Skater Introducing 428 Catamaran
The new cat will be 10 percent bigger in key dimensions than the successful 388. The first launch is slated for June, 2015.
October 19, 2014
When you have a winning model, you stick with it—that’s a rule Peter Hledin has stuck with since he founded Douglas Marine/Skater, the nation’s best-known high-performance custom catamaran builder, in Douglas, Mich., more than 30 years ago.
With the hull mold complete, lamination for the first Skater 428 catamaran is underway.
Developing new models off a successful—that’s a key word—existing model makes sense. And that’s the thinking behind the new Skater 428 catamaran, which Hledin and Tony Cutsuries, his national sales manager, call “a 388 on steroids.”
"Our 36, which we introduced many years ago, was a huge success," said Hledin. "We stretched that into the 368 and later the 388, and both of those cats also were big successes. We figured that we must have the proportions absolutely perfect, so we said, 'Why don't we just scale it up 10 percent [to create the 428] ?' So it's 10 percent longer, 10 percent wider, and the sponsons are 10 percent taller. It does have a slightly different bottom. It has a 24-degree deadrise, but we added a 12-degree running pad for greater low-speed running efficiency—60, 80, 100 mph—and better fuel efficiency."
With the hull mold complete, lamination for the first model is underway. Douglas Marine has no deck tooling for its larger models—all decks for those cats are custom-built to order, which, as Hledin often says, makes no two Skaters exactly alike.
The new cat's sponsons have a 42-inch depth up front, and that depth drops to 24 inches at the stern. Tunnel width is 72 inches. To accommodate Mercury Racing's QC4v engine platforms—particularly the popular 1350—Hledin modified the inner tunnel walls.
"The tunnel walls in this particular model will allow us to mount the engines lower in the boat and improve its center of gravity," Hledin explained.
Going with an 11'11" beam for the 428 enables the builder to create a 90-inch wide cockpit that can accommodate a variety of seating and layout options. Features include a new wraparound windshield, as well as new hardware pieces.
"We're also making smaller changes for the 428, like new deck hardware, flush-mount hidden hinges and new seating," said Hledin. "We're going through an evolution, and those features also will be going into our smaller boats. We just keep trying new things to set the bar a little higher because the competition is tough.
"We needed a new model," he added. "Building new models is my favorite thing to do in the shop. That's what I enjoy."
The first Skater 428 catamaran should be finished by summer 2015.
