Bermuda's Nuff Said Team Prepares for Offshore Racing Debut

Owned by Steven Moniz of Bermuda, the newest Super Stock-class Nuff Said team raceboat was slated to debut this weekend at the Clearwater Nationals in Southwest Florida. However, Hurricane Helene's arrival forced the organizers to cancel the event, delaying the team's much-anticipated debut. Despite the setback, Grant's Signature Racing of Bradenton had the eye-popping 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran rigged and prepped, ready to take on the competition.

A Tribute to Loved Ones Lost, Nuff Said Aims to Make a Splash in Offshore Racing

Rigging the Nuff Said Raceboat: A Meticulous Process

The Nuff Said team's 32-foot Doug Wright catamaran arrived at Grant's Signature Racing as a painted bare hull in July. The first order of business for the crew was to weigh the boat to ensure it met the American Power Boat Association's guidelines for the Super Stock class, which require a minimum weight of 4,800 pounds when the boat comes out of the water. This crucial step ensures the team can properly rig and prepare the boat for competition.To protect the vibrant pink paintwork, which serves as a tribute from team owner Moniz to those he has lost to cancer, the crew wrapped the boat in protective foam. Grant Bruggemann, who has rigged more than 10 Super Stock-class raceboats, then began the process of laying out and rigging the catamaran's transom. Meanwhile, Andrew Young and Trevor Neumann from the Grant's Signature Racing team worked inside the cockpit, accessing it through the hull-bottom escape hatch between the sponsons.The majority of the rigging components had been pre-ordered by Bruggemann's wife and business partner, Kellie, ensuring everything was in-house and ready to go when the boat arrived. From start to finish, rigging a Super Stock cat takes 300 to 350 hours for the Bruggemann and his crew. However, this is just one aspect of Grant's Signature Racing's business, as the company also builds out and rigs pleasure-boats, and has a significant service and maintenance clientele in both the high-performance pleasure-boating and offshore racing segments.

Preparing the Cockpit: Functionality, Minimalism, and Tasteful Design

The Nuff Said team's cockpit was meticulously designed to ensure the driver, throttleman, and crew had a clear line of sight to all the necessary instruments. A 16-inch Garmin unit was mounted at the center of the dash, flanked by a pair of four-inch GMI digital speed read-outs and two monitors for the cat's AIM telemetry systems.To maintain a clean and organized appearance, the crew used carbon fiber clips epoxied in place to support all wires and cables, rather than drilling holes in the cockpit. The boat also employs a Bluetooth communication system for the driver, throttleman, and crew, with a hard-wire push-to-talk system as a redundancy.Bruggemann emphasized the importance of keeping the cockpit setup functional, minimal, and tasteful, ensuring the driver and co-pilot have a clear view of all the necessary information.

A Debut Delayed, but the Nuff Said Team Remains Undaunted

With the Clearwater event canceled due to Hurricane Helene, the Nuff Said team plans to race the boat for the first time at the St. Petersburg Grand Prix next month. While the race is not part of the now-completed 2024 Super Stock-class national championship points-chase, it will provide a low-stress environment for the team to gain valuable experience before moving on to the Race World Offshore Key West World Championships in early November.Neither the team's driver, Louis Martins, nor its throttleman, Andy Stoneham, have extensive offshore racing experience, let alone Super Stock experience in the current short-course, big-fleet form of the fiercely competitive class. To ensure a smooth transition, Andrew Young and Trevor Neumann from Grant's Signature Racing will stay with the team for the first few races to provide support and guidance.The team also plans to have another test session with Martins and Stoneham before the St. Petersburg event, allowing them to become more familiar with the boat and its capabilities. Despite the initial setback, the Nuff Said team remains undaunted and eager to make their mark in the world of offshore racing.