Eliminator Boats and Five Decades of California Custom Speed

Bob Leach, the Godfather of West Coast custom boating

Eliminator began in 1969 when Bob Leach opened a boat shop in Southern California. Over the following decades he earned the nickname the Godfather of West Coast custom boating, and his company became one of the defining names on the region's lakes and rivers. In its busiest years, the 1990s and early 2000s, Eliminator was reported to be turning out more than 300 boats annually.

Leach built V-bottoms under the Eagle badge, but the catamarans made his reputation. Eliminator's Daytona series helped turn the center-pod tunnel hull from a niche shape into a mainstream choice for Western performance boaters. Leach died on December 1, 2025, at the age of 85.

Revline and the custom tradition

When Eliminator went on the market in late 2018, general manager Jake Fraleigh pulled together a group of investors under the name Revline LLC to buy it. The deal kept the company in Mira Loma, California, with Fraleigh moving up to president.

The core of the business did not change. Every Eliminator is still treated as a one-off, with the buyer choosing paint and graphics, interior layout, equipment and propulsion. The factory also restores and refits older boats, including new interiors, which keeps decades-old hulls on the water and supports their resale.

From the Daytona era to the Speedster era

The 25 Daytona was the lake boat most associated with the brand from about 2000 into the 2010s, and it came in several deck configurations. We cover it in a full model review that explains the hull, engine packages, versions and performance records.

The Daytonas are no longer built. Today Eliminator focuses on Speedster catamarans, running from the 255 Speedster to the 35X and new 306 and XR models, plus the Fundeck 28 deck boat. The 255 Speedster, available with outboard or inboard power, is the spiritual successor to the Daytona.

Buying a used Eliminator

Most secondhand Eliminators change hands in the Western states, where the name carries the most weight. Engine health, drive condition, graphics and upholstery shape the price more than model year, and heavily modified race boats follow their own market entirely.

Hire a surveyor who knows performance boats, and ask for paperwork on any engine modifications.

• Compression and leak-down results on the engine.
• Drive, bellows, gimbal and transom assembly.
• Stress or impact cracks in the sponsons and tunnel.
• Soft areas in the deck and cockpit sole.