Upstate Powerboat Resurrects Late-1990s Skater 28 Catamaran
Catamarans from Skater Powerboats, particularly of the offshore racing kind, tend to start as one thing and come back as another. Second only to Cigarette Racing Team V-bottoms, they are the world’s most-reincarnated high-performance powerboats.
Some of that, of course, is function of business longevity. Skater turned 50 this year. Cigarette is poised to turn 56. But they also tend to be worth renovating, modernized and transformed into contemporary works of performance-art.
After 16 months at Upstate Powerboat, an extensive Skater 28 catamaran renovation/transformation project is coming to a close.
Just ask Phil Hess of Upstate Powerboat in Port Byron, N.Y., who makes his living turning old go-fast boats into new go-fast boats. Hess has been at it for more than 10 years, Among the more-than half-dozen Skater cats in his shop in various states of renovation is a 28-footer owned by Mason Milstead of Montgomery, Texas. The catamaran began its life as a canopied raceboat in the 1990s, one that traveled as far as Australia and New Zealand to compete.
As happens with such projects, this one started basic and became complex.
The 28-footer began its life as an offshore raceboat.
“Originally it was going to just be a windshield and a simple paint job,” Hess recalled. “Once the boat got here, it was evident that it was in significantly worse shape than expected. A lot of these boats live hard lives and this one was no exception.”
Major surgery included removing and replacing a combined 30 feet of hullside, as well the cat’s rotted sponson tips. Hess and his crew replaced the 28-footer’s coring with fresh material and Skater-spec laminates and vacuumed-bagged it all together “to ensure proper strength.”
Stern view No. 1.
“We built a custom storage hatch for the stern and a custom deck-hatch,” Hess explained. “The entire boat was hand-finished, long-blocked and cheese-matted to ensure that the repairs will not ‘show up’ down the road. That’s another Skater process spec we do on all our Skater projects.
“Our builds take time,” he continued. “They usually go longer than anticipated, because when you’re saving these boats the details matter. The process matters. And the correct materials matter.”
Stern view No. 2.
The restoration project is almost complete, according to Hess. Only wraparound-windshield, bottom painting and new sole installation remain before the catamaran is returned to Milstead.
Once boat is back in Texas, Milstead will handle repowering and rigging it with twin Mercury Racing 300R outboard engines. According to Hess, the owner has not decided on a vendor to handle creating and installing the cat’s new interior.
“Mason has been one of the most enjoyable owners we have built for,” Hess said. “He’s a longtime Skater owner who understands what it takes, and he enjoys the build process.”
Upstate Powerboat removed and replaced a combined 30-feet of the catamaran’s hullsides.
Hess also praised his dedicated team of craftsmen for their work. The cat has been at the Upstate Powerboat for more than a year. Some 1,200-plus man-hours have gone into its reincarnation so far.
“Every one of my guys has an integral role in each build—we don’t use cheap labor,” he said. “At any time, any customer could have a detailed conversation with any of the guys here about what they are doing and why because they have a vast understanding of the process.
“Our team is top-tier,” he added. “They love boats. And they love this industry.”
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