Yes, namba wants this enforced now, my first event is this Saturday and this will be part of my speech at the drivers meeting, some of the racers already have guards so it should be an easy transition.
Phil did a nice job on those stands
Plenty of used high quality raceboats on line here, look for a assault, insane, aeromarine, hertzog.
They come up fairly often, keep an eye on the for sale forums or if there is a local club nearby see what they have for sale
When your testing bring some different props, rudders of different length, taper and straight and lead weights.
You can put lead weights inside of the pool noodles and experiment with c/g changes.
Be patient and the rewards are worth it
That's a lot of motor for that boat, careful testing, get some props that will calm the boat down, don't be afraid to add some lead in the hull, not a bad thing