I also think it maybe a good idea to consider adding a home / landing page for your forums, reasons being:
1. You could keyword it better.
2: You could have links to other pages like "a photo page where forum members could upload their work, online tutorials, affiliate links to help pay for the site, a page to display different flash presentations, blog, etc."
3. By making a home page and a few other pages you would become more relevant to different blogs and directories, making it easier to get back links. Right now you can only put a link on directories that have forums.
You could make a community-like site that is geared towards your topic. With the way it dumps you right into the forums that is all you are and all you will ever be, just another forum. I'm sure you want your forum to be the number one resource on the internet for your topic. To do this you must also stand out from all the other sites and forums out there that are geared to the same topic.
The forum itself is not bad, but I feel it is just the start of what the site could be.
Note:
If it is possible to turn on or have
SEO friendly URL's, then do it ASAP.