Kleen Impact

The 20th annual shootout at Lake of the Ozarks, August 22-24th, was a huge success in its new location at Captain Ron’s. The 23 acre event site was well coordinated with lots of parking and golf cart rides to and from the venue location. The newly remodeled restaurant has a pirate theme modeled after a ship; including gangplanks and of course, a Captain Morgan. The outside has a swimming beach that mades a great spot for families to hang out and enjoy the festivities.

“The event has a fun Key West atmosphere to it,” Tim Kowalski, President of Bio-Kleen Products, stated in a live TV interview. As a vendor, Tim also liked how the set up was spread out over a large area to accommodate more spectators without seeming crowded. Ron Duggan (owner of Captain Ron’s), his first mate Nicole, his entire staff, family, friends, and volunteers all did a wonderful job accommodating all involved. The entertainment for the evenings included a rockin band, with a member from the band Survivor, Jimmie Jameson, performing on a barge in front of the beach.

Since the Lake Rescue Shootout began in 1988, the event has grown exponentially. It began as a way for local boat owners to establish who had the fastest vessels. As the years went by it grew by adding corporate sponsors such as Powerboat Magazine, Budweiser, AT&T and Pepsi. The proceeds from the event benefit the lake area fire departments and  water rescue units. Last year the event raised  nearly $86,000.  On Friday, the 4th annual Shootout Poker Run started out from Kelly’s Port and hit 6 participating waterfront restaurants including: Big Dick’s Halfway Inn, Captain Ron’s, Captains Galley, Frankie & Louie’s, Dog Day’s and The Horny Toad. Coconuts at the west end of the lake hosted the dinner and awards banquet for the Poker Run. Saturday and Sunday the races ran all day for thousands of cheering fans lining their boats along the course. Live television coverage of the one mile speed racing was provided for fans via large TV screens.

Shootout racing itself was not the usual Top Gun speeds that the fans are accustomed to. David Scott and John Tomlinson, in the Budweiser boat, won at a speed of 178 mph. Making it the first time since 2004 that no racer broke the 200 mph barrier. It was also the slowest time since Scott won in 2001 with a speed of 165 mph. Dave Callen in the Longlite boat who had Top Gun honors last year with a speed of 209 did not attend the event to defend his title. There were plenty of other boats, lining the docks for three straight days, with serious hardware and phenomenal paint schemes; including: The Bio-Kleen Team,  D&M Racing team, Taz, Looney Tunes, MTI’s, Donzi’s, Skaters and 70 mph pontoon boats (Wow! Take that performance boaters!). Two female racers participated in the event. Carrie in her Baja  and Carolyn Doris in a Playcraft Scorpion Pontoon boat, both winning their classes.

The new location, added events and extreme excitement certainly blew Shootout fans out of the water. Listed by Powerboat Magazine as one of the eight “must see” boating events, the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout will only continue to get better. (DK)

Check out photos from the Shootout and more HERE.

Polaris has donated the 440 IQ race sled that Ross Martin used to min two Championships in 2005. ISOC Racing will be raffling off the winning sled this year at Hay Days September 6-7, in Lino Lakes, MN. The raffle will continue on Monday, September 8, at the 2nd annual CJ Ramstad Memorial Golf Classic to be held at Forest Hills Golf Club in Forest Lake, MN. All proceeds will benefit the fund set up in honor of “Mr. Snowmobiling.” Be sure to visit their booth at Hay Days or visit www.isocracing.com for more details.

Several species of fish found in the Great Lakes have been declining in population and in size. Why? That’s exactly what researchers are trying to solve with a four-year, $560,000 grant. The initiative includes three schools - Purdue, the University of Michigan and the State University of New York - and two federal institutions.

The drop in populations is most likely linked to a decline in a major food source for the prey fish of lake whitefish, salmon, trout and walleye - diporeia. It has been on the decline since the 90s and in many areas in Lakes Erie, Huron, Michigan and Ontario it has become completely absent. The decline coincides, probably directly, with the increase and spread of zebra and quagga mussels (see Invasive Species Expansion). Other causes for the reduction in diporeia population may include “man made” pollutants such as pesticides, PCBs and flame retardants.

For now, it is all speculation until the researchers can find a link. But if something isn’t done quickly, in another 10 years, we may be talking about species extinctions in the Great Lakes…Find out more about the decline and how the sport fishing community will be effected. HERE. (BB)

There’s a new search engine in town that plans to give Google a run for their money; and boy, do they have a lot to keep track of. Beat Google?! We all have our doubts…I’m talking about cuil (cool), the “world’s biggest search engine”. It’s a brand new engine that searches a whopping 121,617,892,992 web pages! That’s 3 times that of Google and more than 10 times that of MSN. I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty good start at making your way to the top.

They seem to have a good team behind the whole concept; sprouting from some former, key architects at Google and some brand new philosophies and technology. They’re also boasting the fact that your search history is always private, analyzing the web rather than their users.

All in all, I like the look they’ve put together and when it comes down to it, they give you different (some may say better) results. I actually do prefer some of the results I’ve received.  I prefer the format of the search results, much better than the traditional “list” we’re all used to. Giving the user a different “view” on results, where you’re possibly more apt to find exactly what you’re looking for. Give it a shot, you may like it too. Besides, a little competition could be good for the industry. (BB)

Maybe many people don’t know about the small and seemingly harmless striped shells that that begin appearing at the bottom of their lakes and streams. Boaters and water enthusiasts in the Great Lakes, and unfortunately the inland lakes of the states surrounding the Great Lakes, know these small, but ever multiplying shells all too well.

What I’m speaking of is not just empty shells, but mussels; Zebra and Quaga Mussels more specifically. These species are not native to North America (but in their defense, not much that lives here now, really ever was…). They are, in fact, native to Russia’s Caspian Sea. They’ve taken many long vacations due to international shipping and subsequently have fueled their prolific spread. They were first detected in North America in the Great Lakes region in the late 1980s, traveling on ocean going ships from the Atlantic into the St. Lawrence Seaway and on into the chain of the Great Lakes. Since then the spread has been astronomical, affecting not only the Great Lakes but major US rivers including the Mississippi, Hudson, St. Lawrence, Ohio, Cumberland, Missouri, Tennessee, Colorado and Arkansas.

One thing the mussels due for the waterways is make them much cleaner and clearer, filtering the water. In reality, they are actually filtering out the algae that would be a normal food source for native organisms. They also overwhelm the local mussels, by reproducing exponentially faster, forcing them into extinction and throwing off the entire ecosystem. Their numbers have grown so much they actually clog pipelines, marinas, boatyards, docks and in some places completely cover the natural landscape, whether it be the lake bottom or the shoreline.

How they are making their way across the country is by attaching themselves to boat hulls, drives, trailers and pretty much anything that finds its way into the waters they occupy. According to the US Geological Survey, the costs associated with controlling zebra mussel expansion may soon reach an estimated $5 billion annually, and that’s just in the Great Lakes region. Now, in less than 20 years, the mussels have made their way from one US coast to the next; something a lot of humans can’t even say. Around the beginning of this year, both species of mussels were found in California and causes multiple closures to waterways.

So what can we do? Anyone with a recreational water vessel can help prevent the spread of the species. It has actually been the recreational boater that has caused a major portion of the expansion since they found their way to the US. It can be easily deduced…just look at some of the lakes where the species can be found, much too small for even large recreational boats to navigate. Boaters who trailer their boats from lakes to lake, river to river, spreading this infection each time they launch their vessel. It’s not just the boaters who travel across the country either, but even fisherman and Jet Ski owners who trailer to local lakes. So Yes! Everyone with a water vessel.

Thankfully, the steps to prevent the spread are really very easy and take little time. Simplistically put, careful inspection and a thorough washing and drying of your boat and trailer after removing it from the water: which you should be doing for regular maintenance anyway.

Now, for the specifics: The mussels can be microscopic but typically look like black pepper and feel like sandpaper to the touch. Hulls should be cleaned to remove heavy build-up and thoroughly washed, ideally with hot water and high pressure, ounce far away from fresh water. Any visible plant or animal material should be removed, and water needs to be drained from all areas, including the bilge. Cooling systems also should be flushed with fresh water, and drained as much as possible, as mussel larvae can live in this water. Both hulls and engine compartments also should be thoroughly dried. Ideally, watercraft should be kept dry for a minimum of five days before launching into any new, different body of fresh water. The same steps should be applied to your watercraft’s trailer (Hemmel, Jeff. “Invasive mussels force California closures.” Powersports Business March, 10 2008.).

Sounds like a lot of work, and maybe too much trouble? Think of the alternative - mussel infestations will close your local waterway. On the bright side, I know where you can find some fast, effective, biodegradable Marine Cleaners. (BB)

Congress recently passed the Clean Boating Act, which excludes recreational boaters and anglers from the federal and state permitting requirements under the Clean Water Act. “Excludes boats from Clean Water Act!” you say, sounds bad. Not so much. This will prevent the Fed and States from issuing unneeded fines and permits relating to water-based, non-polluting incidental discharges that occur in the normal operation of a recreational boat, such as weather deck run-off and engine coolant water. All of which are completely safe for waterways. The President has also signed the act the first of this month.

Thankfully, Congress acted swiftly to an over broad federal court decision in a case focused on commercial ship ballast water. It had originally been designed for land-based industrial facilities and ocean-going commercial ships (which I couldn’t agree with more). The unintended consequence of the decision, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, would have meant that recreational boaters would be required to follow a multitude of new rules and regulations and been exposed to fines (up to $32,500 per day, per violation) and citizen lawsuits.

I believe this is the right thing to do. Unnecessary charges and fines to recreational boaters can only further hurt the already struggling marine industry. The Great Lakes State (MI) alone saw over a 22% decrease in boating retail dollars from 2006 to 2007. That’s nothing compared to the biggest loss at 75.5% in Washington D.C.

Unfortunately, I have mixed feeling regarding the passing of other related legislation made at the same time of the Clean Boating Act. Congress has provided a suspension on permitting for commercial vessel discharges until the Environmental Protection Agency completes a review of certain incidental discharges. In my opinion, just another span of time allowing polluters to do as they please and the government turning it’s ugly head. If they could figure out how to get more perks from fining the polluters than they do otherwise, we may be able to move ahead in the right direction. (BB)

I know it’s still hotter than heck right now and most people could care less about winter, but the dedicated snowmobiliers start dreaming about snow pretty early and we in the industry know the the season’s kick off isn’t far away. Some exciting news…BOSS Racing (ski-doo) has just announced it’s participation in the newly launched International Series of Champions (ISOC). Which, of course, is the new national snocross racing circuit. We are pleased to hear the news and will be watching BOSS racing and ISOC very closely this season. Speaking of news from BOSS Racing, there are rumors of another BIG announcement. My lips are sealed but stay tuned…Read the entire press release of BOSS Racing and ISOC HERE. (BB)

The Bio-Kleen Team left Lake Havasu and headed back across Arizona. In Flagstaff, there was still snow in the high elevations. The scenery in New Mexico was a beautiful panoramic view of the sprawling flat topped mountains, petrified forests and black lava fields. As we approached Oklahoma City there were tornado warnings and we could actually see the funnel cloud in the distance. Four tornadoes touched down and there was baseball size hail-but it didn’t seem to faze the locals. The management at the hotel were nice enough to let us park under the entry awning: no damage to the boat, (whew). The weather here is intense!  We have storms in Michigan but we’ve never heard thunder that loud. Tim spent five days calling on our dealers in Oklahoma City and Tulsa with our Arrow Distributing rep John Lamb. Oklahoma is called Native America and the old west is still evident throughout the state; with cattle stockyards, the Will Rogers Museum and the Tom Mix Museum. We had lunch and some country music at Toby Keith’s famous “I Love This Bar”, where the favorite entree is calf fries. We passed on that one.

Our next stop was Grand Lake of the Cherokees. In 1937 the U.S. government approved twenty million dollars for the construction of a dam across the Grand River. It was a dream that people in Northeastern Oklahoma had for over 30 years. Construction took only three years to build the world’s longest multi-arch dam. The result was a lake with over 13,000 miles of shoreline. The hills around lake are pink and white in bloom with the red bud and dogwood trees. We launched the boat at Marine Max and got a slip at Harbors View Marina. Both Tim and I agreed that the people here are the friendliest people you could ever meet. I really liked the covered docks, when it’s raining everyone still grills out and gets together for some “under cover” fun. Tim spent time on the docks demonstrating the marine products and helping people with their boat cleaning issues. The cruiser crowd were very impressed with the Qwik Shine on their Isinglass.  Everyone wanted some of the Amazing Cleaner and Amazing Armor after the saw how it performed on their vinyl interiors. We sent them down the dock to Judy and Cindy who carry the Bio-Kleen Marine products at the Harbors View Ship Store. I have to mention that they have a restaurant there with a great Key West style shrimp boil on Friday & Saturday nights.

We spent a day at the Cherokee Yacht Club giving an in-service to the employees. The yacht club is home to the E-Dock group that we met last year at the Chicago Poker Run. Their claim to fame is that they have the most horsepower of any dock in the nation including the “Hammertime” and OU- “Want Some” offshore boats. We ran into Jim Lee who had raced with our friend Bob Morgan from Big Thunder Marine.  Jim keeps his  awesome “Freedom” offshore at Ugly Johns Marina.

During the week we spent some time at Monkey Island. We also have a new marine dealer on the island at Tira Miranda. Everyone heads to the island for food and entertainment, when they’re not rafted off at Dripping Springs.  We are looking forward to our next trip to Grand Lake and spending more time with the great people we met there. View some photos form the trip HERE.

(DK)

Although Bio-Kleen Products is well known in the Midwest and Great Lakes for Marine & RV cleaners, avid water enthusiasts in the Southwest may not have a clue what your  talking about. That’s quickly changing and I think the Biodegradable, Earth-Friendly image of Bio-Kleen will fit nicely with the environmentalists views that many west-coasters share.

This successful expansion, currently focusing on the greater California and Arizona areas, is made possible through a partnership with Kleen Solutions Distributing, headed by Wayne Aquino. Wayne is no stranger to water or the powersports industry. Aside from holding the Jet Ski World and National Championship, both for five years, Wayne has been around watersports his entire life. Born on the island of Oahu, Hawaii and living in California most of this life, he loves fishing, scuba diving, boating, training jet skiers to race…or really just about anything that involves water…or speed.

Wayne also has a great wealth of detailing and cleaning product knowledge, so he’ll fit right into the Bio-Kleen Team. Read the full PRESS RELEASE. (BB)

I recently watched CRUDE IMPACT, a documentary (currently available onDemand on the Sundance channel) which explores the interconnection between the human race’s thirst for consumption and the discovery and use of oil. It exposes our deep-rooted dependency on the availability of fossil fuel energy and examines the dire implications of the pending threat of global Peak Oil. It is a very interesting film and I recommend watching it at least for educational/informational purposes.

Early in the film, they examine the population growth of the human race and how it remained stagnant for thousands of years. With the introduction of farming and subsequently the ability to produce and provide food to the masses, there was a slight but steady population increase. Once we discovered oil and put it to use, the population of the world has grown exponentially decade after decade and shows no signs of slowing down. Obviously, I believe, there are a few other factors that contribute to this growth: Industrialization mainly, but start to imagine the different uses for oil and how that affected technology as well. Think of the term, “well oiled machine;” sure, the first Industrial Revolution started prior to the use of oil, but the second Industrial Revolution in part was fueled by petroleum based products, lubricants in particular. Once we started properly lubricating machines and parts with variations of oil, they could run 24 hours a day seven days a week; greatly increasing our ability to provide for the masses. Going back to food production, think of how directly linked it is to petroleum. Could we have operated farms, shipped, and packaged produce across the country and the world without the use of petroleum? Now you have an absolute link between oil and food production, the original catalyst for population growth.

So how is the ever increasing human population actually affecting us? The most troubling issue is not the growth itself, but the rate of consumption. The film mentions that the human race, as a whole, uses around 10 calories of energy to produce 1 calorie of food, mainly created from the farming, sorting, and transportation processes. To put that into perspective, if you were solely responsible for your food and you expended 10 calories for every 1 calorie you received…you would starve. Americans are the largest culprit of over consumption. America uses 25% of the world’s oil, yet we only amount for just over 4% of the population. If all Chinese consumed the way Americans do, we would need 6 planet Earths to support the global economy. Something has to change.

With our extreme use of oil and it’s very limited supply, not only will we inevitably run out, but the fight for the remaining oil reserves on Earth could turn catastrophic. In the 1950s, the United States had the largest oil reserve known to man. We reached our Peak Oil production in the early 1970s. Which basically means it’s all downhill from there. That’s just 20 years, just a minuscule fragment of our existence on Earth. Now, the US is expected to be forced to import about 90% of the oil we use by 2025; that figure also includes the oil we could get from drilling in ANWAR. If we make the decision to drill in ANWAR, we could produce 1.2 million barrels of oil a day; compare that to the expected 28 million barrels a day we will use in 2025. Not that big of a relief, is it?

The daunting fact is that the world as a whole is getting ever so close to Peak Oil production as well; if we haven’t reached it already. The unfortunate part is the members of OPEC report the size of their oil reserves themselves, not a unified third-party sanctioning body. This has created much speculation, especially after OPEC approved each member country to sell oil based on their current reserves; which means the more reserves you have, the more oil you can sell. Coincidentally, that same year the majority of members reserves nearly doubled. Hhhhmmm.

I believe the best thing to take from this film (and this blog) is to educate yourself and be aware of your impact on the world. It’s not just about gas and oil and the cars we drive: even if we find a limitless substitution for oil, there will be other limits; minerals, water, space, etc. Just be sure to keep this in mind while you’re consuming: humans are happy when a certain level of necessities are met, when you consume more than the essentials you are no happier. Watching this film has given me more affirmation that each and every one of us, one person at a time, can make an impact. Start with the simple things: think about how much energy you consume, help support your local farms, businesses, and economy, be conscious about the products you buy and how they impact your environment, and lastly – SPREAD THE WORD! Get your family, friends, and neighbors involved; after all, we are all in this together, and who wouldn’t want to help you out, right? (BB)