Sterling 1700-Powered Skater Update: D’Anniballe to Head South for Dial-In

Sterling 1700 engine prior to installation in Skater 388 catamaran.

Just back from the Union Internationale Motonautique Class 1 season-opener Mar. 14-17 in Doha, Qatar, Mike D’Anniballe of Sterling Performance said he plans to visit David Wade Marine in Baton Rouge, La., in the next two weeks for final dial-in of a much-anticipated Skater 388 catamaran powered by the first pair of 1,700-hp turbocharged Sterling engines.

“I am hoping to get down there by the end of March,” said D’Anniballe, the owner and founder of the Milford, Mich., high-performance marine engine company. “I have to get the electronic waste gate control hooked up again so they can finish dialing in the boat.”

The 1,700-hp engines were delivered to Douglas Marine/Skater in late June 2011 and installed in the catamaran shortly thereafter. From there the cat went to David Wade Marine for testing and dial-in. That reportedly went well until a thrown propeller blade that led to a damaged propeller shaft forced the boat from its planned debut at the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout and delayed progress on the project.

Once D’Anniballe completes his work on the engines, the plan is to resume and finish final dial-in on the cat in “mid-April,” according to David Wade.