I am thinking about getting a 30 Skater OB for the lake we do a lot of boating on and I need info. I have heard this setup with the Opti's run around 100 top end and are very fuel efficient. How do the outboard gearcases hold up on cats this size? Have there been any built without the Opti's? I thought I saw a pic that had a 30 rigged with Verado's, any one know? Info of any kind is greatly appreciated!

DK

A 30 Skater is a great boat ,but a very basic boat .100mph or there about with your best go fast props on for sure .All Cats are hard on motors and gear boxes thats just life.On a lake not coming in and out of the water shouldnt be too bad.Merc Cleaver will be close to your fastest but some dont have a long life ,remember you are pushing a big boat ,investigate Throttle Up, Hydromotive and even a set of Bravo 1s for gerneral use they will be way fast and serve you well .
I keep hearing about a 4 stroke Skater ,ever asked about it a while back ,havent seen it yet ,if it exists.It put a pair of 250ss or 300 Suzukis if was going 4 stroke .Probably only be 5mph slower than its Opit counterpart .

You can build a new 30' Flat Deck with a pair of new 300x motors.

This should bump the speed to 110 range.

I seriously looked at doing a skater with verados, but the limiting factors seemed to be the mid sections and the lower units. You would have to do some type of nose cone with a remote water pickup to surface the drive. Didn't want to be the guinea pig. The 300xs seem to be good for about 100-103 mph, as rik says the 300x would def bump it up, however you'd lose some fuel mielage. You should be fine with durability of the engines and lowers with either choice. Throttle up 4 blades (see Appsyscon's post) or worked merc 4 blade cleavers seem to be the props of choice.

I'm guessing that Verados would add 200-300 lbs to the transom.

The info is greatly appreciated!!!

As an owner, I agree with all of the above.

30 Skater with T/300xs, runs an honest 100mph, 2.3-2.5mpg total fuel burn, excellent rough water performance for a boat of its size, great lines, strong hull. Throttle-Up is my propellor of choice.

The current 4 strokes, have several issues, for a boat like this. The power to weight ratio is low, the midsection, and the lower units, and gear ratios. Perhaps in the future the correct combination will be available, but for now, go with 250xs or 300xs.

I have several threads here at OSO, on the 30 Skater, and tons of photos, from construction to rigging, to running.

Also huge amounts of info, phjotos and video, on my web site.

and are THE AUTHORITY on 30 Skater OB boats

throttle up. best prop out there and cats love them

Paul,

Here are some pictures we took from my boat of yours, during the 2009 FMO March run. If you ever want to trade, I'm in.