New Boat News: Latest from Skater & Sutphen

In the economic climate of the past two years, almost any news is good news - and it's especially good news to see some of our most respected boat manufacturers producing more great work. With a new boating season (for most of us Northerners, anyway) just kicking off, we wanted to share some nice examples of high performance boating by Skater and Sutphen.

SUTPHEN PHOTO CREDITS: OSO Member CMC.

This slick little Sutphen 21 SS is the latest creation from Rich Sutphen Jr.. Reportedly heading to Canada, this sharp looking boat features classic offshore lines and a simple yet effective GT- style paint job that reminds me of a Shelby Mustang.



This unit features a 6.2 Mercruiser and should be capable of speeds up to 75mph or more. It definitely looks great on top of that Myco trailer, and while it's not the biggest boat on the water, the clean looks, Sutphen name and top performance will win the respect of just about anyone.

Next we want to share some photos of Skater's latest 488 V-Hull, which is fresh out of the paint booth and ready for rigging. Of course, Skater is best known for their incredible Cats, but their V-Hulls have demonstrated wave-crushing performance and are keeping up the same standards that the manufacturer is already known for.

SKATER PHOTO CREDITS: OSO Member Tborisch.

You have to love this paint scheme (I'm particularly partial to any combination of black, red and white) and it looks great on this boat. Don't have any information on what the power will be for this boat, but you can bet it will be impressive.



Since Skater and Boatcustoms (also working on this boat) are sponsoring the Boyne Thunder Poker Run this year, you should be able to check out this beauty on Lake Charlevoix this July. Skater is set to have at least three boats there, as that run is shaping up to be one of BT's best ever. Mark Your calendar!

You Can Plunder and Thunder on This Sharp Center Console

Though I am not actually a big Center Console boat fan, there's no doubt that this particular example is awfully nice by just about anyone's standard. Recently on Offshore Only, member GlassDave--everybody's fiberglass and paint "go-to" guy--shared this recent project he finished for fellow forum member Madcow.

PHOTO CREDITS: Offshore Only member GlassDave.

Being a diver, Madcow wanted something special, so he had Dave turn the Scarab's logo into a dive flag and combine it with some sharp graphics and a cool black, red and white color scheme. The result, named Days of Plunder is about all you could ask for when it comes to good looks, versatility and performance. To see more photos, check out Dave's thread HERE. He also plans to post a "How To" in the Fiberglass and Paint section.

The Simple Joys of a Well-Thought Out Swim Platform

Of course, most of today's new boats already have an integrated swim platform, and there are some great manufacturers out there making sharp, powder-coated custom platforms for older models. Once in a while, we come across a savvy owner who decides to make his own, and that's just what we're featuring here.

PHOTO CREDIT: SeriousOffshore user / Sicksation.

Serious Offshore member Sicksation recently shared some photos of this platform he made for his Sunsation Aggressor. As you can see, Not only is is nicely coordinated to the color of his boat, it also features some integrated drink holders...for your cold cans of, er...soda pop.

The unit was CNC-machined out of 6061 T6 aluminum, and he reports that he has made several more units that are designed to fit almost any single-engine boat, with a similar design soon to be available for twin-engine boats. Also, the cup-holder has been moved to the back of the platform. Nice job!

THE GARAGE: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

While some may say that the interpretation and appreciation of boat design may be a subjective matter, most knowledgeable boaters share a certain degree of taste when it comes to overall design and paint schemes. This is true for both new boats as well as restored, updated and customized boats. The three examples we're sharing today have pretty much been unanimously praised or panned by everyone who's seen them on the various offshore forums, and a couple of them provide excellent direction in what to do - or not do - when customizing a boat.

The Good.
Our first example is a very sharp restoration/update job on an older 27' Searay Pachanga, which we came across on Speedwake.com. Forum member Pachanga69 shared these photos after completing a job that took two years of off-and-on work. As you can see from the slideshow, he basically retained the original color scheme, but revised it in a way that reflects current design trends, with a white dash, new custom Livorsi gauges, graphic wrap on the hull, updated engines and much more.

It's a great example of the smart way to update an older classic so that it looks like a much newer boat. With a rarer boat, or a former race boat, you might want to go with a more conservative approach and try a straight restoration, but for a production model like this Pachanga, it's a solid play. The owner adds:

"I went with the steel exhaust manifolds instead of aluminum, which is a major difference in weight with two engines. The next time I install new manifolds, I will use aluminum. For the dash, I had the guy use PPG paint and paint over the grey/charcoal. The new interior, painted dash, and custom Livorsi gauges and panels make it feel like a new boat." We agree.

The Bad.
The second example we have is basically a new boat - a 33' one-off prototype of a design by the legendary Art Carlson. For sale on Ebay, it's hard to tell exactly who built it. According to the lister, the boat (according to him, one of three) is built with a wood structure and Kevlar overlay, and with a 12' beam, reportedly weighs a mere 1,300 lbs -- less engine and outdrive. As for that, the 540 cubic inch "procharged and injected Dart racing engine" is claimed to produce 1,500 horsepower...though every expert who's studied the boat on the forums says "no way."

On Offshoreonly.com, user Catmando states "The real 33EC was designed by Carlson. He calls it the Reverse Three-Point Air-entrapment Monohull. There were five built, most of them weigh around 8800lbs. They ran close to 80 with the old 502/415 motors."

A press release from 2006 says Patriot Marine had contracted with Carlson to design the boat, but it seems only a handful ever went into production. To add even more mystery, this does not seem to be one of them, since the interior layout is totally different and the cabin in the Ebay boat is clearly not that of a production boat. Could it have been a mold "transformed" into a boat? Maybe.

What can't be disputed is the boat's strange look. While it was said to be an effectively-performing design, it's clearly not to everyone's taste. What can be said to be "bad" is the construction, which doesn't appear to be very robust. As one forum poster said, it's "probably good for three minutes of fun at full throttle" before something bad happens. At left is a photo of the real Patriot-produced boat that accompanied their press release.

The Ugly.
First off, I will admit that I absolutely hate boats with overly-suggestive names; though the "puzzle" graphics on this boat offer an acceptable double-meaning, I still see this boat being parked next to a double-wide in a trailer park. But moreover, why would you take the time and the money ($9,000) to paint the back half your boat to look like a dirty, beat-up rustbucket? All I can say is that the painter did a nice job on the flames.

"Lookin' For A Piece" is a 1989 20' Baja that the owner had for sale after having it "totally redone" from top to bottom three years ago. The work included a new motor, new floors and carpeting, seats and sound system. Why a 20' boat needs a triple-axle trailer is a little beyond me as well, but it's nice to have. The boat actually sold on Ebay for $6000 to a single bidder, located in Germany; I suspect it would cost almost as much to ship it overseas as it did to buy the boat. Perhaps the low price was due to unfortunate circumstances noted by the seller in his listing:

"I had the boat out 3 weeks ago and it over heated on me. We got it back to the dock and got it on the trailer. I took the boat to the shop and they said the water pump was out in the outdrive. They replaced it. The boat now still runs but I think we got it too hot on the way back and blew out a head gasket. I have no time or funds left at the time to fix the boat.
So I must sell..."

THE GARAGE: 26 Corsa Project Goes from Racer to Poker Runner

We just love showing you some of the cool restoration and mod projects we come across, and one of our recent favorites was this 26' Corsa that Offshoreonly member Mike A. posted. This particular Corsa has a lot of history, including several World and National Championships in A Class and Factory 1, and has been noted as being one of the best A-class / F1 boats ever.

PHOTO CREDITS: Offshoreonly member Mike A.

Mike bought the boat a few year back in New Hampshire; at the time it was named "Radioactive." After a lot of hard work and some imagination, it's been carefully restored from a proven race boat to a sharp, comfortable cruiser that would be perfect for weekend poker runs. The size makes it a relatively easy haul, and the proven HP500 / 502ci (approx. 485 HP) is fully capable of pushing it up to 80mph, which is fast enough to keep up with most of the pack.

It would definitely be nice to show up at a weekend run with a boat like this - a real race boat with a champion's racing record. Best part is, you could do it! Mike has the boat for sale - he's looking to buy a cat...and let's hope he does another project at some point. Great job, Mike.

The original thread on OSO is HERE. Join for free if you want to contact Mike about this boat.

THE GARAGE: Thumbs-Up for a $1750 Paint Job

This is the kind of story we'd like to bring you more often. Performance boating sometimes has a reputation for being a "rich man's sport" - and at some levels, that probably true. Hauling around a 43' Nor-tech or a brand new Skater definitely takes some serious bucks - especially if you're hitting a different Poker run every other week. But the fact is, you CAN get it to the game for a reasonable amount of money by investing in a solid older boat, especially if you can do some maintenance and upgrade work yourself, or if you're willing to consider "alternative" ways to get things done.

BEFORE Photo Credit: Speedwake User - DonMan

Lake Texoma-based offshore forums user DonMan recently shared this project on SOS and Speedwake - a 1992 Python 24' - that he wanted to update in terms of looks, concentrating on new paint/graphics and interior. He also has some additional work in mind, including a new swim platform, new sound system, upholstery, gauges and pop-up cleats...plus new paint and wheels for the trailer.

AFTER Photo Credit: Speedwake User - DonMan

We just can't say enough about how Donnie's $1750 paint job turned out; it's a PPG base / clear coat over epoxy primer. So far, he's got about $1500 into re-upholstery, which turned out just as nice. He's also added a new vinyl Londeck floor covering, which should look great and be easy to maintain as well; the hull graphics are still to be worked, out, but everyone who's seen it so far agrees that the boat already looks great in it's new, crisp all-white finish. Kudos to Don for this beautiful upgrade job and if you see this boat on a Lake in Texas, be sure to tell him how sharp it looks. To see more pictures, sign up for free on SW and check out this thread.