Inside Speed On The Water Digital Magazine: Project Pleasure

With help from Skater Powerboats, TNT Custom Marine and more, Gary Ballough turned a 2006 canopied raceboat into a sporty 32-foot pleasure catamaran. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot-2-Thrill-Pix

You might wonder how Gary Ballough, an accomplished offshore racing throttleman both in national and international stock outboard class competition, has managed to not give in to the temptation of owning a pleasure boat for so many years. Obviously he can—and does—take any of the raceboats he’s owned out for joy rides, but that’s not the same as owning a boat for pure recreation.

Maybe it’s because Ballough hasn’t had a lot of time between racing in the XCAT World Series overseas and the Super Boat International circuit stateside. Or maybe it’s because the thought of hopping into a boat after weeks or months of trying to get one race ready through setup and testing doesn’t sound too fun. Or the most likely explanation is that the timing hasn’t been right for the Boca Raton, Fla., resident.You might wonder how Gary Ballough, an accomplished offshore racing throttleman both in national and international stock outboard class competition, has managed to not give in to the temptation of owning a pleasure boat for so many years. Obviously he can—and does—take any of the raceboats he’s owned out for joy rides, but that’s not the same as owning a boat for pure recreation.

Whatever the reason, that’s ancient history as Ballough is hooked thanks to the Douglas Marine-built 32-foot Skater catamaran canopied raceboat he purchased last May from Lake Cumberland Marine in Kentucky and converted into a five-sea open-top pleasure boat with a wraparound windshield.

To read the entire article, download the January/February 2014 issue of Speed On The Water Digital Magazine at no charge by clicking here.

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