Douglas Skater

I bought this boat in 1999 and I raced APBA with #113. It won the world championships in Saint Petersburg November 17/ 20/21, 1999 I also was the rookie of the year and still have the championship flag and the trophy . The boat was tested at Lake X and it consistently ran over 115mph with closed exhaust and nearly full tanks! I had fabricated baffles to put in the exhaust because when I used it on my lake in Alabama I tried to keep it quiet. Lake X said that was the fastest 28 footer tested at that time with the 280s. They were baffled as to how it could run with baffled exhaust since the offshore housings were designed to be open! The boat was raced for one year and then I did attempt to set the flying kilo record in 2000 in North Carolina at the Fountain factory. I ran over 119 mph on the 1st leg but my crank sensor came loose on reverse run. I was going to rerun it again and wasat thestaging areabut I let a friend try first because they were in the big Cat class and time was running out. Unfortunately their boat got airborne on flat water and it spiraled upward and they closed the course while the divers located the crew. After being released from the hospital they actually rebuilt their motors and Fountain factory helpedduct tape the severely damagedsponsons and won their event on the next day! Consequently I never got to set the flying Kilo record. The record was setin the 3500 pound class by Citrishine boat.The last time I raced themon smooth water at the same Fountain race in 1999 I was walking away from them and was about to lap them and was ahead by 7 miles!. Their boat was a one of a kind 28 ftSkater that was narrowed by Skater and it actually was illegal because it was never available as a factory boat. Yes theycould barely beat me in rough water and had enclosed capsules and water pumps to change the ballast. I relied on adjusting my ballast with lead weight bags and had to decide what the conditions might dictate before the races. Obviously that gave them a huge advantage but I used to out run them until we got beat to death and my throttle man would let off while I was ahead. I used it a couple more years on fresh water lakes in Alabama and got busy at work so it sat in my shop. The boat was always lifted to be launched and I still have the straps. The Skater trailer is in excellent condition and only put in the bay one time and I spent an hour rinsing it off. The gear cases have been changed to 2.00 ratio and they were serviced at the last race by the Lake X staff from the big rig that goes to the major events. They have barely been used for recreational usesince the rebuild and I know that they went entirely thru them. The motors were blue printed and I rebuilt one in about 2002. I also had a spare engine that I had rushed to the St Petersburg race when I won the first day. It was air freighted to me by Mercury and I bought it incase I had an issue with my motors. It was brand new and I never needed it for the race. When I rebuilt the one motor in 2002 I got lazy and decided to use the brand new assembly on the right sided motor. I just used them on Lay Lake in Alabama and they never were stressed . Just joy rides on flat water. The interior is nice and it wasrigged in New York and all the instrumentation and wiring is first class.The cowls were replaced in 1999 and look like new. TheLatham steering and adjustable jack plate look very nice. The race cover for the deckdoes have a small area that needs some minor fiberglass repair on the inside where it can not be seen. The first batteries lasted about 15 years and always cranked the boat. They were replaced about 5 years ago and I may have used it a few times since then. The bottom of the hull is excellent and it was blue printed and the rear area has been lightly sanded so the water creates small bubbles and this increases top speeds. I have 2 sets of props. 30p and 34P. The 34p props were blue printed and lightened by Mercury and the boat runs 113 with the 30s and over 119mph at the rev limiter around 8100 rpm with the 34p set I have never had an issue with the lightened props and both sets go with the boat. I had previously raced the out board drag boats in 1995 and 1996 and won all the various associations. DSRA, TDBA, ADBA and was Grand National champion At Lake Nickajack in Tennesse 3 years in a row, my exwife also won in 1996 all the associations and was also Grand National champion in 1996. We ported all our motors and rebuilt them every weekend so I know what I am doing when I build a Mercury outboard. The 330 hp Mercuries could never beat us. I even bought the first five Mariner drag motors just to make sure. I learned from modifying a Diamond Marine motor that they built for me but it blew up immediately because they left a rod bolt loose ? I waited over a year to get their motor so I had to do my own work. This was a special light hull built by skater and you would have to ask Peter (Skater)what material it was made of. This is the fastest 28 foot Skater and it is no BS. I have recently pulled off most of the decals and stickers and was going to restore the paint but I decided to let the new owner handle it. There are a few areas that the glue is still on the hull. There are some small cracks on the topside of the front of the boat where some one jumped off the pier, but they are cosmetic and the hull is in super shape. I have been under the cockpit area many times to distribute weight and it is also perfect condition. Sadly the fiberglass tanks need recoating or replacement. I recently replaced all four fuel pumps before I realized that the tanks needed replacement. I can be reached at phone if you need additional information. Mitch