Skater At 50—The Radical Reinvention Of The 30 Prototype
At least on the West Coast, there is no one more passionate about the Skater Powerboats brand than Dale Rayzor of Discovery Bay, Calif. Rayzor has owned a few of the Douglas, Mich., builder’s catamarans including the famed 46-footer dubbed Freedom and a 368 he called Relentless and made-over inside and out.
It took two years and six figures, but Dale Rayzor’s remade Skater 30 Prototype was a beauty. Photo by Pete Boden copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix
But the former drag-boat racer’s best-known Skater cat—and his most exotic one—was the Skater 30 Prototype. A 2005 model-year build, the boat was powered by twin 800-hp engines from Sterling Performance engines and Arneson surface drives.
Rayzor’s 30-footer was a stunner, and a fast one to be sure. But its upkeep and operating costs were high. So in 2016 its owner had what seemed like a like wild idea—converting it to outboard engine power. Now gone from Mercury Racing line, in-line six-cylinder 400R outboards were the most powerful engines available at the time so Razor chose them to repower the cat.
And as long as he was going to repower it, Rayzor reckoned, why not completely reimagine/renovate its interior and exterior? So the project expanded.
The transformation took two years and cost $250,000. Skater handled the bulk of the fiberglass work, which included replacing the cat’s rear bustle with a swim platform. Chris Mills of Boat Customs in Caledonia, Mich., dressed the catamaran in flawless teal-and-gray paintjob. Then located in El Cajon, Calif, but now in Phoenix, DCB Performance Marine handled interior finishing and setup work.
Completed in 2015, the original Skater 30 Prototype was a high-speed knockout. Photo by Tom Newby.
The project was the subject of an article titled “Immaculate Conversion” in the September/October 2018 issue of Speed On The Water digital magazine.
“I think it turned out really well,” Rayzor said in the story. “It really is a great pleasure boat.”
Related stories
Skater At 50—Revisiting The Ultimate 388 Catamaran ‘Drag Race’
Skater At 50—The First 318 Cat And The First Speed On The Water Year In Review Cover
Skater At 50—Colorful Characters
Skater At 50—Plan 32B
Simplicity Rules At The Outboard Skater Fun Run
Skater At 50—Tom Cat At 23
Skater At 50—Skaterfest Then And Now
Skater At 50—Remembering Mr. Mavrik, Roger Schaller
Skater At 50—The Original Game Changer
Celebrating Skater At 50—A New Article Series
.
