Everything Boating
Though he’s not a magician, Ron Szolack likes to cut things in half, at least when it comes to catamarans from Skater Powerboats. His new 368 model from the Douglas, Mich., company is about to be widened by 12 inches. To begin the expansion process, the builder will spilt the cat’s hull right down the middle.
Ron Szolack’s Skater 368 will be the first with a widened tunnel.
“I’ve widened pretty much every other model Skater makes,” Szolack said, then laughed. “I love to build one-off Skaters, and no one has done a widened 368 yet.”
Szolack, who is currently dodging winter at his second home in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area, has ordered a pair of dual-calibration 1,450/1950-hp engines from Kaase Racing Engines of Winder, Ga., to power the catamaran.
The 36-footer will have a six-seat interior handled by Craig Ellis at Appearance Products in Grand Rapids, Mich. Painters Steve and Jake Schulte will handle the paintjob at the Skater facility. Szolack doesn’t know when the boat will be completed, but he’s in no hurry. He has plenty of options in storage at his home on the shores of Lake of the Ozarks in Central Missouri.
The 36-foot catamaran is ready for surgery.
“The 368 is my favorite hot rod, and my widened 388 eight-seater was the most stable Skater I’ve ever had,” Szolack explained. “At this point of my life, I don’t need a super-big boat because if it’s rough out, I just won’t go boating. So I want to build a hot rod that accelerates like no other.
“That’s my favorite part—to cruise at 100 mph, then stick it and get thrown back in your seat all the way to 180,” he added.
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Source: https://www.speedonthewater.com/szolack-building-first-widened-skater-368-cat-with-kasse-power/