on Mead were unmatched. The boating, Poker Run, and After Parties were all next level.

I agree -- I've probably attended over a dozen different boat manufacturer regattas over the years, but I think that Hallett did it the best. Nick Barron always enlisted my assistance in planning and organizing his regattas (which only happened every other year) along with his regular company staff and a few other close friends. It was Nick's desire to make those Lake Mead Hallett Regattas as much of an appreciation celebration for his customers as possible. Everything was almost free to attendees (I believe the evening bar was a no host and the poker run cost a few bucks to enter) -- other than that the In N Out truck catered dinners (free) at the after party which was either at the Boulder Airport (in a couple of hangars) or at (Ron) Pratte Field up in town. If poker runners got hungry during the card chase, Hallett set up a BBQ for free burgers, hot dogs and drinks on a convenient beach at the halfway point. Entertainment at the dinner that night was provided by Vegas professionals (comedy by Shalom Sherman and puppeteer Jim Mouth). My job on Regatta day was to take as many action/boat pix of Halletts (usually able to capture about 100 boats) on the water from a helicopter as possible. I usually spent 2 to 2.5 hours in the air with the doors off during the poker run. As soon as we touched down I sped off to a local photo lab, developed close to 500 images (back in those days I was still shooting film) with 5 x 7 prints of each shot and included the negatives so people could make their own enlargements later. The entire event was quite a production.

 

[YoPengo]

Are you back in AZ? I'm sure we can figure something out. It's crazy what this has grown into......

I'm single and living in Tucson.