gouvernail
Super Opinionated and Always Correct
Let me put on my hat as a past District Secretary, past North American Vice President, past certified Class Measurer, past Fleet Captain, past builder of similar one design dinghies, current sailboat repair business owner, for 37 consecutive years the host of the Easter Laser Regatta, the last person to serve as Executive Secretary of any growing North American sailboat Class of over 3100 members, and a guy who loves to play racing games on Lasers
Dear sailing buddies,
We have a problem. Our inadequate supply of toys is harming our game.
We need to begin the process of solving that problem.
We need a reliable supply of toys for our game.
Our monopoly supplier Laser Performance simply is not effectively selling its toys in North America.
“Why” is not an issue I care to address. It doesn’t matter to me.
We know the game we love to play has certain needs. The single most important need is a source of toys. New toys used to be available in my home town. Over 600 new Lasers were sold in Austin Texas before Laser Performance quit selling toys here. I don’t care why they stopped. I only care that we find a way to make toys available again.
The management of our local sailboat dealership has had bad experiences with LP’s reliability as a supplier and will not pay in advance to a supplier who has previously failed to deliver product. Our closest other dealer in Houston, 200 miles to our south has had similar complaints. If LP wants to re-enter the Austin and Houston markets, LP will need a new business model and LP will need to re-establish trust with our local dealers.
We need toys. Our game will die unless we are able to obtain toys.
The ideal solution would be LP suddenly deciding it is a simply fabulous business model to promote Laser sales through a well supported dealer network. This would include LP delivering product on time all the time on a COD basis or even financing floor plan product.
Ideally, LP wouid also financially support the racing game.
in the meantime, those of us who enjoy racing Lasers need to set up a situation where our game is no longer available as a hostage for a non-performing monopoly toy supplier.
The Laser Sailboat design is no longer something no one else can build. Like many drugs, others can manufacture and market an identical product as long as that other manufacturer does but call it by the trademarked name.
Those of us who race Lasers have always required “brand name” Lasers and parts. It was a convenient and prosperous relationship. We supported our brand name toy manufacturer and our Brand Name toy manufacturer supported our game. Recently it hasn’t been working well. We simply can’t get new toys. I don’t care why. I care that we solve our problem,
Solution step one: In order to defend against short supply by our “brand name” supplier and create options for obtaining toys, we need to remove the IP restrictions from our game.
(We can replace Laser with “Lasers and Class approved equivalent toys.”)
We can simply write up new rules and Constitutional amendments for our existing association. The removal of IP requirements would allow whatever options our new rules and amendments would describe.
As we have enjoyed the simplicity and convenience of “these guys built it and therefore it is welcome to play,” we could continue with a system of limited builder certification. (If we can entice builders)
Step one is to write up the proposals and get the voting process under way.
In the meantime, each one of us is getting closer to the end of our sailing careers and our game does not have a reliable, supportive, supplier of our toys.
Note: If our current monopoly builder sees our removal of IP requirements as as “a huge portion of our dis-satisfied clients going elsewhere” that company’s management may take the necessary steps to make us want to continue to do business with them.
and!!!
Without the self imposed “Stockholm Syndrome Inspired” rules and Constitution to keep us from finding a new supplier, our supplier would always be aware, “we must keep our customers happy or lose them.”
Let’s begin the process. Let’s write up the proposals, convince our fellow sailors on the World Council, print the ballots, and vote.
With appreciation for each of you,
Gouvernail
Dear sailing buddies,
We have a problem. Our inadequate supply of toys is harming our game.
We need to begin the process of solving that problem.
We need a reliable supply of toys for our game.
Our monopoly supplier Laser Performance simply is not effectively selling its toys in North America.
“Why” is not an issue I care to address. It doesn’t matter to me.
We know the game we love to play has certain needs. The single most important need is a source of toys. New toys used to be available in my home town. Over 600 new Lasers were sold in Austin Texas before Laser Performance quit selling toys here. I don’t care why they stopped. I only care that we find a way to make toys available again.
The management of our local sailboat dealership has had bad experiences with LP’s reliability as a supplier and will not pay in advance to a supplier who has previously failed to deliver product. Our closest other dealer in Houston, 200 miles to our south has had similar complaints. If LP wants to re-enter the Austin and Houston markets, LP will need a new business model and LP will need to re-establish trust with our local dealers.
We need toys. Our game will die unless we are able to obtain toys.
The ideal solution would be LP suddenly deciding it is a simply fabulous business model to promote Laser sales through a well supported dealer network. This would include LP delivering product on time all the time on a COD basis or even financing floor plan product.
Ideally, LP wouid also financially support the racing game.
in the meantime, those of us who enjoy racing Lasers need to set up a situation where our game is no longer available as a hostage for a non-performing monopoly toy supplier.
The Laser Sailboat design is no longer something no one else can build. Like many drugs, others can manufacture and market an identical product as long as that other manufacturer does but call it by the trademarked name.
Those of us who race Lasers have always required “brand name” Lasers and parts. It was a convenient and prosperous relationship. We supported our brand name toy manufacturer and our Brand Name toy manufacturer supported our game. Recently it hasn’t been working well. We simply can’t get new toys. I don’t care why. I care that we solve our problem,
Solution step one: In order to defend against short supply by our “brand name” supplier and create options for obtaining toys, we need to remove the IP restrictions from our game.
(We can replace Laser with “Lasers and Class approved equivalent toys.”)
We can simply write up new rules and Constitutional amendments for our existing association. The removal of IP requirements would allow whatever options our new rules and amendments would describe.
As we have enjoyed the simplicity and convenience of “these guys built it and therefore it is welcome to play,” we could continue with a system of limited builder certification. (If we can entice builders)
Step one is to write up the proposals and get the voting process under way.
In the meantime, each one of us is getting closer to the end of our sailing careers and our game does not have a reliable, supportive, supplier of our toys.
Note: If our current monopoly builder sees our removal of IP requirements as as “a huge portion of our dis-satisfied clients going elsewhere” that company’s management may take the necessary steps to make us want to continue to do business with them.
and!!!
Without the self imposed “Stockholm Syndrome Inspired” rules and Constitution to keep us from finding a new supplier, our supplier would always be aware, “we must keep our customers happy or lose them.”
Let’s begin the process. Let’s write up the proposals, convince our fellow sailors on the World Council, print the ballots, and vote.
With appreciation for each of you,
Gouvernail