Sneak Peek: Skater 30 SS Headed for Miami

For good reason, the next-generation Pure Platinum Skater Powerboats 388 catamaran with 1,800-plus-hp supercharged Goodwin Competition engines owned by well-known performance boat enthusiast Bill Pyburn has captured the lion’s share of attention in advance of the upcoming Miami International Boat Show. But the Douglas, Mich.-based custom powerboat builder will showcase two more models in Miami that will round out its catamaran line exhibit.

The new Skater 30 SS left Douglas Marine today for the Miami International Boat Show earlier today.

“In addition to Pure Platinum, we’re bringing a Skater 50 ‘Widebody’ with Mercury Racing 1350s,” said Tony Cutsuries, the company’s national sales manager. “We’re also bringing a really cool Skater 30 SS with 300 XS Mercury OptiMax outboards.”

The 30-footer was ordered by Jim Kimmel, a longtime enthusiast who has owned several go-fast rides including an Eliminator Boats catamaran and a Velocity V-bottom. Kimmel and his wife, Susan, live in Constantia on the shores of Oneida Lake in Central New York, and will be joining Cutsuries and Douglas Marine/Skater founder and owner Peter Hledin at the show.

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To get a better look at the new Skater 30 SS, check out the slideshow above.

“Our lake is 21 miles long and seven miles wide, so we have plenty of room to run,” said Kimmel. “I’ve been dreaming off this boat.”

Kimmel had Skater build his cat with a left-hand helm station specifically for one-man operation. (Kimmel is right-handed and is most comfortable throttling with that hand.) He worked closely with Cutsuries on the 30-footer’s color scheme, which includes custom-painted bezels for the instruments and a hand-wrapped steering wheel. With 31-inch-pitch Blaster propellers from BBlades Professional Propellers putting the power to the water, the cat is expected to top 100 mph.

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