Skater At 50—Build By Numbers

How many custom catamarans has Skater Powerboats built during the last 50 years? Almost 1,000—or 995, to put a fine point on it.

Skater Powerboats has built 126 of its 28-foot catamarans. This is hull No. 1. Photos from Skaterfest 2024 by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

Now, answer this one. Which model has the Douglas, Mich., company built the most of?

Here’s a hint: It’s the first and the smallest cat Skater founder Peter Hledin built. That’s right, the 18-footer. And though Skater hasn’t built any recently, the company has produced 154 of them.

Now here’s a really hard one. Which model has Skater built the least of?

I’ll save you the time and frustration and guesswork. It’s the 426 and just three have been produced.

Skater keeps all of this information in what national sales manager Tony Cutsuries calls “the book.” So when I asked him for a rundown of what the company has built to date, he had an answer for me in less than an hour.

How many different Skater models do you spy in this image?

What follows is “the list” from “the book,” from the smallest model to the largest, with the number of builds at the right.

Skater 18—154           Skater 308—33           Skater 36/368—96    Skater 426—3
Skater 21—68             Skater 318—10           Skater 388—43          Skater 438—9
Skater 24—128           Skater 32A—93           Skater 40SS—20       Skater 46—59
Skater 28—136           Skater 32B/32—47     Skater 40 Classic—59

Only one question remains. Which is your favorite—and why?