Skater V-Hull
The company best known for building high-performance racing and pleasure catamarans, Douglas Marine, has unveiled plans to build its second high-performance V-bottom. Dubbed the Skater 439 V, the new boat will measure 44’ long overall with a 9’ beam.
Unlike the Skater 402 V, the new 439 V will be a stand-up boat with a full cabin, said Douglas Marine Sales Manager Tony Cutsuries. The first hull is already sold to a customer who prefers to remain anyonymous. It will be powered by staggered Mercury Racing 1100s with Dry Sump Six drives. Cutsuries, who has a history of success selling high-performance V-bottom performance boats at National Marine, Lake Cumberland Marine, Fountain Powerboats and Outerlimits Powerboats before his current post at Douglas Marine said he will be working very closely with the customer to make sure the boat turns out right.
“It’s different for Skater having a stand-up boat and with my V-bottom background, I can bring a lot of customers to it,” he said. “My motivation is to make sure this thing runs really, really well.”
The 439 V was designed by Douglas Marine president and founder Peter Hledin and has a five-step running surface with a pad in the aft end of the keel. Cutsuries wouldn’t get specific, but he did say the boat would be “real fast.” It will be built like all Skaters with epoxy resins and hand-laid laminates that will be vacuum-bagged for proper resin distribution and weight savings.
The 439 V’s cockpit will feature an aft bench with two forward bolsters. The cabin entryway will be centrally located and the belowdecks area will feature an enclosed head with a forward V-berth. Cutsuries said that headroom would be approximately 5’6″‘ which is respectable for a boat with such a sleek profile. Retail pricing with the 1100s will start around $899,000 and the 439 V can be powered by Mercury Racing 1350s or even 1650s. For information on everything Skater, check out **www.skaterpowerboats.com.**
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