Elam goes ProBoat?

[Transom2]

Dear Friends: I may be way late on this, but I've heard that the U-16 Elam hydroplane 1/12th scale nitro to be originally released by Aquacraft will now be released immediately by ProBoat who offered the Bud and the Llumar. Has anyone else heard this? Evidently something broke down in the contract department between Ellstrom and Hobbico Aquacraft.

[BoatDoc]

hmmm...i think i've seen the aquacraft on sale from tower already. looks like a decent boat too, i'd really like to hear how they are. aquacraft puts out a better product than proboat IMHO.

[Ron Olson]

No, but it's a big mess. Hobbico/Aquacraft had the rights to the Miss Elam name but some how Horizon/ProBoat also got a contract with them as more than likely they needed a replacement for the Miss Bud.
To the outsider, they would want to put the blame on ProBoat or Aquacraft but in reality it was the Miss Elam people that messed up big time. Hobbico was thinking of suing but are taking an alternate route. They have tentatively renamed the boat the Sport 18 and may end up by using the Miss Las Vegas. You will see it in various gel-coat schemes also so that it can be done up several ways so people won't be stuck with just one or two boats.
I've got half an urge to get one myself and put a hot .21 in it. I spent some time Saturday at the Toledo show talking to Mike "Grimracer" Zaborowski and he came into the project just as it was getting ready for production. He's driven one and was very impressed with it. No blowing off the water in windy conditions and very user friendly, even for the new boater. With an engine swap, it could really put a kick in the pants of the Sport 21 class at a price where it would be more affordable to just about everyone.
The strange thing is that Hobbico/Aquacraft left the boat behind at Toledo instead of showing it. Even odder was that Horizon Hobby didn't have one boat at their huge booth which normally has all of theirs displayed.