32 vs 36 significant differences
 

Hopefully joining the Skater Nation soon. Other than the obvious 4 feet and purchase price differences, what are the significant differences between the two for everyday boating and poker runs. Expecting power in the 850 hp range. Not concerned so much with ultimate speed, rather I'm interested to know handling characteristics and safety.

Thanks

A WORLD APART, you wouldn't believe what a difference 4' could make

Holy crap, Frank !! Good to see you back at it.

I would call the 32' a fun, usable boat. I would call the 36' a REAL boat.

32' has great Skater traits buts it's not gonna like anything 3' or bigger. And the tunnel on the 36' will definitely help with the ride comfort.

Btw Frank is refereeing to the classic not flat deck. The 32 classic feels a lot bigger and is bigger than a 32 flat deck.

Greg has it on point it's a fun, easy usable boat.

Gulfstream 650 or gulfstream 550,

What Greg said. I wouldn't consider the 32' if you have the option to buy a 36 Skater. No comparison in my opinion or the opinion of my friend who has had both and still has the 36. I have had the pleasure to run his 36 since 2011 and if I had the coin I wouldn't consider the 32'. I hope/plan to be running the 36 from the 25th of August to the 2nd of September between Miami and Key Largo or until my credit card implodes!

I went the 32 classic route. It is very tow/launch/retrieve friendly. I can legally tow it most anytime and anywhere.
Steve

There you go trying to be legal and all just trying to make the rest of us look bad. We may have to call a meeting about pulling your Skater Brother card!

I have owned my 32 Classic for 14 years.
I think about going to a 36 everyday. With over 1,500 hours on my 32, I still can't justify the extra $. I run my boat a lot. Sure the 36 would be more comfortable but fuel cost alone I think would be a least t triple. I can run from CT to Shelter Island NY then over to Watch Hill RI on 50 gallons of fuel. Yes, I do cross the Sound at 50 MPH but then I cruise at 85 to 92 MPH.
Here is a little video.
Yes we should have had our vests on in the big stuff.

https://danlandryvideos.shutterfly.com/pictures/29

Nice Boat!

I like the intro a lot. The fueling, up, backing down ramp are all cool parts of boating.

Awesome compilation. Please post more videos.


looks like you run your cat hard...luvin' it.




.

Thank you for the compliment. My friend Dan made they Vid. That is five hours of Go Pro edited down to 4:28 minutes! lol
It is a major pain in the a$$.
Because of music copyright laws we can't post on you tube.

Very cool video. I am an outboard guy myself and will NEVER own an I/O anything. in my comparison I was assuming the OP was only looking at i/os'. Your 32 was my dream cat until I got some seatime in a 32 DW. Keep running the crap out of your 32! I do every weekend weather permitting!

The Talon Guy

Hey Greg! Yeah, I've been away too long. You'll be seeing more of me around here and on the water soon. Finally decided to go cat. Or I have to put a muzzle on Mike, lol. Thanks for your input, you've got the background to know.

Hi Steve, lets repeat the '06 Worlds P3 cat and mouse game again, lol......this time skater to skater.......and you can keep your cigar and lighter in the boat this time..........hopefully see you at some poker runs soon.

Frank

Great video Hugh (and Dan)!

I think Greg hit the nail on the head when he said the 32 is a "fun" boat and the 36 is a "real" boat. I would add: The 32A with the OB's is a "fun" boat. They are not super fast (~100mph), but they are a ton of fun to run in 1'-2' water. They are economical to run and pretty reliable as well, although the lowers are a little fragile on the OB's. Once you get into solid 3' water, the 32A is probably not the boat you want to be in if you don't want to get wet or take a beating. The i/o version of the 32A rides a little better due to the extra weight. The 32B IMO should only be considered with i/o. The 32B is a much bigger boat than the 32A, side by side the 32B dwarfs the 32A. The B is wider and the tunnel is a lot deeper, without a doubt it will handle the rougher water better than the 32A. The 32B is probably right in between the 32A and the 36 in terms of rough water capability. As Greg said, the 36 is a real boat... take a 36' out in solid 3's+, you'll stay (mostly) dry and not get the snot kicked out of you. The difference between the 36 and the 32A is night and day.

With that said, if you want to go and have fun wringing the boat out in average seas with the guys, the 32A with the OB's is tough to beat for the smiles/$ at somewhat sane speeds. With 850's in a 32B, that boat will fly, be a lot of fun, and will run circles around most boats in average conditions. With 850's in a 32B you'd also likely find that you have enough power to get yourself into trouble if you aren't careful. If you want to be one of the first boats at the card stops in all but the roughest of conditions, the 36 with decent power would be the tool of choice... but you might find it a little boring in calmer water.

Thanks SS, I am looking very seriously at a 32B. I may have to tune my motors down somewhat based on your comments and that of Peter at Skater. He believes that a 32B with 850 horses per side would climb over 140. I am used to a staggered Top Gun which didn't care what the conditions were like, but, then again, was no where near 140 obviously. I need to take some baby steps in the Skater.......

I enjoyed your video Hydro, great job!

Come for a ride in mine. I really like it 115 with 5 people decent fuel load and 525's
Steve

I have naturally aspirated 572's single dominator 10:1 at about 650hp per side at 127mph (Real number not make believe). So I would say 140 with 850's is no issue.

The most fun I have ever had running a Skater was Steve Macs' 36 Skater doing 90 to 110 mph in 3s' with the occasional 5' wave to keep you on your toes. Steve had the boat setup to run 160+ with some 41 Herrings. After the run from Miami to Gilberts' I told Steve I would be happy if his 36 never ran above 115 mph as it was as much fun as running my little 25' Talon in 2.5' lake chop.
Steve Miklos, I have seen you and your 32' at Jacksonville and a few other runs and I think your setup for an i/o is perfect. IIRC you are running bravos also. All fun with great reliability and little maintenance. I will come introduce myself next time we are in the same location.

Bob

What kind of drives are you running on your boat?

Arneson ASD7

Pro post pics of your Skater.

I would like to see some pic's of this Skater too!

Is it a flat deck or classic?

A 32 with 850hp blower motors will run 140 pretty easily. I just talked to a guy today that has been in this exact setup (standard deck 32 w/ quarter canopies, 850hp blower motors w/ wet sump #6 SSM drives) and he said it runs 140 w/ 4 people and 1/3 tanks of fuel. My 30 runs well past 150 w/ 800hp NA Sterlings and ASD7s. In getting back to the main topic of this thread, I've been in/raced a 36 (former Fountain/Mercury Super Cat) and I've owned my 30 for 10 years now - it's really hard to compare a 30/32 to a 36. With light power, the smaller Skaters will still run pretty good, the 36 will not - but the 36 is a MUCH better boat in the rough. If you plan to run mainly in the ocean or water conditions typically over 3' - get yourself a 36! If you run mainly inland waters that are typically under 3' - get a 30 or 32. IMO, it's that simple!

Skater30 , What would you consider light power for a 36 Skater?

Anything under 700hp per side. They start coming alive from 800hp per side and fun from 900 hp a side.

IMO, 900hp and under in today's high performance boating market would be considered light power - and the minimum I would be satisfied with in a 36 for the mostly smoother waters I boat on. The 36 I've spent a lot of time in has a pair of 732ci single carb motors making around 900hp and the boat would run in the low 140s when light. Another 36 of a friend of mine's (which just sold to Todd Welling) has a pair of 1,000hp blower motors and runs 150 when light. My 30 w/ twin NA 588ci/800s will out-accelerate and out-top-end both of these 36s (I've done it) with considerably less torque and hp. So, from my personal experience, which I am not saying is the "official word on 36s", I feel that a guy wanting to run 600-800hp engines would be better off in a 30/32. UNLESS he will be running mostly in big water! If that's the case, I don't care if he plans on running a pair of 525s, I'd go with the 36, hands down!

I agree 900hp now days is not that big of a deal at all in the offshore world. But a 36 needs at least 900hp to have fun with it.

That's exactly where I am. Every once in a while you hit that day with sloppy water and wonder if that 36 is a better fit. I mostly recreation boat and enjoy the 32 which is a real good fit.

I would need to go to a newer 36.

The new 368 with 700s runs 130 not even dialed in yet. Very 1st time out it ran 120 no problem with 6 people and completely full of fuel. It had throttle left and was only at 5100. I know the 388 with 700s runs 140 with only stage 2 Whipple kits. I'm just throwing this out there to put more info in the pot. The new wider tunnels are way more efficient.

Got to jump in on this one since I've owned a 32B and presently own a 36, which I have had for 12 years. For starters, both Flight Club and Cash Bar are right on. That 4' of boat makes a world of difference and the 36 is a REAL boat, where the 32 is a fun boat. No disrespect to any 32 owners, but you asked for feedback so....

The one thing that hasn't been mentioned is the CG. The CG on a 36 is almost exactly where it should be - about right under your ass. This makes it extremely predictable when it is launched off waves, etc. The tendency is to fly straight and level (unless you hit the wave wrong or hit a huge roller). The 32 on the other hand is ass heavy and will tend to fall transom first when launched off fairly large waves. These things only matter when in rougher water so I'd discount this if your boating is done in relatively calm waters.

Even Pete will tell you the 36 was a "home run" from the start. He never adjusted anything about it when it was first pulled from the mold. He didn't have to. In addition, you can throw any sized power to the 36 and you won't be misapplying it. I have upgraded my power 5 times in the 36 since I have owned it, starting with 775 HP to it's present XXXX HP and it just reacts beautifully, putting ther power down and handling it superbly. I think the only other Skater that can claim the crown as the best is the 388, and that's as much from a safety perspective as a handling one. The 36 is still a relevant boat, safe and fast and as fun as can be.

If you can find one that's still in good shape and you can part with the coin, it's the better of the two. That's my impartial opinion.

Thanks for all the input, greatly appreciated.

Letting you all know that I've decided to pull the trigger on a 32B. Thank you for all the input. I think it is the right move for me at this time. Hopefully it will be the first of many.

Congratulations on getting into a 32B! As CoolSpot pointed out, CG is very important in rough water, and not many guys pay attention to it when they really should in the smaller 30/32s. Keep everything as light as you can in the rear, and mount your batteries forward up under the deck. The goal is to try and get the CG as close as possible to the larger, better riding 36s! I've got the batteries mounted forward in both my 30 and 28.

Good point. Can you send me a picture of how you set your batteries?
Thanks

No problem, I'll be under the front deck tomorrow actually. I mounted a battery charger on the same bulkhead next to the batteries, which I just plug in the night before I'm going to run the boat so my batteries are always 100% when I go out. Sometimes I don't take the 30 out for a month or two at a time.

The batteries and battery charger are mounted to the front of the bulkhead just forward of the canopies. The lifting ring and hand-held fire extinguishers are mounted to the bulkhead forward of my deck hatch.

Nice job S30. Thanks for sharing and the tips.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]530161[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530162[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530163[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]530164[/ATTACH]Finally got around to updating my membership, so now I can post some pictures. This is the boat that I purchased. It was in the classifieds here and purchased from GT Performance. Can't wait to install the freshened engines and #6s.......