Skater At 50—The Turbine Man
Of all the catamarans Skater Powerboats of Douglas, Mich., has created during the past 50 years, just 13 have been powered by turbine engines. By company founder Pete Hledin’s count, he’s built three 32-footers, one 36-footer, four 40-footers and five 46-footers with turbine power for owners who preferred to keep their names out of the media.
Except one—the late Howard Arneson of San Rafael, Calif.
Howard Arneson was far and away the best-known turbine engine-powered Skater catamaran owner.
The good-natured inventor of the Arneson Pool Sweep, which made him a wealthy man, as well as a surface drive that also bore his name, Arneson didn’t avoid publicity. He enjoyed it. Running his 1995-model-year 32-foot Skater catamaran powered by a 1,323-hp turbine engine on San Pablo Bay, he became a local luminary.
In September 1990, Arneson piloted the 32-footer 1,039 miles up the Mississippi River from New Orleans to St. Louis. Smashing the previous record by more than seven hours—the journey took 12 hours, 40 minutes and 50 seconds.
Built in the 1995, Arneson’s turbine engine-powered 32-footer became legendary in the go-fast boating world.
That accomplishment put Arneson, then 69 years old, in the national spotlight. His endless good cheer and humor kept him there. Though the 32-footer was his best known turbine-powered Skater, he later owned a turbine-powered 40-footer and a 46-footer with 4,500-hp worth of turbine engines.
Arneson died of natural causes on June 14, 2020, at his home in San Rafael. Just one month earlier, he celebrated his 99th birthday.
The 46-footer was Arneson’s second Skater cat powered by turbine engines. Photo by Kevin Johns copyright Instant Memories Photography
“Howard was the original turbine guy,” said Dale Rayzor, his longtime friend and fellow Northern California performance boat enthusiast. “He probably had more miles at big speeds than anyone on the planet. He was out there testing on San Pablo Bay, for hours at a time, four days a week.
“He was such an intelligent and humble man,” he added. “He was nice to everybody. He would talk to anyone. He was just a wonderful, kind-hearted human being.”
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