Skater At 50—A Golden Celebration

I wasn’t the least bit surprised that the Skater Nation showed up in impressive fashion for last week’s party in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Douglas, Mich.-based Skater Powerboats at Camden on the Lake Resort in Lake Ozark, Mo. The gathering took place in a banquet room on the second floor of the hotel and was organized by Alvin Heathman and Christy Janssen as part of the annual Super Cat Fest event that coincides with the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.

Between a crown fit for a king, a custom-painted RC boat and an impeccably decorated cake, Skater founder Peter Hledin had quite the place setting during last week’s 50th anniversary party during Super Cat Fest in Lake Ozark, Mo. Photos by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix

Upon arriving on Thursday afternoon a couple hours before the party started, I also wasn’t surprised to see a full row of the resort’s docks full of Skater catamarans ranging from 24-foot outboard-powered models to 50-footers with twin turbocharged 1,350-hp motors from Mercury Racing. The lineup of boats was remarkable, especially considering they arrived from Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Michigan and everywhere in between.

What did surprise me was how classy the celebration was from the delicious dinner and the video presentation to the table settings, ballons and other decor. Circus Media House’s Matt Hledin, Skater founder Peter Hledin’s nephew, edited the video with classic and current content from a variety of media outlets. The guest list, which included several members of the Hledin family, featured notable Skater owners such as Ron Szolack, Vern Gilbert, Dale Rayzor, Chad Havens, Sam Jirik, Justin Beischel, Ryan Beckley and many more.

Guest emcee Nolan Ferris, the boisterous auctioneer for the Super Cat Fest for Kids fundraiser on Saturday evening, did a great job explaining the Skater Powerboats timeline before toasting the man of the hour—aka the King of Catamarans—Peter Hledin.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else—Pete’s been my friend a long time,” said longtime Skater owner Vern Gilbert of West Coast Drive Service in Lake Havasu City, Ariz. “He really supported me a lot. He’s always been there for advice. I couldn’t have done what I’ve accomplished without him. Peter’s been honest and good with everybody and that’s a win-win in this business.”

Check out the slideshow above for more images from the 50th anniversary celebration.

Szolack, who, to the best of my knowledge, has owned more Skaters than anyone else, was thrilled to see folks like Gilbert and Rayzor make the trek from the West Coast and people such as Chris LaMorte and Mark Campbell come out from the East Coast.

“I only went to one party last week—the Skater anniversary party—and it was a spectacular turnout,” Szolack said. “It was really nice to see Pete and all his family with him. I never sat down. I pretty much went from table to table, shaking hands and talking with everyone. I met some new people and even got to put faces to names of Skater owners I’ve heard about or connected with online. I loved all of the food and just mingling with everyone.”

Ohio performance boater Justin Beischel was thankful he made the trip to Lake of the Ozarks with his wife, Johnna, in their Skater 368.

“It was amazing to see that much heritage in person,” Beischel said. “The current boats looked great and it was awesome to see one of the first 24s to ever hit the water. Congrats to Peter on 50 years in business!”

National sales manager Tony Cutsuries, who has worked at Skater Powerboats since 2013, was thrilled with the turnout.

“I think everything went great—honestly, I think it was kind of the perfect situation,” Cutsuries said. “There were all a lot of people who traveled from all over the place to see Pete and be at the 50th anniversary party. Many of them weren’t planning to come until they found out about the party.  It was awesome to see every one of them and it was nice to know how much they all care about this brand.”

Ryan Beckley, a longtime Skater Powerboats enthusiast, offshore racer and owner of Kinetic Animation in Sarasota, Fla., has been following the Michigan builder’s boats since he was a kid growing up in Key West, Fla. The party during Super Cat Fest was motivation for him and his family friends, brothers Alex and Blake Middleton, to finish one of the first 24-foot cats Hledin built, which also happened to be the boat Skater used on the party announcement (above).

This restored 24-foot cat was one of the oldest Skaters at the docks for Super Cat Fest last week.

“It was pretty neat to make the trip to Lake of the Ozarks and have the 24—the first cat Peter built for longtime Skater owner Roger Schaller—be part of the 50th anniversary,” Beckley said. “We barely got the boat done in time and drove straight through to get it here, but it was so worth it to have the boat at the docks and for Peter to be able to see it all restored.

“For me personally, it was so cool to be there; I raced my own Skater for 16 seasons and everyone knows I bleed Skater blood,” he continued. “It was my first time coming out for Super Cat Fest and the Shootout. Next year we’re coming back with the 24 and we plan to run it in the Shootout.”

Editor’s note: Look for a complete story soon on the Skater 24 project boat that Beckley and the Middleton brothers proudly restored.

Related stories
Image Of The Week: King For An Evening
Skater At 50—Celebrating Skater Powerboats’ 50th Anniversary Weekly
Skater At 50—Remembering Mr. Mavrik, Roger Schaller
Skater At 50—The Collector
Coverage Of The 2024 Lake Of The Ozarks Shootout

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