I agree Ron and Dale. the thing that helped my boat the most was the 15 inch mids and the loss of about 35-40 lbs per side off the transom. the lower center of gravity made handeling so much better that I could carry more speed thru the rough water. Of course I would love more power but alot of races are won just being able to use what you have. the 400's are cool but they have a very high center of gravity being straight 6. 15" mids would help but still going to be tall and the weight is up high. Might put one on a tri toon.

Top 10 Reasons Super Dave should go with Quad 400R's
 

It's sleeting and freezing rain again here in Arkansas so here we go while I still have DSL and electricity.....


(10). 1600 HP of carbon footprint!

Skater Jim brings up a good point and I just cant wrap my head around by having these motors with the extra and weight and ballast needed to offset them that there would be any significant gains.
Unlike the CC that already have had 4 300 verados on the back. Now you are just increasing hp.
Not sure David would like the sound of 4 verados back there. You would lose that lovely sound of 4 2.5's screaming at 8500 rpm!!!
I think time will sort this out and let's see what gains are being had with CC's.
15" mids on them would be nice but in the real world (non lake boating) I would be worried about getting water in the bottom cylinders. This has happened on more than one cc down here.

Jim, could you post up some pics of those 15" mids on your 28?

they are off the boat right now i just re powder coated them

I think I found them Jim. Is this one yours? Sweet. I definitely like the look, and can understand how it could improve handling.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]537517[/ATTACH]

[QUOTE=skate;4268889]It's sleeting and freezing rain again here in Arkansas so here we go while I still have DSL and electricity.....


(10). 1600 HP of carbon foot print

The ole 36 is getting ready to have some work done to its bottom soon. Also those bags of sand that we put in at Loto should be be long gone real soon I hope. Getting rid of all of that extra weight, and raising engine height plus bottom mods should clear things up as far as dialing in with the engine combination that ive got now. This will have alot to do with future plans

thats my boat with the stock 20" mids

Jim you have Taylor mids rite??

(9).
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(1). Mercury gives David 50 percent off purchase of 4 new
400R outboards

Hahaha !!!

yes Taylor mids with the 2.5 lowers

I'll be shocked if these new 400's aren't modded within a year or two. If the ECU isn't cracked, someone will add a piggyback or come up with a replacement ECU if there's enough demand (or desire in the case of racers :D).

This 400 4 stroke doesn't make any sense on a 28 Skater, but I do think it makes a lot more sense with something like the new proposed 34 MTI. A 34 could make great use of this OB. IMO, that package will blur the line between the OB and IO cats... in speed, size, performance, etc, and do so at an attractive price point.

David,

While I give you all the credit in the world for your 36 OB project, I just don't see that hull as ever being a great fit for OB's. A single 400 per side wont be enough and two will not fit well (and might be too much weight sitting that far back). If I were you I would convert that beautiful boat back to a proven IO and enjoy the hell out of the better performing package, but again I certainly appreciate all your hard work and determination to see this OB thing through. :D

You make some good points. I know my 36 was an OB boat from the beginning.(has 17 inch notched transom). Ive never looked into what would be involved to turn it into an inboard. Sounds like alot of work and money but possibly big payoff in handling and performance.
I just cant imagine doing that at this time though.
Food for thought down the road
Has anyone attempted converting an outboard cat to inboards?
What are we looking at to do it with my 36.
Is it feasable?

It would be cost prohibitive David. It would be cheaper to sell yours and buy and I/O 36 as there are several for sale at good prices. As nice as yours is you could possiblY pocket some money in the process. BUT, as you and I know boating is a loo$$$ing proposition, but, it sure is fun! Hang in there brother! You will have a unique BADASS cat once you get it dialed in.

David,
There is an old saying. If you are not the lead dog the scenery NEVER changes!!! You have lead dog there that is unique. Stay the course! No one has a boat like yours.

Hi David,

As stated you'd likely be money ahead to sell yours and repurchase an I/O already completed. With that said, you have a lot of money and time into redoing yours. Your hull is now solid as a rock (would the next one be?) and you have some beautiful custom paint done to your liking.

I've never looked at your boat close enough to see exactly what would be involved with converting it, but I can say with a lot of certainty that there's a reason you don't see other OB 36's. I honestly think you're fighting an uphill battle on this one... Yes it can be made to work/run, but it will never run with an I/O and I suspect resale will be pretty limited as well as an OB. If it were me, I'd cut my loses, or convert it and be far happier in the end.

Just my 2 cents (not meant to be derogatory in any way).

I don't think I've ever heard David say he was unhappy? Nor have I heard him say he was losing on this boat. If we were all cutting our loses, we wouldn't be doing this at all, would we? His boat has always been an outboard 36' and YES there has been a few others too. Outboards aren't for everyone and obviously David is a passionate, outboard guy, through and trough. I am pretty sure he'll see this project through and I would bet when the set up is complete it will run 125 plus on only 1120 HP which is much faster than an IO will run on the same HP. (Sorry but your posted WAS derogatory in some ways, and as an OB guy , I had to put my 2 cents in)

Great response and dead on. David is a great guy and an outboard guy. I'm sure he could do whatever he wants and he has chose to do the outboard route.

I visited the other side breifly it was dark for me. It a different world which has different risk aka speed and cost of ownership which are significantly more when associated with inboard power than the outboard versions. I was very happy to step back into and not down to an outboard Skater. They are fun typically reliable best bang for the buck and although you certainly can hurt yourself in one its not like we are screaming around at 130-170+ like some of the inboard guys

David's boat is awesome it would just be a lot more awesome with quad 400Rs!:evilb::evilb::evilb::evilb:

Ryan (and David),

I know you're a tried and true OB (and Skater) guy so it doesn't surprise me that you would take offense to my comments. I'm a fan of OB's, I/O's, and cats. My apologizes to both you, David, and anyone else that viewed my comments as derogatory, they truly weren't meant to be. My point was simply David's had, and will continue to have, an uphill battle getting 4 OB's (especially 2.5's) on a 36 to be truly reliable and to keep up with a nice I/O package (say blown BBC's and 6's), which is all so proven on the 36, 368, and 388 series.

Again, I more than appreciate all the work, time, and money David has in his Skater, it's a beautiful boat and will no doubt run a respectable number when complete.

Well its a good thing you cleared that up right quick SS cause I was on my way to the Bygosh office to have a little chat with ya.

BTW, how big a ole boy are ya?:D HaHa!

Differing opinions are not going to bother David or anyone else on this forum I hope.

Thanks, I appreciate all the Skater brothers support and encouragement. The winter is getting long and cant wait for spring. Ill be removing all four engines soon

David,
What are the current plans for the boat? What did you guys do with the bottom?

No worries SS. Its fun to kick ideas around. I like throwing things out there to get feedback which inspires me

Team AMSOIL Offshore Racing / Skater 368 w/ twin 525 Mercury Racing inboards (1,050hp total) currently holds the POPRA World Kilo Record, clocking in at 131.981 MPH. Just throwing this out there guys......... :)

I also love all fast boats - outboard, inboard/outboard, v-drive, etc., and think the open discussion is great! I personally found nothing offensive or derogatory about SS's posts, just very factual. I think all of us on here think David has a beautiful, unique, good performing boat. But the facts are that it doesn't perform anything like an inboard (and David obviously knows that) - and that's ok! From what the little I've heard and know about David, he could own anything he wanted (within reason of course), but he's chosen to build up this unique, one-of-a-kind outboard 36 because of his passion for outboards. I give him huge kudos for taking on the challenge of four 2.5s - as I don't even have the patience for two of those little bastards! Lol. I wish him the best of luck in getting it dialed in to his satisfaction, and I enjoy reading about his journey in getting to that point.

I've always said it would be awfully boring if we all had the same setups, and that's what I love so much about performance boats vs. cars or bikes - boats are all different sizes, shapes, engine and drive combinations.

As for the original question about re-rigging to inboards, I agree with others David that you'd probably be better off selling it and buying an inboard. If you wanted another former race boat project, the 36 I used to race with Rod Karnofel is for sale less motors for well under $90k. It is the former Fountain/Mercury Super Cat that kicked everybody's ass so bad back in '99/'00 that the APBA kept making them add weight until everybody else became competitive. As we raced it in the late 2000s, the boat ran in the mid 140s w/ a pair of big ci naturally aspirated pumps gas motors.

We will be removing the existing tunnel pods and replacing with much smaller ones

Apples to apples what speed would the average 36 classic I/O run with naturally aspirated similar hp to my outboards?
From Skaters website in the past concerning the classic 36 I/O, I believe it said 110 mph. From my discussions with owners of 36 skaters for sale, backs that estimate up.
As you know there is a big difference in frontal profile and tunnel width between a classic 36 and a 368 skater. Also having world champion Bob Teague and Paul Whittier and team dialing in and fine tuning the set up for the record speed run is a huge advantage in itself. Hats off to them.

I am quite happy seeing how far I can go with this one of a kind project. I knew it was going to be experimental from the get go. besides the many of you on OSO I have consulted with Peter, JT, Gary Ballough, Paul Whittier. It has been very helpful, but the fact remains that this is the only 36 skater in the world with 4 outboards!!!!

Dale, I appreciate your comments and advice. That goes for all of you fellow skater owners and OSO members that have offered encouragement on my thread throughout the duration of this project. (You know who you are)

Since it is a hobby I dont have the time to work on it as much as I would like. I have some issues that I am currently working on with the tunnel pods that just might correct a problem that ive been having at speeds over 115. Im excited about getting this resolved so that I can start the normal dialing in process of adjusting engine height, prop selection to achieve top speed. My best so far was 118 with about 500 lbs of ballast in the back. Just being able to run without that extra weight should boost top end. I am looking forward to this prospect, and ill keep you posted.

The bottom line is: My goal is still 125. I love my Skater with outboards, Cheer me on !!! :D

:evilb::evilb:Hell Ya!!!

You go dog!

Nothing "sings" quite like a 2.5 offshore just before they hit the limiters.... unless it was QUADS!

David, I think we are all looking forward to you reaching your goal(s) and very much like reading about your updates along the way, keep up the good work!




Dale,
Can you please PM me more info on the 36 race boat you mentioned, your PM box is full? I'm not sure I "need" another boat at this point, but I do have a spare/fresh set of 1100's sitting around! :D

Thanks,
Scot

We have a 36' Classic, just like yours, with 550efis and 6 drives and it runs 105 down hill with a tail wind.....

Not sure who was all at the shoot out besides Skate,toboma,an my self !!! But David's skater ripping down the h2o mile with quad 2.5s was freaking ausome you won't see any thing like it or hear anything like it ,(well maybe twin 300 x's lol) we all have great passion for this thing we call boating ,an everyone has different taste in there river rockets !!!

There's a dude on here from Michigan with a skater that has twin 750hp lsx motors. I would bet this quad monster will not be faster or lighter than that rig. But it sure is fun watching him do something no one else has!

Yep, Jim Stykes (JIMKID) in a beautiful, 30' Skater Flat deck, (WITH 750's!) , sorry, but again, not comparing Apples to Apples there......

http://honkercutmarine.com/

Give Rod a call - here's their website with all their contact info. The first pic that comes up when you get on their website is the all white 36 for sale - #80. If you'd like to know more about the boat before calling Rod, you can contact me at 925-963-1927. - Dale

[QUOTE=Ryan Beckley;4270983]We have a 36' Classic, just like yours, with 550efis and 6 drives and it runs 105 down hill with a tail wind.....[/QUOTE


That's funny right there! :D I admit I was just stirring the pot a little with my "368/525s/131mph" post. The reality of that ridiculously fast run is that those 525s are all hand picked and dialed in as much as possible and still be legal (surely around 600hp at the crank), and they were running a set of super thin kilo props that were so tall, the boat would barely get on plane. Not to mention they were on the Salton Sea, which is below sea level and the saltiest (denses) water in the US! Add in that the full canopy Skaters are faster due to aerodynamic advantages over open cockpit boats and it all adds up to a speed that is about 15-20mph faster than what would be seen in a typical well set-up pleasure boat. Don Holtz has a classic 36 up in Washington w/ twin 525s that runs right at 110, but that's with Bravo drives on extension boxes.

Hey Ryan, maybe you know the truth on Jim's 30....... I've heard that boat get's passed by the faster 28s on every Poker Run he goes on, and that the boat is ridiculously slow for what it is. I've tried to get it out of Jim, and he just get's defensive and won't discuss how fast it truly has run. From everything I've heard, it doesn't run over 120?

[QUOTE=Skater30;4271236]
So when I hit 125+... That's good RIGHT? :eekdrop: LOL