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View Full Version : Watched a brand new 36 Skater testing



tamburello
04-15-2005, 10:10 AM
I saw a 36 Skater pass me on the highway yesterday, so naturally I had to turn around and follow it. :biggrin.: :biggrin.:

I noticed that it didn't have the hatches installed and it still had the protective covering on the half canopies. Hmmnn, 30 miles north of the Skater factory, no hatches, and protective wraps - we've got a brand new one here! Oh, and did I mention the flame arrestor capped dual-quads perched atop PSI blowers rising two feet above the deck, hey we don't need no stinkin' hatches.

Well, I got lucky they we're off to splash it for the first time and give the Baker Enineering 1,400s their first run off the dyno. I didn't want to be an annoying launch ramp pest but I did talk to the two guys accompanying the boat. Turns out they were Bruce Bullock from Bullock Marine in Texas and Keith Holmes from Cat Can Do Racing Team and CK Motorsports, a local rigging and engine shop.

Ironically, they launched the new Skater next to a couple with their brand new 18 Bayliner, nothing like both ends of the new boat spectrum right next to each other.

In two words that Skater was bad-a$$. After, bolting up two brand new out-of-the-box 16"x35" 5 blade Merc. cleavers to the dry sump six drives, they backed her down the ramp and fired her up. If there was ever a prime example of blower whine and bower surge, this beast was it. Keith adjusted the carbs and then they were off to run. I watched them run around Muskegon lake for 20 minutes or so with a few speed passes and high speed turns, what an awesome boat!

I know that you all want to know how fast it ran and so did I. I enquired about the top speed after they had it back on the trailer and Keith said that they only ran 150 m.p.h. and there was still plenty of throttle left on tap. "Should be a 180 - 200 m.p.h. boat if you're that brave," he said."

Right place at the right time to see an awesome new boat up close and watch her run. Too bad I left the camera at home. But I found pictures of it from the Lake Havasu Desert Storm Poker Run. It has a wild paint job with just about every eye popping color incorporated into it. Skater's in-house paint guru Steve did a sweet airbrushed illustration for the name.

- Jeff

ITTLFLI
04-15-2005, 12:25 PM
That sounds awesome!! It gave me chills reading it!! :smile:

MOP
04-15-2005, 09:42 PM
Need awesome gonads to hold it OPEN very long!

tamburello
05-05-2005, 04:54 AM
Here's a picture of one of the Baker 1400s that is in this baby .

- Jeff

Fish boy
05-05-2005, 07:55 AM
Sweeeeeet!!!!! I can only imagine how bad a## that must have been. Looks like they had another one too (last pic in backround), did it run also?

Thanks for the info and pics.

fish

tamburello
05-05-2005, 08:56 AM
Those pictures are from the Desert Storm Poker Run, there were a bunch of Skaters running there. There was only one boat the day that I watched them test. I see them trucking the new Skaters around here quite often but this is the first time I have watched them test one. I've been through the plant twice now and even got to have lunch with Peter Hledin the last time I was there. He's a cool guy, and the plant is very impressive. They can do everything in-house, tooling, layup, rigging, paint, and even building the trailers. The only things that come through the plant doors that are already assembled are engines and drives.

- Jeff

Sam
05-06-2005, 02:36 PM
Lucky you, all I saw on the road today was a dead coon :mad: . Anyway nice pics, sure beats doing what I'm suposed to be doing................working :jestera: .

McGary911
05-06-2005, 04:49 PM
About 2 years ago, I saw a 36 Skater testing on the Metedeconk River in Brick, NJ......probably one of the go fast boats out of Lightning Jacks marina, or the one right next to it.....lots of Skaters there. I didn't have a camera, but it sure was cool to see :hyper:

Magicallbill
05-12-2005, 03:01 AM
Those guys at Skater are the real deal;Immaculate shop;pro-rigging and everything else. I had the pleasure of having my '68 Ski Sporter painted by the Skater guy as well as Jason's '66.
Magical Bill