The rebuilt and newly painted U-13 arrived in the Detroit pits late Friday morning after undergoing some trailer repair work in Mitchel, South Dakota. Curt Tavenner and Roger Newton who brought the boat from the Auburn, WA shop appeared eager to get out and finally stretch their legs after the grueling 2300 mile trip. For many people who saw the boat take home the gold last year they could hardly recognize the 4 time Gold Cup Champion. Not only was the cockpit, cunard and cowling different but the paint scheme in bright green and yellow was equally different and also an instant hit.
After setting up in the pit area the U-13 crew which had arrived earlier began assembling the U-13 hull for technical inspection which all boats must undergo before being released to qualify. It was our belief this would go fairly smooth since we had the boat inspected twice while being reworked. Unfortunately, when it came time to weigh in, the scales refused to come even close to the required minimum weight of 6550 lbs. After several attempts to reweigh it became apparent the old U-13 had lost too much weight to even come close to the minimum required.
After exploring every option available to add weight safely, it was decided to keep the boat on the trailer and return to the Auburn shop. While the crew was really disappointed we are determined to take advantage of the fact we are now not only the oldest hull but also the lightest. Look for us in Tri Cities.