Image of the Week: Tom Cat At Skaterfest

Started by well-known performance boat owner Ron Szolack and hosted at his Michigan home, Skaterfest turned four years old last weekend. The annual event has become a must-attend happening for Skater catamaran owners and devotees around the country. Whether it’s brand new or decades old, if it’s Skater creation in good shape it belongs at Skaterfest.

While it may not have stolen the show, Tom Cat certainly was a showstopper at Skaterfest last weekend. Photo courtesy/copyright Jay Nichols/Naples Image.

Looking through Jay Nichols’ images of the event, which Jason Johnson will bring you complete coverage of Offshoreonly.com and speedonthewater.com on Wednesday, this shot of Tom Cat (owned by Szolack, at least for the moment) caught our attention. The cat was built in 2001 for Tom Abrams of Reliable Carriers automobile transportation and offshore powerboat racing fame. Eventually, the 46-footer found its way into the hands of John Rotella, a New Jersey-based performance-boat owner who recently traded in the iconic cat as part of payment for his new Outerlimits SL 52 V-bottom. (To read the complete story on Rotella and his new ride, download the July/August issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine at no charge by clicking here.)

A few years before Rotella let Tom Cat go—and even with a new 52-foot Outerlimits on the way it wasn’t easy for him—he had the boat’s graphics restored and its windshield replaced, and he had repowered it with twin Mercury Racing 1350 engines. The result is a go fast catamaran that is as breathtaking as it was when it was built 13 years ago.