johnmiffco

with the 318 at 5,500 hitting 114 so far
I agree peter will get this to do good if he can end up in the same weight window
to compensate the less air lift from lower speeds with the twins o/bs
also agree the 30+ o/b cats have risen in last yr of lots of new builds for the 400 motor
as stated very happy builds are happening for this motor cats and ccs

precisiondetails

Totally true about bigger not always being slower. The notch shall be interesting with actual running surface and then weight is weight. I know the 368 and 388 are about the same speed as the 308 IO both having 700s

TxHawk

iTrader: (2)

Just me or will the 400's be short lived at near WOT to meet the hulls "needs"? Large tunnels seem to be happy at 90+. Even that will likely be 85-90% power. Anxious to see how it goes.

Nastybug

Hey Guys, Was just out at Skater and saw this hull in the mold. Think it has about a 12 inch notch in the bottom. The boat has a 11 foot beam I believe and a 64 inch tunnel. It is being built with weight in mind. Gonna be cut down a bit and also the windshield will be cut down too I believe. They are taking weight out where ever they can. Hope it will weigh what my boat does. Mine was 5500lbs with approx 50 gallons of fuel. My rig ran 114mph as it stands now. It took a lot of positive trim to run at the high end. I think at some point maybe next summer I will put 10 inches of setback in it. Its not an exact science but I feel I could get another 3 or 4 mph out of her for that. My point is that the notch in the bottom of about 12 inches would do the same for this rig. My motors are mounted on 3 inch jackplates right to the hull. Boat handles great but a few people feel the set back will help. You can also do the lowers which Ive heard thru someone who has done this has gained 3 to 4 mph with the 400Rs/Sportmaster lowers. It is 10 inches wider than my rig and the size of the tunnel from what Ive read here is a concern on whether it will pack air efficiently at speed. Tunnel is 64 vs my 61.5 inches. Time will tell. I have to believe it will run over 100mph easy. I wouldn't be surprised to see it get over 110mph. Who knows about top end but 120mph is a reach as it was with my boat. Either way it will be such an awesome ride when its done. Cant wait to see it. My rig runs so nice with the 400s. Think I could see close to 120mph when done ya never know. Outboards are so easy and dependable. I wish the owner of this rig all the best and congrats on his new ride. So cool. Steve.

speicher lane

well with all the speculation going on about proper hp to push this build..it's nice to know everyone thinks a 100mph skater is a Dog - LOL

Having a Skater that runs efficiently on twin 4"s @ +/- 100mph has to be a lot more enjoyable than having a 28' that will blister 122mph but keeps puking parts......and this build will EAT rough water with a crew on board.

I read this as this is a purpose build with a balance of compromises (speed with twins) and engineering mods in order to up the possibilities to get their desired results. The 368 hull/running surface spawned the 388 and we know how well that worked out for Peter. Let him work his magic here...

stimleck

If pete viewed message boards he would be having a chuckle this morning reading this thread

Taboma

After taking a ride in "Skates" 30 Skater, I agree that the 30 is a MUCH smoother and enjoyable ride though definitely not as fast. I guess it is just down to what one is looking for.

Flightplan

Wait a minute...no one told me about the puking parts thingy

Taboma

It is something that you have to experience first hand to really appreciate it!

skate

Are saying I'm slow??

Great project. I love all this R and D before I decide to pull the trigger on the 400 R. You lose 8-10 MPH on top end 28-308 from my experience with the same power. What you gain in rough water handling and comfort is significant. Well worth the top end trade off in my application. With a 20% larger foot print from a 308 to the 34 OB it will be very interesting to see what gains if any will be found in this new build. It should be a wave crusher for sure.

These OB Skaters are a blast to drive while being relatively economical and reliable. Hopefully the 400R will prove out to be reliable on cats and we will see a resurgence in the OB cat production.

Even if the top end speeds do not exceed the 110 mark it will be a great ride which should handle fuel people and gear.

Pete built his business on Outboard boats and has a love for their simplicity.

Good luck on the build..