Skater At 50—Gardner-Variety Conversion Therapy

Some Skater Powerboats catamaran fanatics, such as Ron Szolack and Danny DeSantis, like to commission the Douglas, Mich., company to build new boats. Others such as Dale Rayzor prefer to reimagine existing Skater cats and hire craftsman such as Chris Mills of Boat Customs in Caledonia, Mich., to execute their vision. Some multi-time Skater owners—Szolack leaps to mind again—like to do both.

Don and Amanda Gardner’s reimagined Skater 368 catamaran is a staple of Fort Myers Offshore events. Action photos by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix.

Then there are purely hands-on types, like Don and Amanda Gardner of Cape Coral, Fla., who buy an existing Skater, come up with a vision and do most or all of the renovation/conversion work themselves.

Thank to the Gardners’ hospitality, I got to experience their immaculate handiwork firsthand during the Fort Myers Offshore group season-opener in Southwest Florida earlier this month. The gracious couple invited me and their dear friend, Neil Kirby, though I’m not sure Kirby actually requires an invite, to take one of four seats in their Skater 368 catamaran for the day.

The only aspect of the renovation subbed out by the couple was the cat’s interior. Photo by Matt Trulio.

In early 2021, the Gardners bought the 2005 model-year cat originally built as a canopied Super Cat Light raceboat powered by class-spec Mercury Racing 525 EFI sterndrive engines for Steve Page of the Page Motorsports team. They bought and took delivery of the boat on Don’s 40th birthday.

From start to finish, Don Gardner did all the body work himself.

Their goal was to convert the boat not just for pleasure use. That didn’t just mean cutting off its canopy and installing a new interior. It mean reconfiguring the boat’s transom to accept a pair of out-of-warranty 350-hp Mercury Marine engines modified through their ECUs to produce 465-hp.

The couple bought the boat from Scott Ryerson of Suncoast Powerboat and Yacht Brokerage in Sarasota, Fla. Naturally, the outboards came from another Gardner family project, a 32-foot Doug Wright raceboat the couple also converted for pleasure use and enjoyed for years.

The 36-footer was a present for Don Gardner’s 40th birthday.

With more than a little help and a whole lot of support from his bride, Don Gardner—an aerospace engineer by trade—cut off the canopy and did the requisite fiberglass refinishing himself. He also installed the cat’s new windshield.

Likewise, he converted the transom to accept outboard power himself. From transom to helm station, he took care of all the new rigging required for the outboard application.

Four seats in the cockpit are plenty for the couple.

The catamaran’s body and paint were in excellent condition, so beyond touch-ups required by fiberglass body work around the cockpit and transom, the Gardners didn’t have to repaint it. They tasked Ryan Beckley of Kinetic Animation in nearby Bradenton to create the vinyl green-and-black stripe in the center of the boat’s deck but Don installed it. That was the extent of their exterior cosmetic work.

The only significant part of project the couple subbed out? The cat’s new interior. Blue Marlin Upholstery of Doral, Fla., handled the job, as well as installing the new cockpit-seating configuration. The Gardners couldn’t have been happier with the result.

Don Gardner is not the only family member who gets involved in their powerboat renovation projects.

“I turn 40 in two years,” Amanda said at the time, and laughed again. “I can’t wait to see what boat I get for my birthday.”

Worth noting? The couple currently has a 34-foot Cobalt runabout awaiting their hands-on renovation approach in their driveway. Better late than never, perhaps.