You guys basically talked me out of a 32, saying it is too small for everyday ocean use so what old 36 or 40's are around??? There's the one 36 with #5's in the classifieds, would consider a 4 man race boat too...

Honestly i'm not sure if you can find a better deal than the 36 with #5's in the classifieds.

Only thing that worries me is that the current owner has been running ethanol fuel in the boat for some time now.

Have the tanks looked at. If there is no damage go to non ethanol and call it a day. Pete at Skater can tell you if those tanks are made of materials that are susceptible for ethanol damage.
Steve

Even if the tanks need to be redone - the asking price of the boat still makes it a decent buy.

It's August already so summer is winding down. If you bought it tomorrow, I doubt the tanks would/could be fixed before you ran it out for the month - depending on how bad the tanks are failing. Dumping the filters will give you an indication if Peter indicates the ethanol could be a problem.

That said, some tanks failed to the point where fuel soaked into the balsa hull coring. There is a thread on here somewhere....

I hear you on the summer almost shot point. I appreciate the feedback guys and keep it coming, always like listening to the people who have been there and done it.

I don't want to be Mr. Negative, so please do not take it that way. Any Skater you will look at, in your price range, and it that age group, will have issues. If it is not the tanks, it will be the chines (what the bunks touch when on the trailer). If its not the chines, it will be the deck, if it's not the deck, it will be the tunnel.....

Look very, very hard at any older Skater you come across. I became an expert at older Skaters and what to look for. Pete has a great product and they are great people, but I would say 99% of older Skaters have issues that will need to be addressed at the factory (the only place to get it done right).

If you want anymore insight, or specifics on what to look for, just let me know.

Erik

I know nothing about Skaters but I thought the 32' in the classifieds with the 496's and the Arneson drives looks like a great boat. Good luck with your search

I am toying with the idea of moving to a 36 38 or 40.

How anyone can run a 120 mph plus boat with no windshield or wind protection is beyond me.

36Skater with #5's is a deal....provided the fuel in the tanks has not soaked into the core....then it's a bottom job too....when I talked with Pete, back in 1997 when I had my tanks done he said all skaters up to mid 2005 needed to have the tanks done...It is a Very Messy time consuming job!!! This 36Skater sat at Pier 57 for a Long time....they might know more about it than the current owner.....