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Construction of this boat began in autumn 2006. It originally had a composite-built reinforced cockpit and was intended for Sport C. First tests came in the summer of 2009, but they were not promising. The hull was too heavy, and the seat/cockpit too far forward.
For the 2010 season, I removed the composite cockpit and built one of plywood, moving the seat nearly 24" farther aft in the process. I mounted a 35hp OMC and raced it in GT Pro that summer. Although it was 50 lbs. over-weight, it ran at 48+ mph. A series of gremlins kept me out of the points hunt, but the boat showed great promise for GT Pro.
Encouraged by the boat's performance, I put the Sport C motor back on for some testing. The results were very good, running in the 55-56 mph range. So for the 2011 season I reinforced the plywood cockpit and finally got the "Sport GT" into some Sport C races. I was getting the feel of it, but ended up upside-down in my third race. Engine troubles followed and I sidelined the boat for the rest of the season.
There were two problems: still too heavy, and too much lift too far forward -- a lot of down-trim was needed to keep the bow under control.
I believe what this boat needs most is a lighter driver (140 lbs. or less). In the 45-50 mph range (GT Pro) the center of lift seems just right. For Sport C the seat is probably too far aft, but there is still some room to move it forward and it might very well be made to work.
Current of prospective GT Pro or Sport C drivers only, please. Others need not inquire.
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