36ft skater and big waves...
 

I started this thread to get some good solid input on just how much a 36 skater could handle.

I know their basically the S**T when it comes to speed and handling offshore.

I had a friend ride in one and said it rode like a cadilac in big stuff.
He ran in galveston bay, but I've never seen anything over 6's in it.

How about some owners inputs and guys that have ridden in them.!

Its my dream boat, but I would have to live in it to own it!!

Thanks!!

Shawn

Slow day at the office!!

:D :D

I raced a 36 Skater in 00 and 01, Team Tellium for those that don't know. The boat is simply amazing in rough water, the snot of Corpus Christie would wear you out but the boat performed perfectly. In the HUGE swells of Daytona in 01 the boat always flew predictibly even though we had huge air. Sarasota in 01 was also incredibly rough, again nothing unexpected from the boat and it outran everything. The only time we got into trouble was taking a turn a little too tight in key west when the boat spun and rolled, in flat water no less. We spent a lot of time getting the boat dialed in with one of the best in the business, your results may vary.

Corpus 01

Mr Velocity, We saw you in the Keys last year, right after you're incident. Do you still race? I think I have pictures I'll try to dig them out.

Mr.V.

Were you spinning your props inboard or outboard at Key West?
They are spinning outboard in the Corpus picture.

Give your Dad my best.

T2x

mr_velocity – I believe we are all fairly convinced that Skaters are the bomb for racing. However, most of us don’t race. Could you shed some light on the 36’ Skater as a pleasure boat i.e. the non-professional driver taking friends and family for a run in the ocean. What happens if the 3’ seas on the way out, turn big on the way home? Can you slow the thing down and make your way back? What kind of speed must you maintain to operate the boat properly (airpack).

The lake is getting a little boring and we are making more and more friends that play in the ocean. But they all have V hulls. Love my smaller cat on the lake, just not sure yet if there is a cat that will do both for us.

Uncle Toys!!


Thanks for the help on that one!! Thats what kind of input of looking for!

:D :D

U.T.

We took Gary and Karen Bicker's beautiful "Danger Zone", a 36 pleasure Skater with twin 900 sc's, from Point Pleasant NJ to the NY SBI race in New York Harbor. We had medium to light seas in the Atlantic going up and averaged about 90 mph (cruising)......The seas were downright snotty coming home......solid 4-5's with an occasional "7th wave" just to keep it interesting and give us some big air. It took us 5 minutes longer to return and we averaged about 80.

Nuff said.

THere is NO frame of reference between anything you've ridden in .......and a Skater. Sorry you missed "On The Prowl" at Skaterfest.

T2x

Oh T2x, you have no idea how much I have kick myself in the ass for not taking that ride. I remember siting in the STUPID meeting Monday morning, the meeting I took the early flight home to make, thinking - I missed that ride for this meeting?

p.s. Don't want you to get the wrong idea on the other thread, read my last post!

TX2 is right. Based on my experience on the race course a 36 Skater or better yet the new 40 will be my next pleasure boat.

Can't give away all the secrets. Honestly I don't remember which way they were setup for that race, probably spinning out if I had to guess since it was rough. It changed so often I can't keep track.

I'll give John's dad your best.

One of teh MANY great things about Skater is regardless of the interior, whether it is a race cockpit or a pleasure, you get the SAME boat! Same bottom, may be a little lighter in race trim, but you can expect the same performance from both. With mild turn key power you will be able to run up to and around 100 mph on 500's with #6's. A turn key package if I ever saw one. The dock side manners and outright sheer performance will astound you. It will run hard in the BIG stuff and not get out of shape and will idle up to the dock with the greatest of ease. Nice thing about them is that they are not excessively heavy either. Relatively speaking, a 36 Vee would likely weigh considerably more making trailering a Skater much easier. A 36 Skater is my DREAM BOAT!

My 35 Motion cat makes for a great pleasure boat. Although I do drive at race speeds it is still a pleasure boat. It is hard to slow down when the boat will handle the water so well. That is my idea of pleasure, for others it's a Big V with a cuddy and a blender.

Here's a quesion for you guys with those new fangled flyin machines ...
I have an old 39' express cat (love it ) of course it doesn't compare ! I have very little experience in it due to technical difficulties .... When runing 60 or more I never noticed any probelm at all , BUT , The other week on my test run I ran with a 45 sonic cruising at 45mph . MY boat is heavy and at 45 and much less actualy stays on plane very well but I get a good amount of water splashing out of the tunnel ON ME !! :mad: It is just a fine mist but I don't like it . I have never gone under 60 before and as I said never saw this problem at any speed up to and over 100.
In the lighter, and more modern design of the skaters ,HOw does this effect them ? Do they also do this ? I am sure they do but under what conditons would it take . If I spend 3 times what I have into my express cat and still get wet ........... Just wondering . Thanks , JOE

boot,

my limited experience with an old Shadow cat taught me that those boats require a certain speed to generate lift. My Shadow, at speeds below 70 seemed to fall down off of the air in the tunnel and really drag in the water...problem was, with that old hull, 70mph was WOT!!!

T2x can certainly shed more light on this though...:D

At slow speeds, when the boats bounces I get a spray in the face once in a while.

sounds like a little caugh. There is only one cure, go fast.

I have a 36 open cockpit Skater. I had a cigarrette . A friend of mine has the new twin step cig. I can tell you that the Skater is a much more comfortable ride and unless you do something really stupid just as safe as any V hull. The boat cruises at 50-60 and it cruises at 90. Other than an occasional tunnel sneeze when you back off quick it's as dry as any V. The freeboard on the open cockpit is only several inches lower than the cig. I' ve been in 4-6's with both boats and in my opinion neither one was a pleasure. It's just a matter of how much banging around you want to take. Bottom line it's a GREAT boat for pleasure,poker runs and anything else.

ali-cat - I was fairly amazed on the freeboard issue. At the poker run last weekend, 36Skater’s Skater was sitting at the docks next to Justin’s Apache. I got down on the dock and eyed it across the gunnels. Same height on the freeboards.

Could you expand on your comment, “I' ve been in 4-6's with both boats and in my opinion neither one was a pleasure. It's just a matter of how much banging around you want to take.”

Any other differences you could elaborate on between the V and the Cat would be very much appreciated.

Freeboard
 

The freeboard on the Apache may be similiar to the Skater, but the cockpit depth is much deeper on the cigarette. The cigarette is a stand up boat, the Skater is a Sit down boat.

If I were to run in Poker Runs and just go on high speed runs I would hands down pick the Skater. But I like to travel, spend the night on the boat, and hang out in the cabin so I would go with the Cigarette or the Apache.

The Skater may ever ride smoother because of its air packing effects. I just want a nice cabin with good headroom.

Panther, You can have everything you want in a Skater 46 Supreme. Tell bill it's time for a raise.

46 Skater??????
 

Easy there Mr_Velocity!

The consulting business aint that good!! That would have to be a heck of a raise, or better yet a winning lotery ticket!

If I get it, can I keep it at your place? Not sure if Chuckie would let me keep it at his.

I think a 36 Apache, or 38ft. Cig are in the works for me. Although a Skater with 575's would be nice! I don't have the dough though!!

Owner 36 reply
 

If you can go over 60 mph, 36 Skater is KING. In 4-5 footers (closely spaced), your in for a chitty ride in anything. Here the advantage goes to the big V bottom because you can plow along at speeds up to maybe 45 with out too much discomfort. A cat at these speeds has two problems. First, the tunnel (flat bottom) takes hits from the waves and humps you to death. Second, part of these waves hitting the tunnel will be forced back out the front of the tunnel and you drive thru the spray. This can be OK if your wearing a bathing suit, it's over 90 degrees, and fresh water.

Therefore if you have to go out in the rough stuff take a big V.

If you run a 36 skater in rough stuff, over 60, you could trip and stuff, or hook a sponson and roll. Neither is heathy.

Going over 100 in a 36 can get boring, in a V bottom it's exciting because it's so scary.

JB

Here's a pic of Danger Zone I took at the Thousand Islands poker run this August. Awesome boat, lousy picture.:D

JohnB,

With all due respect you seem contradictory in your reply. Additionally, I disagree with your assessment of not only the ride but the handling as well. I am unclear...do you own a 36? Again, not being disrespectful, just disagreeing.

Uncle Toys - Both of my 36 Skaters (pleasure & Bacardi Silver) are fully "packed" by 80. However, depending upon setup, the best ride/handling seems to occur above 90.

well mr. velocity,you didnt out run everyone remember that other little yellow and white 36 that was there.. anyway we won 96 wc in kw in 8-10 seas at over 100mph average.the best cat on the market no doubt.:D :D :D :D

Shane
 

Yes, I own a 36 skater (TEAM YAHOO 1) with 500 EFI's. Too clarify, I empathize (closely spaced 4-5 footers), which is to say wave peaks 20 feet apart not ocean rollers! Cats suck in this stuff at speeds under 50, and over 50 you stand a good chance of getting hurt! I have personally stuffed my 36 into a 5 footer at 25 mph in a following sea. Like about 100 gallons in the cockpit on (in) Lake Erie. Off Ft.Lauderdale in the same conditions, we had so much salt in our shorts we couldn't cross our legs without pain.

Before this I had a 28 Skater with 300's, which I sold before I killed myself. Before that a blown 38 Top Gun.

Last winter we went to a Fla. Powerboat event in a 38 Formula, and from Hillsboro to Miami we were in the same 4-5 foot tightly spaced chit and had a ball at about 45 mph. Also never got wet.

It all depends on the conditions. Ask Jim Denooyer how fasthe will run his 165 mph 32 Skater in 3-5 footers. He lives near you.

BTW, How about the 3 brothers that died in their new 36 Skater in N.J. this summer.
:( Regards, John B

Yes I do and if I remember correctly we lapped that boat in Sarasota. In flat water there was not touching that yellow and white boat.
The most memorable experience had to be the zero visability when the thunderstorm blew threw and the kept the race on.

John B

the 3 brothers: that was thier first cat and I had heard it was thier first performance boat

it wasnt thier first performance boat...........first cat yes........to shed some light on that they even spent quite a bit of time with JT in their boat learning it.

the 32 skater that goes 165mph what year is it and what power i would like to know this for ideas about my 32 skater setup aka the old/new AGITATOR its sporting a new paint job now and is now rerigged totally. just putting final touches on the power before the dyno. we est about 1200hp a side <supercharged of course> see ya charlie amann;)

It doesn't get much better than this... :D :D :D

If you get a 36 I will be invious, I too dream of a 36 and would love to own a 36. I will promise you this. If you get one at anysize you will probally never get anything other than a skater again. They are wonderful and always keep a smile on your face. The price difference up from a 28' keeps me working and dreaming, but until then a 28 does me just fine ( i love outboards anyway). Good Luck, Craig

John B

I think a lot of your problem is with those bravo drives or in theX dimension in the ride of the boat. I have run my 36 around 40-50 mph in sloppy 3-5 in the ocean and don't get drenched. I have been in the new cig. in those conditions and I don't think it's a ball in either type of boat. I have gone into govt. cut in 4-6's following sea and I can assure you I wasn't doing above 50 I was able to stay on top and didn't get wet. I can't remember when "ploughing" through that stuff in a V bottom was all that great either, but if you are really that convinced why not end it and get rid of the cat. See you in Key West ,hopefully your not too drenched by the time you get down there.

John B

Another thought.... How are your props turning? Johny had figured that with my small power they would have to turn in. He was correct since after I bugged him to try turning them out the boat rode very nose heavy as a matter of fact he was having trouble steering it. The only reason that I am mentioning this is that I can recall Johny saying that he thought the boat would handle better in the ocean with 6's than with bravos.

ALI-CAT
 

Jeff,

The props are turning in. Maybe the extra 1000 lbs. sitting on the transom helps keep the bow up. X dimension is +2".

The 36 is exceptional, I agree. I've had 14 boats and this one is still unbelievable. What goes over 110 with stock 500,s and weighs over 8000 lbs (running weight).

However they are not suited for all conditions! No hull is.

Why do so many big pleasure Skaters go on the market with very low hours after only a short time after their purchased??

I just want to give potential owners a fair evaluation, not just drool all over this board.

BTW, I realize what it's intended for, and after 3 seasons, it's still a rush, so I'm not selling it.


We will be at the Ocean Key House the 18 th of Nov. Are you going by boat?

JB:D

Thanks John B!

Sure it does!!

John B.

I gotta agree with you on that there is no perfect hull for all conditions but the cat is a rush. I am going down to Key West in my boat with another friend in his cig. and possibly another boat as well. We are staying in the Ocean Key House arriving on the 22nd!!. Let's at least get together for a couple of drinks and see if there's time to go for a ride.
Are you going to have the boat down there?

Jeff:D :D