Flat-Deck Skater 28 To Be First Mercury Racing 300R Outboard-Powered Catamaran

ByMatt Trulio

While it most likely won’t hit the water until this fall, a 28-foot Skater Powerboats catamaran will be the Douglas, Mich., custom high-performance boat company’s first build with Mercury Racing’s new 300-hp naturally aspirated V-8 engines. News of the new 4.6-liter engine platform, which is being used across the Mercury Marine outboard line, broke this morning.

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Graphics for Todd Fountain’s coming flat-deck Skater 28 catamaran powered by twin Mercury Racing 300R outboard engines will match those on his new Cigarette 39′ Top Gun V-bottom.

The coming 28-footer, which will feature a flat deck dressed with a low-profile windshield, was ordered by Todd Fountain of Newport, Mich. A well-known figure in the performance boating community, Fountain jumped at the chance to order the new Mercury Racing 300R engines to power his new cat.

“I think they might be the first set of 300Rs coming from Mercury Racing,” he said. “They should be at Skater in July, I believe.”

Chris Mills of Boat Customs in Caledonia, Mich., will paint the boat—as well as a color-matched design for a 2018 Cigarette 39’ Top Gun Fountain also recently purchased—in August or September. Grant’s Signature Racing of Bradenton, Fla., will handle the outboard installation and rigging.

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Fountain’s new 39-foot Cigarette is the V-bottom companion for his 28-foot Skater cat, which should be on the water this fall.

“Grant (Bruggemann) just did a ton of work on Tom Cat, my Skater 46 with Mercury Racing 1350s,” said Fountain. “I had Statement widen the cockpit to make it into a six-seater. Brian Jackson of Offshore Outdrives in Grant’s shop redid its No. 8 drives. Both of those guys are so classy—and so professional. And Kellie (Bruggemann’s wife, who also works at the shop) is awesome, too.”

Editor’s Note: Look for continuous coverage of this project on speedonthewater.com as it progresses.

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