Tuffboat ... are you giving your boats away? Of course not. So why would you expect a for-profit magazine to give away its pages? Not that magazines like PB and Hot Boat don't test products from companies that don't advertise (Dave P is right), but advertising pays most of their bills. So it follows that they would mostly tell the boats built by their advertisers.

Also, if PB didn't test the boats of its advertisers, they'd be missing most of the high-perf market, because most of that market advertises with them. (Not all, most.) Kind of a chicken or the egg thing.

And though Hot Boat does seem to focus on West Coast, I read lots of reviews of East Coast stuff in PB. Again, not all of the builders, but lots.

As I stated before I would love free advertising, but the point is what value is it when a third party does a test that has been in some way paid for, there can be no brutle honesty.

In the small world of snowmobiles, a magazine commented on how pleased they were with this years model improvement over last year turkey... but last year when tested the same model unit came out all thumbs up... So what value is a paid test to the readership.

Your right about the chicken and egg thing, they are in business, you must take care of your customers, I just thought (used to anyway ) that the reader was the customer. I think I'm paddling up stream here.

Airpacker- I understand that the propshaft hight to X height is about 7" shorter that the stock drive, and if that is so, that your blackhawk is a little too high. I'm still testing with the cool weather, could get you out this year still.

I'd love to see the boat too.

Mark, the BH is actually about 5 inches shorter than a standard bravo. That would be about 3 shorter ,than what u have now. Remember, the BH needs to have the Prop shaft above the bottom of the boat to work. It doesn't have a bullet as per say. more like a ski that leads the bottom half of the props. I have 1.50 gears and 31's on it now. I still think it would be worth a shot. Possibly find triple digits with it.

PBM does performance trials on both east coast and west coast. All you need to do is call them ask them when the next tests are that would meet the criteria for you boat and show up with the boat for the test. Not really hard to do. You don't need to be an advertiser. Of course they'll try to get you to advertise, it's a business, that's how they make their money.

Thanks Thisistank, I will check it out.

Airpacker, In that case I would really like to try your Blackhawk. What RPM are you spinning with your prop(s) when you get 90mph?
I'm waiting for a prop to do my last big number run. I just got Rotorhead a new 4 blade lightening ET for his TUFF 21 and we're hoping for some magic over the 102 with that as well. That means we will be around Orillia coming up soon, coming out?

It's a great looking boat!
May I ask where did the hull originate? As in Brownies thread on here recently, almost every hull is derived from something previously built.
Don't take that the wrong way, I'm just curious what the hull is based off of, and how you developed the molds.
Why the decision for foot throttle and trim? Kinda un-orthodox from what I'm used to seeing.
You're turning some very impressive numbers. Especially in a V with that kind of power.

Beautiful boat!

Nice looking lineup!!

Bouyhunter; Great question, my first model, the TUFF 21 does have its roots in the old Challenger. But, believe it or not, I designed the TUFF 28 from scratch on CAD, actually I looked over the should of the CAD guy as he drew to my instructions. I had scale models cut out of solid MDF until I got what I liked. The plug was built in a pattern shop the old fashioned way with CAD plotted plans.

The foot controls comes from my Mod VP racing days, unlike offshore racing, were two people control the boat, one person must have complete control (constant access to trim, throttle and steering) to operate the machine under extreme duress. The boat is my version of a 28 Skater in a Vee bottom and at the same time you drive it like a great big god damn Alison, especially the twin O/B version.

BTW we are just about to CAD cut another scale model of a new model of a mini version, the 'TUFF light', a fifteen foot kids boat that looks like the 28.

Tuffboat ... you have identified a problem faced by all consumer magazines that test the products of their advertisers. It presents an inherent conflict of interest. And you're also right about readers being the ultimate customers.

I don't find much "brutal honesty" (on the other hand, how much brutality does a Skater or an Outerlimits deserve?) in the boating magazines either, but I can generally tell how much the mag liked or didn't like a given boat. It ain't stinging critique, that's for sure, but they I do get a feeling one way or another.

I'd go the route thisistank suggested. At the point, your feelings on the need for "brutal honesty" could change.