HISTORY
The American Outboard Federation was established on January 15, 1971 as a nonprofit corporation whose charter was granted, that date, by the state of Oklahoma. No racing activity was conducted during AOF’s first year, as that was a time of planning and organizing by the earliest founders: Rick Morris, Dudley Malone and Clyde Bayer. The momentum grew, and the “Federation” was joined by other members and clubs. The new organization was really ready to roll by November 20, 1971, when the first formal meeting was held in North Little Rock, Arkansas. It was attended by 46 new members. Those included representatives from five district racing groups: The St Louis Outboard Drivers Association, Kansas City Speedboat Association, Oklahoma Boat Racing Association, District 9 (Louisiana and Arkansas), and North Texas.
The American Outboard Federation is established for the purpose of promoting the sport of outboard motor boat racing and its safety. Its goals are to increase participation and public interest in the sport, create a cohesive relationship between the membership and the national organization, in an overall program of racing to further memberships’ interests.
AOF was granted and awarded a non-profit status based on the mission statement. This particular type of non-profit status is most common to schools and churches. We must full-fill this mission to keep out status. This is reviewed each year. AOF’s contribution to various charities is also a vital part of our being. What does this mean to you? This means we try harder and can offer many incentives to members and clubs to promote our sport. We are very proud of this and take our job seriously. We will do whatever it takes to help a club stage races when money would otherwise be an issue. We try to keep our costs low, because as a non-profit organization, making a large profit is against our legal non-profit status. We enjoy many other benefits because of our non-profit status such as cheaper insurance rates. AOF is not a business and we cannot, nor do we want to be, into racing to make money. Our goals are completely spelled out in the statement.
FEDERATION vs. ASSOCIATION
AOF, the American Outboard Federation is just that, a “FEDERATION”. A FEDERATION differs greatly from an “ASSOCIATION.” A federation is a ” Union” of sovereign clubs who are allowed to run their affairs as best suits their individual needs. Some clubs run their group as a business, some will implement a completely new format for racing, for example. Some clubs in the “FEDERATION” don’t even bother to send in their high points. We encourage each club to make their group of racing friends the important focus.
AOF does have a rulebook. This rulebook is just a guideline for a club to follow. Many chapters of the rulebook can be adapted to each club as they may need and want to race in their own way. If for instance, a club wants to be considered for year end national AOF high points, then we provide the rulebook with guidelines to follow. If club points and rules are most important, then the excitement of winning a club high point can be just as rewarding.
Our rulebook is just that, a guideline. Use it to race your way.
There is one exception to the above, and that is concerning Safety. As you can see from the mission statement, Safety is one our main goals. We work hard to keep our sport one in which a drive can enjoy on the week end and go to work on Monday with fewer injuries. Our Safety Committees continually look at what can be done to maintain our national safety record.