The creation of a Skater Performance Boat is the fusion of 35 years of the dedicated hands-on design and development of Peter Hledin, The orchestration of selected, seasoned craftsman and a generous application of the best materials available today.
For the past three decades Skaters have been tried and tested in some of the most challenging powerboat race competitions and have proven their worth in speed, endurance and a legendary ride from which it gets it's namesake. Now more refined in style and completely personalized to an owner's style and comforts, Skater consequently brings you the primary hi-performance pleasure watercraft available today.
All great man-made works of art must initially be designed. That is why Peter "The Skater Maker" Hledin has committed most of his long career to keeping tight communication with all the owners of his creations. Relentlessly keeping checks and balances on their triumphs as well as failures, he has honed all the sum of a Skater's parts into what it was meant to become…
A perfectly engineered, hi-performance pleasure boating experience.
Understanding the buyer's desires will make all the difference in the world. Whether the client wants to go for casual cruises in a state-of-the art custom vessel or compete with challenging friends in a poker-run for a reigning bragging rights, a skater can accommodate those needs using the same tested, proven and inspired designs.
Each model construction begins with a singular made-to-fit mold. Once the gel coat is fused with hand-cut fiberglass coring material. Multiple layers are added and vacuum-packed with proportionate resins to form the wave "skating" (not-crushing) hulls that Skater powerboats have become famous for.
The strategically calculated ribbing is cut-to-specs for the hulls' ideal shape from gunnel to chine and accurately implemented to distribute optimal reinforcement. The bulkheads are precisely cut from carbon fiber infused, Nida-Core™ structural honeycomb for weight reduction. The bulkheads are then vacuum-bagged to the hulls using Kevlar™ for superior hull fidelity.
Once the deck and hull are joined and the sweeping, dynamic architecture of the Skater's commissioned shape is appears, the painstaking task of finishing the hull goes into motion. A score of man-hours is needed to perfect every square inch by sanding, filling, long-board sanding, re-filling and spraying of thin prime coats to detect any imperfections in the Skater's surface. This process is usually repeated several times to ensure that immaculate, show car finish a connoisseur would expect from a fine motorcar.
This is the process that breaths life in what a Skater is destined to become. Rigging is the installation of the inner workings of the boat such as engines, drives, wiring, plumbing, fuel lines, etc. Several different specialists, based on the uniqueness of the owner's desires and tastes, may perform this carefully coordinated and scheduled process. Every aspect of the rigging can be detailed and accessorized at the owner's request such as made to order billet work to distinct finishes.
The entire electrical system is carefully measured and harnessed, to provide the power demands of specific Skater. Once the passageways have been drilled, grommeted and sealed, all the wire rigging is installed "Race" style out of sight and above the waterline. This extreme safeguard guarantees that hard-running of the Skater will not compromise the system or any of it's components.
There are endless possibilities for paint and upholstery schemes for a Hi-Performance boat. The only limit is your imagination and Skater is committed to making that vision into a reality. With the use of a cutting-edge paint booth and design department, resident artisans and designers can execute all of it in-house to your most detail instructions. Or skater can arrange to commission an outside independent customizing service on your behalf and still maintain the highest quality control of the design.
After the final coat of paint is buffed and the last stitches of upholstery are complete, the Skater moves into the final stage of assembly. Various components and small parts are systematically added specialists and technicians. This process usually involves the final details of owner's exclusive requirements, as well as multiple systems testing in preparation for the sea trial.
You can even complete your vision with a heavy duty, hydraulic lift trailer that reflects the unique style of the Skater's paint scheme, built on site.
Before the final delivery, all Skaters are rigorously tested for their sea worthiness and performance. Since each one is exclusively designed, crafted and powered, all components must be extensively checked and tested. The goal is to benchmark stability, endurance and performance.
This is the insurance that every Skater built, will surpass expectations as a perfect balance of a finely tuned, hi-performance powerboat and a beautifully engineered work of art. This is a Skater Powerboat.