When it comes to performance boats, the Skater 28 is one that is always spoke of with reverence. When Douglas Marine released the 28 Skater, it was an instant hit. It's ability to outperform larger Cats, and larger Vee's, in rough water conditions made it an instant legend. To this day, many 28 Skaters sell for more than they sold for when new. The latest, a 28 with many custom features, could be considered a work of art.
As almost everyone knows, Skaters are almost always one of a kind. Just about every boat has some custom feature, many more than one. The two Skater models which actually have deck molds, the 28 and the 30, are usually the most like their sister boats. But, the last 2 28's have been anything but. The 28 sent to Havasu, Desert Storm 28 Skater, was a flat-deck model widened 19". This latest 28 is also a flat-deck model. Neither buyer wanted to use the deck mold to build their dream 28.
Being lucky enough to live close to Skater allows for a unique perspective on the build of these custom boats. Watching owners as they see their dreams take shape makes one appreciate the time and talent that goes into every one of these unique projects. This one is as unique as any of the larger Skaters that have left the factory.
The owner sitting in his boat for the first time.
Custom flat-deck, custom wrap-around receiver and windshield, custom interior from Cutting Edge's Jamie Borg, the first Mercury 300 V8 powered Skater, etc., etc. The list of special features can go on and on.
Interior just finished installing. Jamie is an artist when it comes to interior design and build detail.
All of the Mercury 300 trim pieces were removed from the engines and painted to follow the boat's custom paint.
One of the questions everybody had, how would a 28 Skater perform with the new 300 V8 Mercs? Since there was really only speculation as to what props to try and what drive height to set, it was lucky they had all of Peter's experience setting up 28's with different power over the years.
When it comes to a new boat, an initial test drive is usually very short. This one was no exception. With the heavy rains, the test drive consisted of four short runs of less than a mile each way. Down and back, check the boat, down and back, done. The first pass down was very slow, looking for crap floating in the water that may cause damage to any part of the boat or engines. Once a path was found to traverse safely, it was time for a pass back on the exact same line.
The American flag seems very appropriate.
Considering they tested on a borrowed pair of props from a 300 Optimax boat, and there was no adjustments made to the setup, the boat ran really well. It easily popped up to 110 MPH with two people aboard. The test drivers both said it accelerated very closely to the last 400 Verado 28 sent out the door. Kind of makes one wonder what the final numbers will be when the owner gets some good CNC props and does some setup adjustments.
When a custom, one-of-a-kind, Skater leaves the factory, everybody seems to be a little sad. Luckily, this one will stay in the Michigan area with a Skater owner who is an absolute perfectionist when it comes to his boats. I'm sure we will see it at the factory again. Maybe 450's in its future?
Wouldn't that be fun to test?
Saying good-bye!!
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Newest Skater 28' May Be the Best 28 Yet?
Published on 06-23-2019 04:57 PM- Categories:
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