If you’ve been keeping an eye on what’s going on with ERCU, and have been interested in joining, you could make it your New Year’s Resolution to join the club, and accomplish it now!

We’ve just added a page to our website with all of the information about how to join the club, including easy links to the forms you’ll need and to the rules test.

You can find the page by clicking here. We hope to have the opportunity to meet you and welcome you to the club very soon!

West Coast Custom Boats has added six boats to the ERCU For Sale page. It’s a good time to check out these boats if you’re interested in joining ERCU, and getting ready for the 2012 season and beyond.

Prices are great and these are proven, high quality hulls.

For more information, check out our For Sale page, by clicking here.

As the two companies prepare for boat sales and shipping at the Miami International Boat Show, Peters & May USA – one of ERCU’s top sponsors – has been awarded the contract to manage the freight forwarding and boat transport for the Brunswick Boat Group (BBG) brands of Bayliner and Trophy boats. During a comprehensive selection process, BBG approached several freight forwarders and specialist boat transport companies before choosing Peters & May for its commitment to delivering a first class service, while maintaining a competitive pricing structure.

“Brunswick Boat Group is a very important boat manufacturer in international shipping,” said Peters & May USA General Manager Anna Colavitti, “and this agreement demonstrates that BBG values our unique experience specializing in boat and yacht shipping. Our 30 years of experience along with our global network of offices and agents is what gives us the ability to provide solutions to our customers’ needs that other forwarders just can’t match.”

International Bayliner and Trophy dealers will be able to discuss shipments directly with a dedicated Account Handler and also use our WEBTRACK system to track and trace their shipments online.

Peters & May’s network of offices, including those in the UK, Asia, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Spain, Turkey and the UAE, will assist with the imports, while the USA office will handle all the exports from the USA.

Peters & May representatives from both sides of the Atlantic will be on hand at the Miami International Boat Show (Booth E54) to quote shipping rates for boaters and its stable of prestige boat brand already enjoying the company’s full service freight forwarding expertise.

Also at Miami, boat racing fans will be able to meet two highly accomplished racers who rely on Peters & May to get their boats and equipment to venues around the world, usually on extremely tight time lines. Unlimited Hydroplane driver JW Myers and Offshore racing legend Nigel Hook will be on hand on Friday, Feb. 17 and Saturday, Feb. 18 from 2-3 p.m. each day greeting fans and signing autographs.

Peters & May Racing sponsors both Myers & Hook, along with many others, in what CEO David Holley calls “Marketing partnerships that truly exemplify the service levels we offer.” Peters & May has been shipping for race series and individual race teams for years, and Holley says the sport often produces great challenges beyond the race course. “Race teams often operate down to the wire on timing for a variety of reasons, or require emergency shipments of replacement parts and equipment. Racing provides us very high profile illustrations of the skills we bring to the shipping business as a whole and gives us a sense of satisfaction in knowing that we are helping racers of all levels achieve their goals”.

Company Profile

Peters & May has over 30 years experience in global boat transportation and freight forwarding via air, road, rail and sea from a global network of offices and exclusive agencies.  The company ships on average 6,000 vessels each year through more than 150 ports in over 60 countries.

Peters & May is the preferred transporter for many of the leading marine manufacturers and associated businesses, including Brunswick Boat Group, Sunseeker, Viking Yachts, Correct Craft & the UIM and regularly works with Beneteau, Oyster, Lewmar, Fairline Boats, Henri Lloyd, Lagoon and many others. For more information regarding the company, please visit www.petersandmay.com.

Just a day after Nelson Holmberg was “showing off” his new GoPro camera, and his intent for using it on his 2010 Formula Boats model, he was out testing at Horseshoe Lake Park. After getting home, the video was vetted, then edited together into this 3-minute video to be shared with the members of ERCU.

Enjoy.

On Saturday, Feb. 11, hydroplane racing fans will have the opportunity to join Unlimiteds Unanimous in celebrating the life and memories of Roger “The Czar” Newton by participating in and attending the fourth annual Roger Newton Memorial RC Boat Show.

ERCU will have a presence, as will at least four other clubs from across the Pacific Northwest, showing models in all states of preparation for the 2012 racing season.

As part of the celebration, Unlimiteds Unanimous – which publishes the Unlimited News Journal – and Newton Marine, Roger’s company that’s been carried on by Roger’s son David, has dug a two-part interview with The Czar out of the archives to share with everyone.

If you’d like to read the two-issue series, “It’s just a Big Model”, you can download PDF’s the UNJ issues by clicking here (Part 1), and here (Part 2). These copies were provided by Newton Marine, and they’re also available on the company’s blog.

The Roger Newton Memorial RC Boat Show runs from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent.

Kerry Kjos' Miss Thriftway and John Earnest's Gale V on display at last year's Roger Newton RC Boat Show.

Bob Senior has been reminding us for months, so there’s really no excuse.

Just don’t miss the 4th Annual Roger Newton Memorial RC Boat Show presented by Unlimiteds Unanimous.

This year’s event is set for Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent.

The show will run from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (with setup beginning at 10 a.m.) and each modeler is asked to pay a $5 fee to participate in the show and should bring their own display tables.

Unlimiteds Unanimous – publishers of the Unlimited News Journal (www.unlimitedsnewsjournal.net), which is now online and free – is again sponsoring the event and will have its monthly meeting during the day at the museum.

In recent years, at least four clubs from around the Pacific Northwest have participated in this event, giving model hydroplane enthusiasts and hydro racing fans who appreciate the scale appearance and technical specs of our boats an opportunity to visit and bench race just weeks before the start of the racing season.

More than 50 scale hydroplanes are expected to be on display alongside some of the great real hydroplanes from years gone by, including the 1982 Atlas Van Lines (and the 1977 Blue Blaster in the restoration shop), three Miss Budweisers, an Oh Boy! Oberto, Miss Burien and the Miss Wahoo.

A pizza lunch will be available. For those who don’t already know, the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum is located at 5917 South 196th Street in Kent. Directions can be found on the museum’s website at www.thunderboats.org.

For more information, contact the Museum office at (206) 764-9453.

The Himax 3630-1500, now available at Hobbies Unlimited in Portland.

PORTLAND – Hobbies Unlimited, sponsor of the Oregon Emerald Cup in 2011, now carries Himax motors used by all members of ERCU, and one of the legal motors under the NAMBA rules for 1/10-scale unlimiteds.

Ted Meyer, owner of Hobbies Unlimited, said he’s retailing the motors for $78.95 a piece at his store and that he’s got several in stock right now after having just taken his first delivery from MPI.

Hobbies Unlimited is located at: 4503 N. Interstate Ave., Portland, OR 97217. The phone number is 503-287-4090. Hobbies Unlimited can be reached via email, too, at TedsHobbies@gmail.com. Their website is: www.tedshobbies.com.

The year 2003 was a year of much news.

• The war in Iraq started
• Bob Hope passed away
• The Space Shuttle Columbia was lost on re-entry
• Utah’s Elizabeth Smart was found

And while all of those things were happening, a bunch of dedicated individuals, including Roger Newton, put in a lot of hard work a decade ago to get ERCU started.

This year, the world’s largest 1/10-scale hydroplane racing club, celebrates its 10th anniversary.

We’ll celebrate the year by participating in the NAMBA Triple Crown series, hosting 13 of our own important races, introducing as many as four new race sites, and making our “guest racer” rules and membership requirements a little more friendly for those who just want to come race with us.

We’ll also be handing out information at each of the racesites and encouraging others to take a closer look at ERCU, and 1/10-scale fast electric unlimited hydroplanes.

To our founding members, thank you for everything you did a decade ago and for what you continue to do.

The Northwest Triple Crown Series is a set of three regional points races that will be run using the current hull specifications for electric 1/10-scale unlimited hydroplane as stated in the NAMBA Official Rule Book.

Race formats and rules will be set in the spirit of club racing with clarifications to be given at the mandatory drivers meeting at 10:30 a.m. on the day of each event. A registration fee of $5 per boat will be charged. Registration and testing will begin at approximately 9 a.m. The regional races are open to everyone.

Drivers who are not known to be qualified to drive 1/10-scale electric hydroplanes in an organized club may be asked to demonstrate acceptable driving control before being allowed to drive in a heat. Racing will begin at 11 a.m.

The series will consist of annual Spring, Summer, and Fall regional races, preferably hosted by area clubs. Each regional race will have its own awards in both the vintage and the modern class. NAMBA membership or single event insurance is required to compete in TCS events.

Cumulative series points will be kept during each regional race. The vintage and modern boat with the highest point total at the end of the three regional races will win the Series Championship Award in their respective classes.

The goal of the Triple Crown Series is to further promote 1/10-scale electric hydroplane racing by creating an opportunity beyond club affiliated events. In doing so, we strive to foster the sportsmanship and camaraderie that our common interest brings. With the help of sponsors and other hobbiests, we hope to continue this series for years to come. We invite you to join in the fun!