This is the diet you probably didn’t now you were on and I have an idea where your mind might have wandered. Facts are, the devil is always in the details and the smallest of details can make a big difference to what separates the best boats from the others its in the details and yes, the weight.
In a recent discussion with my buddies at Hardin Marine I asked whats new and they said that Peter from Skater had inquired about and kind of complained as he felt a boats hardware weight could be reduced to ultimately reduce the total boat weight and could effectively help provide a better boat in the end.
Hardin also said the DCB boys shared the same interests. DCB had recently contacted them looking for ways to streamline the aerodynamics of the boat and could something as small as the pin cleat base height be shortened even more than it already is? For Hardin this is really not big deal. They cant read every customers mind but when a customer, especially a boat builder, has a specific request, simple “Just Make It”. They even manufacture a special smaller diameter stringer washer exclusively for DCB in an effort to perfect the boat they deliver to their customers.
So the guys at Hardin showed me an example of what this all meant and what they were up to. Here you’ll see they have gone as far as to literally shave down or lower the head profile of the stainless steel quick pin cleats they manufacture as well as reduce the weight to a mere 2.5 ounces. Along with the weight reduction comes some problem solving as you can see by the pictures they have cast a six sided allen key option to hold the base so that it can be tighten securely and wont loosen up as so many of them do.
To some this may seem ridiculous but to the elite powerboat manufactures no detail is too small or over looked all the way down to the smallest of details. So while yester-years models of these boats are good, the stuff coming out of the factories today is even better, and the guys at Hardin Marine are doing their part to bring new technology and weight savings to their customers is a clear and forward focus.
Just another example of the smallest of details happening behind the scenes that goes into building these super performance boats of today.
