Jeff Bennett and I were at Pudingstone to try out the very first Liberty 20' outboard set to debut at the LA Boat Show the following weekend. Everything was doing well, we were going through the test pilot "card" checking how it handled at various speeds and trim. Jeff was on the wheel I was checking for leaks and comparing notes with Jeff. On our very first high speed straight pass some yo-yo in a Chrysler Tri-hull (anyone remember those) turned right across our bow just off plane putting mass of rollers right in front of us. Jeff thought he would just punch it and fly over them. Up over the first was excellent but we came down right into the next one that was heading our way. I winced and got hit with a wave. My mind thought that was wierd since I though it caught me under the chin not over me like I exspected. Opening my eyes I saw the deck was dry. Looked under the deck and all I saw was lake. A hole, chine to chine, about three feet long replaced the fiberglass. We were still boogining along but now with a scoop and shoe the size of a big block gulping in water. We slowed down and discovered that if we kept it just off plane the hole was about 2 inches above the lake maybe 10 mph. First we though we would just run it up on the ramp, then we though we would get tricky. Jeff would cruze by the dock, I'd hop out and get the trailer, one shot at getting the boat out and head for the shop. Well that almost worked except the speed he had to hold was a bit too fast for me to stop after jumping to the dock and I went out of the boat on to the dock across the dock and into the lake. We did get the boat on the trailer, drained it on the ramp and went back to the shop. As it turns out the guys at the shop striped the boat down ground out the bad glass, put the hull back in the mold and layed up a new bottom over the hole. Patch, sand paint and buff, re-rig and the boat debuted at the boat show and sold.
