Feedback and Insight on 24' Skaters
 

Looking for some feedback on 24' skaters...

I'm in the market for a used boat, and at this current point in time i'm torn between two different animals... a 24' Superboat stepbottom that is pretty new (2002) versus a late 80s early 90s 24' Skater.

i get reviews that the superboats are incredible in the rough, but a cross chop causes alot of chine walk since its so narrow. but it's a good layout, decent size, little cabin, a 65-70mph boat as i'm looking at it with a single O/B

then on the other hand i really love a skater... uniqness of a cat hull on the water, not many of them around, certainly much faster than the above mentioned..

but as a YOUNG boater that only has v bottom experience, should a skater be something i rightfully should be intimidated by? ... a good friend has a 28' skater, went for a ride last year and it was AWESOME.... but much much different feeling than a traditional boat.

i guess my concerns are as follows...

safety... is the 24' a scary ride? any weird characteristics?

what kind of water is deemed unsafe for it

can a young v-bottom experienced boater safely operate a 24' skater, or is it just that, like anyhting, you learn and takes practice...

what are the big DO NOTS of a skater hull as far as turning, speed in rough water, crossing boat wakes, etc.

Thank you for any insight... trying to make the right decision for fun factor AND safety... i do like SPEED tho :ernaehrung004:

i can't afford anything bigger

Great boat, however it was made obsolete by the 28. If at all possible, i would try to step up to a 28. 24's have a tendancy to stuff if your not real careful.

There was/is a 24' at Vicious that looked to be in great shape. www.viciousmarine.com

how rough of water does it take to stuff it?

i run in some good bay chop, i dont think i would plan on taking a 24' boat offshore in the ocean unless conditions were just rite

a 28' is not in the cards... a 24' is barely in the cards... financially, tow vehicle reasons, storage reasons, etc...

so i'm capped out at a 24' boat at the max

u say if you are not "real careful" ... how careful do you need to be with these boats, are they that finicky?

If you plan on insuring the 24 Skater, you may want to check with your insurance co. Getting insurance on a cat with little experience in one, may be a problem.

Dont worry about stuffing it if you dont trim the motors up too much. The boat will fly nice n level with trim below nuetral.

watch some freeze frame videos..they have some famous shots of 24's stuffing, rolling ,. etc ..Not trying to scare you, i've had 4 skaters and looking at getting a 5th, but you' ve got to have someone show you how to run the boat that's had experience running a 24. :ernaehrung004:

Skater
 

I've had my 24 Skater for about 5 years now, in the bay its a great boat (it would be pretty hard to stuff in the bay) but it is a very different boat and takes alot of getting used to, and even then you still have to be careful and respect it very much. I wouldn't dicourage you from buying anything (I love my Skater) but if your looking for something a little more forgiving and more of an all around boat look into the superboat.. They are definetly two different animals..

I've had experience with the 24' Skater both good and real ugly. I had a race version and a pleasure version. You can have all of the experience in the world and still stuff it. You can stuff at 100mph or 40mph. The boat is just too short. That's why they made the 28'. You can be riding along in the 24' in what you think is relatively calm water and then boom, your airborn, and the tail trips on the next wave. If you can, watch the NNRT video of JD D'Elia in Breakaway from 1985-86 in a race in Long Island. He is noted as one of the best ever on the sticks. Water was not huge and he got bit. Luckily no injuries. The 24' is a fantastic boat, but it is not for everyone.

Twenty years ago I wanted a 24 Skater in the worse way , never could afford one , finally I found a 32 Skater OB without Engines for below the price of a 24 . Shop around