Fall 2011 Brass Bell

Al Benton · Post by **Al Benton** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:49 pm

The Fall 2011 Brass Bell is available for viewing on-line in PDF version. Go To Club Business (the Members Only area) of Boat Buzz to download the issue. You must be logged in to view it.

Enjoy!

63constellation · Post by **63constellation** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:06 pm

Thanks,Al

drrot · Post by **drrot** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 7:41 am

Looks like a HUGE step forward. Way to go Board

Don Ayers · Post by **Don Ayers** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 8:15 am

Thanks Jim;

It takes a whole team to make it happen.

The Bell is off to a new printer this week. The guy that owns the company is a club member and we look forward to working with him.

In a couple of weeks the Bell will be hitting mail boxes.

We are starting Issue One of 2012 now.

Parishdc · Post by **Parishdc** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:22 am

As a new member, I have to say I joined in spite of the obvious turmoil. As in any volunteer organization, there have to be rules and regulation. The buck stops somewhere.

It looks as if we are headed in a good direction, and I really want to have the resources the club provides. Will I ever show my little 54 Sportsman? No, I will ride in it and preserve it for my kids. But you are talking to a guy that has a 48 Willys and a 78 Beetle convertible and an 1869 farm house to live in. I like to rebuild and restore old stuff and make it run well and USE IT.

I have already gotten great answers fro the Boat Buzz, and will continue to pay my dues and try to participate. Thanks for all of the work. I like the new issue, but of course I can't wait for the mailed edition. Old school, you know.

Dave

Don Vogt · Post by **Don Vogt** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 9:57 am

thanks, much, we appreciate the support!

DLKster · Post by **DLKster** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:45 am

I second what Al Benton has said: Everyone should read the "FROM THE CLUB" message which I am posting below, and then try to imagine the depth of the hole those who stepped forward found themselves in and had to dig themselves out of to get the Club back to this point. Even this "From the Club" message does not tell the whole story of all that has been going on and all the loose ends and all the brush fires that had to be put out since December, I am sure.

Maybe they didn't do everything exactly to everyone's liking, and maybe not fast enough to suit everyone, but the Club has survived what could have been a death knell, and every one of these guys deserves a tremendous amount of credit and the appreciation of everyone in the hobby.

Dave
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM THE CLUB

In February 2012, a core group of passionate Chris-Craft Antique Boat
Club members came together with a singular mission in mind: restore the
confidence of the membership, resume membership benefits, and establish
new governance for the future of the Club with full transparency, accountability,
and sustainability. The newly appointed Board of Directors exists
solely to accomplish this mission and has made great strides within the past
months as evidenced by the reissue of The Brass Bell. There is no “I” in team,
and that has never been truer concerning the recent challenges faced by the
new Board and a handful of dedicated volunteers. The entire membership
owes a great deal of gratitude to the key volunteers who stepped forward to
resurrect the Club. Please join the Board in recognizing the following
individuals for their contributions: Matt Bryne, Chad Durren, Mark
Christensen, John Stolte, and Matt Fine.

After further review it was the Board’s opinion that change was a necessity
as the extremely insular approach which former club management adopted
had left the administration and operational infrastructure of the Club in
tatters, with financial and board oversight totally absent. The Club’s finances
appeared to be mishandled to the extent that there was less than $1000 in
the bank account on the date the new Board assumed control. A number of
financial and operational anomalies were observed in several of the Club’s
bank accounts, as well as no tax return filings since 2009.

To date there has been no acknowledgement—despite numerous direct
requests— for essential bookkeeping or financial records that would help
explain these fiscal oddities by the former management. The Board is also
attempting to regain possession of the Club’s physical property, which
includes not only all financial and tax records, but hard copies of the archives,
as well as other possessions of significant value. We shall continue to pursue
restitution with as much vigor as we can marshal.

The Club clearly was not operating in accordance with either the laws of
Florida or its own articles of incorporation. Allowing this to continue would,
without question, have been fatal and would have shortly ended the long
history of the oldest and largest enthusiast marque club within the classic
boating avocation. Decisive action had to be taken and will continue until
the new Board has established the openness, transparency, and accountability
the membership deserves.

On behalf of the Board, we thank all those who have come forward with
words of encouragement and support and look forward to blazing this new
trail in the Club’s history with you all.

Best regards,
2012 Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club Board of Directors

Don Ayers, Paul Harrison, Don Vogt, Al Benton

kleiner · Post by **kleiner** » Wed Jun 06, 2012 9:37 pm

That is quite a different story than we had previously been told by members of the Board of Directors in the CCABC Business section.

RRGadow · Post by **RRGadow** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:00 pm

DLKster wrote:I second what Al Benton has said: Everyone should read the "FROM THE CLUB" message which I am posting below, and then try to imagine the depth of the hole those who stepped forward found themselves in and had to dig themselves out of to get the Club back to this point. Even this "From the Club" message does not tell the whole story of all that has been going on and all the loose ends and all the brush fires that had to be put out since December, I am sure.

Maybe they didn't do everything exactly to everyone's liking, and maybe not fast enough to suit everyone, but the Club has survived what could have been a death knell, and every one of these guys deserves a tremendous amount of credit and the appreciation of everyone in the hobby.

Dave
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FROM THE CLUB

In February 2012, a core group of passionate Chris-Craft Antique Boat
Club members came together with a singular mission in mind: restore the
confidence of the membership, resume membership benefits, and establish
new governance for the future of the Club with full transparency, accountability,
and sustainability. The newly appointed Board of Directors exists
solely to accomplish this mission and has made great strides within the past
months as evidenced by the reissue of The Brass Bell. There is no “I” in team,
and that has never been truer concerning the recent challenges faced by the
new Board and a handful of dedicated volunteers. The entire membership
owes a great deal of gratitude to the key volunteers who stepped forward to
resurrect the Club. Please join the Board in recognizing the following
individuals for their contributions: Matt Bryne, Chad Durren, Mark
Christensen, John Stolte, and Matt Fine.

After further review it was the Board’s opinion that change was a necessity
as the extremely insular approach which former club management adopted
had left the administration and operational infrastructure of the Club in
tatters, with financial and board oversight totally absent. The Club’s finances
appeared to be mishandled to the extent that there was less than $1000 in
the bank account on the date the new Board assumed control. A number of
financial and operational anomalies were observed in several of the Club’s
bank accounts, as well as no tax return filings since 2009.

To date there has been no acknowledgement—despite numerous direct
requests— for essential bookkeeping or financial records that would help
explain these fiscal oddities by the former management. The Board is also
attempting to regain possession of the Club’s physical property, which
includes not only all financial and tax records, but hard copies of the archives,
as well as other possessions of significant value. We shall continue to pursue
restitution with as much vigor as we can marshal.

The Club clearly was not operating in accordance with either the laws of
Florida or its own articles of incorporation. Allowing this to continue would,
without question, have been fatal and would have shortly ended the long
history of the oldest and largest enthusiast marque club within the classic
boating avocation. Decisive action had to be taken and will continue until
the new Board has established the openness, transparency, and accountability
the membership deserves.

On behalf of the Board, we thank all those who have come forward with
words of encouragement and support and look forward to blazing this new
trail in the Club’s history with you all.

Best regards,
2012 Chris-Craft Antique Boat Club Board of Directors

Don Ayers, Paul Harrison, Don Vogt, Al Benton

I feel this is in pretty bad taste to not only bring this stuff up,but to actually repost it in the public section!All these are accusations from a small group of guys..and hasnt been brought to the club.....hell, im more concerned that we have a self appointed President that doesnt even own a Chris Craft!!

JohnKadimik · Post by **JohnKadimik** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 3:02 pm

YES !

mfine · Post by **mfine** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 4:33 pm

RRGadow wrote: I feel this is in pretty bad taste to not only bring this stuff up,but to actually repost it in the public section!All these are accusations from a small group of guys..and hasnt been brought to the club.....hell, im more concerned that we have a self appointed President that doesnt even own a Chris Craft!!

While I agree this should not have been posted here in the public section and I hope it gets cleaned up, at some point, the membership needs to be informed of the situation. The whole story is has not been made public yet, in fact the board does not know the whole story yet. There are things that have been kept private and will remain private for some time, and for good reasons.

Rest assured none of the current board members, voluteers or officers is self appointed or acting on their own. This is a group effort. No one involved is getting any benefit from their service to the club. In fact they are making a tremendous sacrifice to save the club we believe in. The current board members are taking on significant personal risks in addition to the time and effort they are putting in, and deserve the utmost praise and thanks from the membership. Please be patient and understand that the board cannot act as quickly as they like or be as forthcoming as they like due to circumstances beyond their control. Things will get better and more open soon.

RRGadow · Post by **RRGadow** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 5:47 pm

mfine wrote:
RRGadow wrote: I feel this is in pretty bad taste to not only bring this stuff up,but to actually repost it in the public section!All these are accusations from a small group of guys..and hasnt been brought to the club.....hell, im more concerned that we have a self appointed President that doesnt even own a Chris Craft!!
While I agree this should not have been posted here in the public section and I hope it gets cleaned up, at some point, the membership needs to be informed of the situation. The whole story is has not been made public yet, in fact the board does not know the whole story yet. There are things that have been kept private and will remain private for some time, and for good reasons.

Rest assured none of the current board members, voluteers or officers is self appointed or acting on their own. This is a group effort. No one involved is getting any benefit from their service to the club. In fact they are making a tremendous sacrifice to save the club we believe in. The current board members are taking on significant personal risks in addition to the time and effort they are putting in, and deserve the utmost praise and thanks from the membership. Please be patient and understand that the board cannot act as quickly as they like or be as forthcoming as they like due to circumstances beyond their control. Things will get better and more open soon.

Well im glad you believe all of that...and yes it is a self appointed board.

mfine · Post by **mfine** » Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:57 pm

As one of the volunteers helping the board with accounting matters, I can assure you that what I believe about the integrity and intentions of the current board and what I believe about the past leadership is based on first hand observations and backed by a considerable amount of factual evidence.

I can emphatically say, beyond any reasonable doubt, that the club is in much better hands now than a year ago.

I'll leave it at that for now.

farupp · Post by **farupp** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:05 am

I agree with mfine and I am glad that the current directors, whether self-appointed or not, agreed to get together and help save the club.

Also, I don't recall that it is stated anywhere that a club member or a director has to be a current owner of a Chris Craft. Don Ayers has proven his devotion to wooden boats and he has owned at least one Chris Craft that I know of; a 1961 Sea Skiff that he sold a couple of years ago. He may own others that we don't know about.

Keep up the good work, Al, Don, Paul and Don. I for one truly appreciate it.

Frank

Oberon01 · Post by **Oberon01** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:27 am

Thanks for the support Frank, we really appreciate it.

It is a good time to correct an incorrect impression contained in RGaddow's post - that the directors were self appointed. In fact Bill Basler appointed Ayers, Benton and Vogt, prior to resigning himself. I was asked to join roughly a month later by the existing BOD and I accepted. The original and then-current CCABC Articles of Incorporation did not allow for the population of the board by any method other than appointment by a sitting BOD member. Other than the founding members in 1971, there had never been a BOD member who was not appointed by a sitting BOD.

The new BOD has corrected this laspe in governance and the new Articles of Incorporation provide for a member-elected board and staggered terms. This will be the first time this opportunity has been available to CCABC members, and we think it is a very worthwhile and necessary step. I hope this explanation clarifies things for anyone interested.

Don Ayers · Post by **Don Ayers** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:52 am

farupp wrote:I agree with mfine and I am glad that the current directors, whether self-appointed or not, agreed to get together and help save the club.

Also, I don't recall that it is stated anywhere that a club member or a director has to be a current owner of a Chris Craft. Don Ayers has proven his devotion to wooden boats and he has owned at least one Chris Craft that I know of; a 1961 Sea Skiff that he sold a couple of years ago. He may own others that we don't know about.

Keep up the good work, Al, Don, Paul and Don. I for one truly appreciate it.

Frank

Frank, really appreciate your kind words and you are correct. Anyone who is in good standing with a membership can volunteer or hold an official position within the CCABC without having to own a Chris-Craft.

BTW here is a list off the top of my head of the CC's I've owned. I'm sure my wife does not need to be reminded of all the boats.

1962 20' Holiday
1963 20' Holiday
1951 19' Holiday
1942 17' Barrel
1940 19' Barrel
1961 23' Sea Skiff
1955 17' Cavalier
1961 19' Continental
1962 19' Golden Arrow
1941 19' Barrel Back

Crap...I better stop remembering

PS. I'm looking for a new CC but don't want to let the cat out of the bag but I have my eye on one.

Also, Terry Fiest has not owned a CC for several years, he currently owns a Stan Craft and I remember a short spell where Wilson did not have one.

mfine · Post by **mfine** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:09 am

If I am not mistaken, Don also currently owns a beautifully restored Chris Craft 283 V8 engine that will soon power his Riva. That should count for something, no?

Don Ayers · Post by **Don Ayers** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:24 am

Now this should shake things up a bit.

Here is the Legend Chris Smith sitting in my Riva Chris Craft. Yes, look at the dash...it says Riva Chris Craft.

jstolte · Post by **jstolte** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:39 am

Anybody that could suggest that Don Ayers is not a Chris-Craft guy, hasn't been paying attention...

I want one of those shirts Chris Smith is wearing

RRGadow · Post by **RRGadow** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:41 am

You guys can keep deflecting all you want...My foremost issue was with the "Hey...heres are new Brass Bell...check it out...but REALLY check out this page where we again push more allegations again the previous regime"....and then take it from the Club business and post it again public.

...I thought we were past this and going forward...but now it seems there is an agenda.

mfine · Post by **mfine** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:33 am

Answering your red-herring charge about not owning a Chris Craft is putting to bed the diversion YOU created.

As far as the allegations, you are just going to have to trust us that there is serious substance behind them. I have have the club's bank records going back to 2006 including pictures of all the cancelled checks, and I have spent the hours to go through them. I am not sure what your opinion is based on, but mine is based on a review of thousands of transactions over a 5 year period and I am damn confident I know what I am talking about.

You have to realize that there are legal ramifications to what the board says and what information is released, especially when there is personal and non-club business involved. No one is withholding anything because they want to drag this out or they want to keep secrets. Not in the least. They need to do what is best for the club and we need to accept that.

Finally, I am involved not only to help the board save the club, but most importantly to preserve it. I have a natural level of skepticism and I understand perfectly why you might have concerns about whether or not the board is acting responsibly. My primary role is to put in place an accounting system with the oversight and checks and balances to ensure that the current and future boards and officers will be accountable to the club membership. In the future you will not have to trust the board with blind faith, we will have have both membership and third party oversight. Corporate governance will not be ignored and will not be an afterthought. I make that as a promise to all current and future members, and I am confident every member of the board is 100% behind me in that promise.

Parishdc · Post by **Parishdc** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 1:52 pm

We are lucky to have people take up a cause in a thankless job. What are you going to get out of being a board member? Prestige? All expense paid trips? Free boats?

Probably none of these, and a whole lot of grief and loss of free time. If the new board does work to rectify the issues at hand and then shows their work when able, due to legal and other circumstances, then we still have a viable club, with a chance for a future. If they don't eventually show their work, then we as a membership will vote one way or another. With our money or with our feet. But it sounds like some member voting may be coming soon to this theater.

I often think of the old Groucho Marks line about clubs when I see the strife that can occur," I refuse to join any club that what have me as a member". Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies.

This discussion can be useful and cathartic, just don't take ourselves too seriously, and remember, it's a hobby. We just get wrapped up in things we love.

Thanks for the work and I hope we are here for a long time to come.
Dave

Doug P · Post by **Doug P** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 3:35 pm

GOOD JOB TO EVERYONE WHO HAS CONTRIBUTED TIME. IF ONLY ONE PERSON THANKS YOU, CONSIDER IT A JOB "WELL DONE"

Thanks

Paul P · Post by **Paul P** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:28 pm

RRGadow wrote:
I feel this is in pretty bad taste to not only bring this stuff up,but to actually repost it in the public section!All these are accusations from a small group of guys..and hasnt been brought to the club.....hell, im more concerned that we have a self appointed President that doesnt even own a Chris Craft!!

Gentlemen:

Page-5 is the worst single page published in the history of the Brass Bell.

Who-ever authored this should be pulled out of the public communications loop and given some other task that actually HELPS the organization.

Regardless of the outcome, if there are difficulties within the organization, or between individuals personally, these issues should be dealt with in a professional manner offline, and not aired on the club newsletter for God's sake.

Pau1 P1etcher

Paul P · Post by **Paul P** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:31 pm

mfine wrote:
You have to realize that there are legal ramifications to what the board says and what information is released.

I personally understand the concept, but in view of what was put in print, I wonder if the board does.

best,

P

mfine · Post by **mfine** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:24 pm

The board is ultimately responsible to the members. You may not want to know any of this or have anything become public. Other members want to know everything. No matter what the board does, some people will think they are airing too much dirty laundry and others will accuse them of being secrative. Someone has to pick the right balance and accept the responsibility for the choice.

Personally, I think the club was starting to have trust issues with a segment of the membership. Keeping the entire situation secret was not an option as I fully expect some of it will become a matter of public record. Would you rather have the membership learn about it from the new board as soon as practical, or from the press in a year or two? I think the second option would have been a disaster for the club's credibility.

There are no easy answers. The members of the board stepped forward knowing they would take the flak from all sides. If you think you can do a better job making the tough decisions and dealing with the issues, by all means step forward and volunteer, or run for a board seat yourself.

Paul P · Post by **Paul P** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 8:25 pm

Mfine,

I'm a dumb guy, I don't know who all the players are here and I guess I should know who you are personally but I don't so my comments will stand on their own without any personal bias, and most certainly without any personal ill will toward you or anyone else. I visit this site to share information and learn and I have corresponded with you through the Buzz and enjoyed the exchanges.

mfine wrote:Would you rather have the membership learn about it from the new board as soon as practical, or from the press in a year or two? I think the second option would have been a disaster for the club's credibility.

Sometimes I ask myself "why do I care", but I like the history here, the stature and character of the members and the ability to share information and learn. I would have preferred to have the board make a short public announcement advising that they are working through the issues and go about this professionally and quietly following whatever appropriate means necessary, rather than trying it in a one-sided court of public opinion. Once it was resolved, then a full report could be posted, either saying their opinion was right or wrong, as the case may be.

mfine wrote:If you think you can do a better job making the tough decisions and dealing with the issues, by all means step forward and volunteer, or run for a board seat yourself.

Careful what you wish for. I do think I can do a better job dealing with the tough issues of public relations and positive tone when communicating with the membership, if Page-5 is an example. The Edsel board of directors apparently did not have anyone who would stand up and say "no", and I will. I will volunteer to reveiw all public relations messages in the future that are released by the club, to help avoid future public relations faux pas. I promise a quick and professional turn-around too, without lame spin control, and when I make a mistake or think the board did, I will say so. If I had seen Page-5 before it was printed we would not be having THIS now. As a former elected corporate president I am very comfortable using a red pen. My first official act is to pull page-5 immediately from the Brass Bell and issue a formal retraction.

Sincerely,

Pau1 P1etcher

Additionally, I have no axe to grind here, no agenda, and I am not speaking for anyone but myself. I will try not to respond any more to this thread, unless I am challenged with what I think is an inappropriate subjective argument, and even then I may just shut up (for good). Any time you have a controversy you want to have reviewed from another perspective, I can serve as an objective sounding board and might be able to help.

mfine · Post by **mfine** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 9:31 pm

Paul,

You are certainly entitled to your view, and I think your opinion is perfectly reasonable. On the other hand, I think there are other people with equally valid and reasonable opinions who want more clarity and straight forward disclosure. I have no personal ties to the board members either, and I was not involved in the page 5 disclosure in any way. I have an opinion on how it should have been handled too, but I recognize there is no right answer. They had to make a tough decision that was going to draw flak no matter what they chose to do. They made it, and the flak is firing, and we will all hopefully move on.

The guys on the board are human and they will make mistakes. My reason for posting is to try to convey to members how these guys sticking their necks out has saved this club. I don't think people realize how bad things were, nor how much ugliness the board has had to deal with and will have to deal with going forward. They won't do a perfect job, and they are not doing everything the way I would or you would, but that is OK. It is because of them we still have a club to talk about and it is because of them that we will have the ability to elect our leaders going forward. Let's not miss the forest for the trees.

I don't want you or anyone to feel like the board is above critisism or questioning. I just hope that people can be a bit more patient and understanding, and perhaps think about the way they communicate their displeasure. I truly believe we owe these guys much more slack than we would under more normal circumstances. I also think this disclosure is a very small issue compared to the larger picture. Trust me, if someone on the new or old team is losing sleep right now, it is not because of page 5 in the Bell.

Chad Durren · Post by **Chad Durren** » Fri Jun 08, 2012 10:32 pm

I'm losing sleep over page 24. Do the Ploetners have an airplane hanger full of killer boats somewhere? I need the address.

Also, Peter Henkel's black and white ad at the bottom of page 23 is little blah. It needs a little more "pizazz".

Oh, and on the bottom of page 7 - Fine Wood Boat's ad. I love how Jim just piles a bunch of parts on a table and takes a photo... At least they're shiny, new parts. You should see all the old, crusty parts he carries.

drrot · Post by **drrot** » Sat Jun 09, 2012 10:48 pm

Chad Durren wrote:
Oh, and on the bottom of page 7 - Fine Wood Boat's ad. I love how Jim just piles a bunch of parts on a table and takes a photo... At least they're shiny, new parts. You should see all the old, crusty parts he carries.

It's my ad agency! You get what you pay for

I took in 2 tons of scrap last week to pay for this weeks RT66 trip

Fall 2011 Brass Bell

Fall 2011 Brass Bell

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