Actually Doc, like it or not, parity is the dominant theme in American professional sports today. Adopted by the NFL decades ago, MLB, NASCAR, Indy Car, the NBA, and NHL, all now focus on parity, or competitive balance, which is the term I preferred. Competitors instinctively hate it, as do the purist followers of each sport. But the majority of fans love the result, and that has translated to increased interest and $ across the board.

Even for us in the early 2000's, the competitive balance grew the boat count from the 30's to consistently in the 80's plus, with several events exceeding 100. Of course, there were other factors as well, but the level playing field model was the primary driver IMO. The close racing throughout a big fleet generated fan and sponsor interest and pretty good tv ratings.

If I raced again it would definitely be in a SVL. Too bad the fleets aren't bigger with so many boats still running.

I congratulate you on this project. It clearly suggests a lot of attention to detail .......

Why would you invest this amount of energy into a state of the art project, using a balsa construct, instead of a carbon fiber construct?

Wish you the best,,,,,,,,,

Very nice Eddie love the Black Bottom good luck with the build

Thank you . You have one of the prettiest boats on the race course

Thank you John

To address the docs comment concerning balsa core in the bottom, considering the track record of this time tested layup that i have found to be the strongest bottom for the dollar,I garantee every boat we build and never had any failure.The way we install balsa also contributes to its strength and stiffness.

I enjoy reading threads like this!
It makes one wonder why other boat builders (who've been around for years) take over a year to build?

i agree

I cant speak for the boat builder, but in this particular build,Im confident consideration was given to the end user, knowing how Eddie would attack this project,with his prior experence with both his 27 Activator and John S's 30 Activator, im sure it made sense for the builder to complete the build for the upcoming season...............

Looks good , like the blk bottom looks cool.