Well, it's been fun.

[Pt_Ranger_V8]

It looks like TRS is going down again

Jim just told us (the staff) that he's been offered a fair amount of money for TRS, and he's tired of the asshattery and e-drama that happens here, so he's selling.

I'm pretty sure some of the other staff (in the eastern time zone) have been talking to Jim via PM's & IM since he told us. I'm at work right now, so I can't contact Jim.

Not sure who the buyer is, but my guess would be rangerboats.com. Apparently, the name recognition is what they're looking for.

 

[mhughes165]

ah damn.....this sucks, its just really hit a flow here

 

[Redneckryder]

yep----april fools day to you too!!!!!

 

[mjonesjr]

yep----april fools day to you too!!!!!

agreed...

 

[JohnnyU]

I can't say that I can blame him really.

With all that has happened within the last year with the hosting company stealing the database and being "hacked" several times, I'd be easily persuaded to sell for that type of price and move on with my life.

 

[mhughes165]

wait a min......i forgot it was april fools day

 

[ryan]

Here's the email I got from Jim about it:

from Jim Oaks - TRS <jim@therangerstation.com> hide details 3/31/08
to Ryan <ryan@therangerstation.com>
date Mar 31, 2008 4:42 PM
subject Site

Ryan,

I decided to take the boat people up on their offer. The threat of a lawsuit was too much. Start saving the tech, and we can start discussing a new site with a different name.

Jim
















Stupid boaters I'm going to start replacing dramamine pills with laxatives at the store

 

[RobbieD]

Damn Jim; the boat people is who ruined the shrimping industry. Bubba Gump Shrimp went to hell in a hand basket in a hurry as soon as he sold out to these damn boat people.

And another thing; happy April Fool's Day to you too, Sir!

 

[Will]

This is an old demon that keeps rearing it's head.

Ranger Boats took Jom to court several years ago on three or four accounts. The biggest claim was for something called cyber-squatting--meaning he was sitting on a domain name and not using it for commercial purposes soley for the purpose of keeping them from using it. In the first round of summary judgements the court threw that out because on the advice of my brother, a lawyer, Jim started his business which was named TRS Fab and Offroad. Then they came back with infringment--using their name recognition to his own purposes. That has not been settled yet and they sued him on a third claim of dillution--meaning that his site name distracts internet users searching for Ranger Boats, In other words, they get the TRS hit and forget what they were doing in the first place. That one is small, but it could be real trouble if it goes to trial. Jim is looking at $50,000 in legal fees if it even makes it to court for a single day. Ranger Boats knows this and they will keep trickling these claims out--fishing really--until they get one to stick and it goes to trial. They have been gentle because judges take a very dim view of big guys picking on little guys. All the same, they are after him and will eventually get him.

I do not know if this is an April Fools thread or not, I'm just relating the past. Ford Motor Company has also sent their goon squad in here before and told Jim to remove all logos. They did not want the domain name though.

The fact is, it is EXTREMELY likely that Ranger Boats has offered to buy the domain name from James Oaks' LLC. In fact, we've in the past discussed what to change the name to. Most likely branching out from just Ranger's since the Ranger appears to be going down the tubes. It's poor taste that PT decided to use this as an April Fool's joke. It's not much of a joke when nobody gets it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Polaris can make a Ranger side by side but we can't have a site with a catchy domain name that has little to nothing to do with a boat?

 

[michowski]

Does that mean I can get my 10 bucks back since I just signed up last month? Joking of course

 

[Jspafford]

Well could we change the name to something else and continue on? I would hate to loose all the friends I have made.

This friggin blows!!

 

[RobbieD]

This friggin blows!!

Hey! That's a Boat People saying.



Wait a minute . . . .

Never mind. I was thinking of "Thar she blows!".

 

[alaskan155]

will just register with there form,and start fights with them for taking our site
maybe get those hackers from the past to come back and

 

[SuperRob]

Will, I hope this is a joke.

Kinda gives a guy that heart in the gut feeling....Kinda like that feeling when you know you gotta send the old lady packing, but you dont want to give up the great sex. Kinda like that movie Old Yeller. But only not being the boy, but being Old Yeller...staring down the barrel of that gun, wondering what the hell is going on....

That kinda feeling.