User blog comment:LoveWaffle/We Didn't See It Coming - Iron Man 3 and the Future of the MCU/@comment-2031194-20130513221732/@comment-1618941-20130514000653

Not exactly. It was still daylight when Stark and Rhodes were on Slattery's boat and Stark called them. Night had fallen by the time they reached the tanker.

But the point you were making was the wait until the grand finale, I believe. That was a pause for dramatic effect and a way to keep Stark using his intellect to overcome adversity, instead of just using a suit all the time.

If you want plot holes though, start thinking about Thomas Richards... ;)