Good idea... In theory
Manufacturers usually submit customers boats for testing. This is actually more fair because this is how you can buy this boat. Recently Jim Wangers admitted that GTOs that were submitted to the magazines for testing in the sixties were prepped at Royal Pontiac first and had thinner head gaskets and rejetted carbs. So this was not the car they were selling at the dealer. The other manufacturers were doing it too.
It's a safe bet that the test boats would be laid up with lighter materials and have all kinds of tweeking done to them.