Countdown to Key West: Talbot Excavating Testing Exceeds Expectations
Just eight days away from Race No. 1 of the annual Super Boat International Offshore World Championships in Key West, Fla., the Talbot Excavating cockpit duo of team owner/driver Kyler Talbot and Jay Muller climbed into the cockpit of their new 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran this afternoon for the first time for testing and setup dial-in on Sarasota (Fla.) Bay. More than a year in the making, the new 32-footer competes in SBI’s Stock class, and today’s afternoon testing and setup sessions last more than an hour.
Just eight days before the SBI Key West Worlds, Jay Muller throtlled the team’s new raeboat for the first time with driver/owner Kyler Talbot. All photos courtesy/copyright Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.
On hand for the team’s first test sessions—also the last before the before the cat heads to Key West—was Grant Bruggemann of Grant’s Signature Racing, which handled the cat’s rigging, in nearby Bradenton. Photographer Pete Boden was there to capture the twin 280-hp outboard engine-powered boat’s first time on the water.
Bruggemann, who was in radio communication with Talbot and Muller throughout their testing, said the day exceeded all expectations. He chose propellers he knew would work with the new cat for its first runs.
“The guys radioed in and asked me if they should come back,” said Bruggemann. “I said, ‘Just keep going,’ and they ran the crap out of it on Sarasota Bay and in the Gulf. They brought it back in, switched props and went back out again.
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“All I heard over the radio was, ‘This thing is fast. Whoa, can this thing turn. This thing is unreal,'” he said Bruggemann. “From where we were standing, it looked awesome.”
“There’s not much left to do,” he added. “Now, it’s just time to sit back and watch it go win the world championship. That’s about it.”
Before the Talbot Excavating is trailered to Key West, the cat will be delivered to Kinetic Animation in Bradenton to be dressed in its new graphics. During the SBI World, Bruggemann, who also manages and throttles for the Superboat-class Broadco team, will continue to work with the Talbot Excavating crew through the SBI’ season-ending event.
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