Back in 2014 we hosted the inaugural Mini Boat Madness Show & Shine at the Avi Resort & Casino, on the Colorado River near Laughlin, NV. The get together was part of a larger “Big Boys Toys” event, which hosted a gathering of hot rods, hot boats and various other toys. The main event was fairly well attended and if memory serves, we had 5 or 6 mini entered in the Show & Shine. We considered it a success that anyone showed up and had high hopes for future events.

After the dust settled, we ran through the numbers and confirmed what we already knew – from a financial perspective, we lost our ass! This was the result of a variety of factors and we considered it to be a lesson learned. Moving forward, we decided to avoid some of the pitfalls that cost us dearly and double down on the aspects that proved to be productive and beneficial.

Over the course of the next few years, we made several attempts to organize another Mini Boat Madness event. We considered a variety of formats, including racing events, traditional regatta formats and a simple Show & Shine repeat. We encountered a variety of obstacles when trying to organize MBM 2.0. Insurance requirements and permitting for racing and other on-the-water events proved to be cost prohibitive. Venues capable of hosting this type of event are somewhat limited, and sponsorship/attendance committments were questionable at best. Many can talk the talk, but walking the walk is a different story. Getting another Mini Boat Madness event going was proving to be a daunting task.

So here we are, one month in to 2019 and the itch is still there to gather a group of mini boats and owners together for some Madness! After mulling this over for a few years, we’ve decided to just go with an informal “get together” format and see what happens. We pretty confidant that if a group of mini boat freaks get together in one place at the same time, Madness is sure to follow! The plan is cautiously tentative at this time and likely to evolve as we move forward. So here’s the preliminary sketch of what Mini Boat Madness 2019 might look like:

• Fall 2019 – September or October
• Lake Havasu Arizona location
• Show & Shine
• Channel Cruise
• Saturday night BBQ or dinner get together
• No entry fee

Preliminary discussions are already underway to put this event together and we have high hopes for success. We know that Lake Havasu is a long haul for many of you, which is why we’ve chosen to start the ball rolling early in the year. We’re looking at 8 to 9 months of fair warning, which we hope will give us time to put a good program together and allow those wanting to attend to schedule accordingly.

We’re looking for feedback from those of you that have any interest in attending a Mini Boat Madness event, so please reach out and let us know what you think. Call, email or comment here on the blog, on Facebook or whatever. As we progress, we’ll post updates and keep everyone up to speed. Fingers are crossed that we can get this off the ground in 2019!