We live in a unique time for the performance boating industry. After the recession a lot of the manufacturers have settled into common "themes" when it comes to the styling of their boats, and in many cases are reluctant to stray from their comfort zones.
What I mean to say bluntly is in a lot of cases in modern times they are just changing gel colors, and making extremely minor modifications to gel coat designs. In the 70's and leading into the 80's the day cruisers and offshore boats alike all stayed fairly traditional. The same bow tie style gel coming off the bow and rolling back down the sides and deck of the boat. Of course who can forget the Hockey sticks on the closed bow cruisers that came into play in the later times of that era.
If we fast forward to the early 90's I can still feel the roughness of some of those tweed interiors, and I'll admit I hated Pink and Teal even back then. Thankfully that style went in and out as fast as the Oakley blades and Bad Boy gear. In the late 90's the manufacturers all seemed to be experimenting with their own styles. Some like Hallett staying more traditional, and others like Warlock and Sleek stepping further into their own with aggressive gels.
We can all remember the early 2000's where Tribal was the rage with the occasional flame jobs, and when those got played out, why not run em in reverse because they did that as well. Throughout all the different time periods and manufacturers though every now and again a boat just stands heads and shoulders above the rest. It's not always the most complex of gel schemes, nor is it the simplest. It's simply one that reaches out and not only pleases the eye, but touches the soul.
Justin Brower's 28 Speedster falls into that category. The gel design is relatively simple, yet the aesthetics speak loud and clear when you see it in person. It's one of those boats when you are sitting at the sandbar and talking to your buddies the conversation doesn't sound like "Hey did you see that..." only to go back and forth describing different aspects of the boat to try and narrow down which one they are referring too. Much like the "Cement Grey" 27 Speedster built the year before it, this one will forever be known in my circle of friends as the "Silver Speedster" or possibly "The Muscle Car Speedster." I wrote pretty extensively on that in the boat show review of the boat so there's no need to rehash it all twice.
It's easy to build an extremely nice custom boat. What is more difficult is coming up with a boat that "Stands Out" from the pack. A lot of boats have a story to tell, but very few of them will end up being "Legends at the Sandbar."
Seeing this boat completely finished on a jaw dropping Adrenaline trailer was an absolute pleasure when we shot it. Factor in all the wheels matched the equally as bad ass tow rig, and you have the recipe for the type of package that I'd say is welcome in the RDP booth at any show anytime.
Congrats to Justin Brower for putting his faith in Eliminator to deliver something that would not only stand head and shoulders above most things in Lake Havasu, but is sure to break necks in Lake Eufala Oklahoma!
If you are wondering how it runs? 105 mph with 32 pitch Max 5's with a little left in it. When the cleavers go on, I'd expect mid one teens out of this package without too much trouble!
To read more about this boat please check out our "boat reviews" section from the Los Angeles boat show that can be found here
