Onetime

Dale, Whie I agree overall with what you're saying about the lift of the hull I have call you on your 737 vs 747 analogy. Also at what speeds the lift is created. The lift generated by the tunnel is there and I don't think it's "fairly small". Anybody who owns a Skater knows how much lift is there due to having to trim in once the hull is truly flying. With the 24 it was at around 100 when the tail would "pop" freeing up the boat completely and with the 28 it's a little faster. If you don't trim it in your angle of attack on the airfoil is to great and blow over can happen.
There are literally thousands of airfoil designs with equal amounts of varying lift they create. Some create lift at speeds of 25 mph. Others don't create any and rely on thrust to overcome the lack of lift.
I never had a discussion with Pete about airfoils and lift and wonder if he is actually using a known airfoil in the hull designs.

Skater30

It's going to be a GREAT rig for sure Steve! And a perfect boat to get you accustomed to driving a cat at speed, as they are very forgiving and docile as yours will be setup. IMO, there is not a better looking outboard on the market than what you are building - I'm certain it will be stunning! It's always cool to see the latest creations to come out of Skater. My boats are both out-of-date looking and old-school in comparison to what you're going to have. ****, my 30 even has carburetors, do you even remember what those things are? Lol.......

Skater30

Feel free to call me if you'd like to discuss this Richard. My analogy of the 737/747 was just showing that while the 737 weighs nearly 1/10th the weight of the 747, it still has to go 140mph for air speed to lift it off the ground. I was just trying to show that aerodynamics don't play a major factor in anything at slower speeds (look at the world of F1, they always talk of aerodynamic forces only being a factor at higher speeds). As for how the tunnel of a Skater is creating lift, it purley has to do with angle of attack and compression (according to Pete). I've talked Pete's ear off in my many trips to Skater during the build-process of my 30 ten years ago - and I still call and bug him and least three or four times a year! Lol

precisiondetails

Dale- your boat is bad F-Ing a$$!! Does not look out dated at all. I still remember the very 1st time I saw it. You were idling in to Garlic brothers one morning for one of those local PRs back in the day.

Double Rigged

iTrader: (1)

Dale,
What speeds did the 30 run with triples? If they were Opti's I would guess around 110 or so?

Skater30

I'm not certain Ron, I had Steve call Greg recently, I think he knows?

Hey Steve, what's Greg running?

Onetime

Dale, We need to get together over a few beers and discuss things! You have more of an in with Pete and getting him to open up about things and he's the one with the pioneering knowledge on this stuff.

Nastybug

Hey Dale, As I remember he wasn't running Optis anymore as he couldn't get the horses that he needed out of them. I believe he was over 110 with the trips he had and the work done. He was in the process of building new motors for it. My brain is kinda foggy on the matter as Ive takin in a lot of info lately. Ha. Sorry, Steve.

skate

The biggest advantage I see with the wide body will be looks, stability and the fourth seat in the rear of the boat. I think weight will be a factor as widening the hull adding a flat deck and windshield are going to add weight. Fill the boat with six people and gear and it's going to suffer on top speed. During my trip to LOTO with my 308 I was totally impressed with how well it handled big water with and without people in the boat. We actually ran with a 35 Cafe Cigarette thru the rough to Captn Ron's from Camden. They got irritated with the fact a 30' cat was run thru big stuff with them. Adding width to the tunnel will only improve handling although to be honest I feel it's over kill as at 9'6" the 308 handles anything you throw at it great. If I was building a one I would probable do widened to get the room and look. You need to be sure you can fit that 10'+ beam in your storage facility and slips. I spent a substantial amount of money modifying man cave doors and my boat dock for the 338.

Triple 300XS's or the rumored new power would definitely be worth the investment if top speed is you're goal. I gave up 10 + MPH from my 28' with 300X's on top end. I miss the top end occasionally but enjoy the 30'ers handling over the 28' every time I take it out. If you are running with family and friends a lot the 30 with 300 XS's is hard to beat. Not to mention the fuel economy cannot be touched at the speeds achieved by anything else on the market. If you are running with a few speed freak guys the 28' is the ticket.

Again congrats. You are going to love this boat and have a huge grin on your face every time you take it out no matter what you do for power.

precisiondetails

Skate- How is your son doing?

Don't mean to hi jack thread, just was curious. Hope all is well