In The Lead Video Series Flashback: Peter Hledin Of Skater Powerboats
With the third season of the Speed On The Water “In The Lead” video series starting production soon and featuring folks such as offshore racing great Steve Curtis of the 2022 Class 1 world champion Huski Chocolate team poker-run impresario Stu Jones of the Florida Powerboat, we’re taking a moment to look back at the 2022 series. Last year’s first episode featured Peter Hledin, the founder and owner of Skater Powerboats in Douglas, Mich.
Meeti Peter Hledin, the wizard of Skater Powerboats.
Hledin was in fine form in the video as his straightforward, often wise-cracking self. At one point during one of his classic rants, he gave videographer Brad DiMaggio and video editor Ryan Wenk a mercilessly, semi-joking hard time for not being able to calculate propeller slip without a prop-slip calculator.
Unfortunately, the scene didn’t make the final cut as the camera wasn’t running. DiMaggio, Wenk and I were laughing too hard to do anything about it.
The laughter continued when we interviewed Mike D’Anniballe, the owner and founder of Sterling Performance Engines in Milford, Mich., and his wife, Connie Cushing, about their longtime relationship—as vendors and customers—with the colorful Skater patriarch. Hledin was among D’Anniballe’s first customers and he actually introduced the engine-builder to his future bride.
But things took an even more comical turn when we interviewed Steve and Jake Schulte, the father-and-son team that handles all of Skater’s in-house paintwork. The Schultes were pure comedy relief as they discussed working together with the sometimes challenging catamaran-design-and build genius and perfectionist.
If you haven’t watched the 13-minute video, you’re in for a treat. And if you already have, please treat yourself to it again.
In The Lead Season 2
In The Lead with Bob Teague of Teague Custom Marine
In The Lead with Stephen Miles of Stephen Miles Design
In The Lead With Tyler Miller of M CON Racing
In The Lead With Randy Scism Of Marine Technology Inc.
In The Lead With John Tomlinson Of TNT Custom Marine
In The Lead With Peter Hledin Of Skater Powerboats
Speed On The Water ‘In The Lead’ Video Series Renewed For 2022
In The Lead Season 1
In The Lead With Waves And Wheels Justin Wagner
In The Lead With DCB’s Tony Chiaramonte
In The Lead With John Cosker Of Mystic Powerboats
In The Lead With Nor-Tech’s Trond Schou And Nils Johnsen
In The Lead With Shaun Torrente
In The Lead With Grant Bruggemann
Behind The Scenes With The Speed On The Water ‘In The Lead’ Video Series Crew
Speed On The Water Launching ‘In The Lead’ Video Series
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