Just my 2 cents ……as a paying member with no local chapter !
My hobby started when a buddy at work gave me his dad’s pre 60s QD (10 hp) which did not run so good anymore…After finding the aomci site and folks willing to share their knowledge to get my QD running ( cracked coils & condensers) I embarked on a 25 + year trek of keeping busy fixing up JW,AD, CD, QD,FDs and yes a few small Mercs …. Most engines were resold at cost having less and less room and time to take in more patients.
Paid dues I considered a good investment for what I got back if only to to keep me busy between my snowblower duties and my “winter projects” 🙂
Now 74 with a dozen engines still to be sold (small Mers, CD’s , 9.5) my interest is gradually shifting more from repairing to coaching while trying to minize occasions to put my foot in my mouth and eating crow.
Thankfully we have our Jedi’s to guide us all out of the swamp.
Will I keep paying dues .. probably a few years while I focus more on selling out my antiques and migrating to the intellectual side of the force.
Getting new members hooked on this hobby ..well there is a real challenge!
Newbies including my 2 grandsons in their teens have little interest…for now in mecanical things with all these mind numbing social networks , wasting endless hours on gaming and possibly a more modern versions of Playboy.
Times are changing, tree hunging a growing fad, dandelions are the new bee savers and disdain on everything oily increasing all the time. Even my faithfull “emergency back-up” stove oil burning pot burner is on the way out with new city regulations against burning heating oil and soon….. kitchen gas stoves will be out like in California !
Times are changing… and hey ! I haven’t even mentionned cost of living !
Just my 2 cents…
Joining AOMCI has priviledges 🙂
