Hey Loomis, they told me the same thing about the boat. I guess John has to pay a discounted price from the factory to get the boat and then recover partial amounts of the entry fees to cover it. That is alright with me. I think , from what I have seen in previous years with this tournament, John has a great relationship with those people at Bullet anyway, so it's all good in my book. Not sure what he paid for teh boat, but everytime I have missed this tournament, it has payed back to the folks fishing very very well,plus all the giveaways and stuff. Some guy I met at Backwater told me they are feeding everyone with homemade Cajun food on teh ramp during the weigh in Sounds good too. I think these guys have the tournament situation well in hand. i have never heard anything but good about all this every year. This time, finally after 3 years of missing it..I WILL BE THERE!. Good fishin....Rickster