Loren,
In studying my high-res images, it doesn’t look like the amount of hull flair at the bow is as pronounced as some of the “originals”, which might be good, because I always felt the amount was exaggerated to point of diminishing returns. There’s a line between spray deflection and forcing a crashing bow wave in a direction of greater resistance. It looks like the new Hatt might strike a sweet spot here.
It’s pretty clear Hatt’s gearing this boat toward the throng of tournament bound, tumble-tranny fans. But for the die-hards, a mask of black paint covering the teardrop might come across as “me too”. Still, there are a lot of great reasons to buy this boat, with resin infusion topping the list.
I can’t say for sure what Hatt’s doing below the waterline, but based on the information they supplied, I didn’t get the impression they were doing anything way out of the norm, although I may be wrong. When you mentioned Harry’s Delta Conic, I hesitated for a moment because I’ve often discounted Harry’s DDC design for the applications it’s been promoted for. I think the go-fast crowd has already confirmed this now. Active Thunder is no longer active.
However, this is not to say the DDC concept doesn’t have value, because IT DOES! It just needs the right application… and your idea is brilliant! Maybe some builder will be brave enough to “step” up to the plate. My only reservation about stepping these hulls would be how the wave surge would interact with tunneled props. There might be a way around this, such as a staggered step. It’s never been done before, but theoretically... it could work. Essentially, there would be no step forward of the pockets.
It’s certainly something to think about…