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Skater 368, from the beginning.

Skinny Tire AH

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So is this a 388 or 368? Thread title says 368, backseat says 388.


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368seat.jpg


The "6" is pretty tight and it does look like an 8 at first glance
 

FROGMAN524

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Wow!!!!! great job! Those 860's sure sound nasty in videos I have seen.

They might sound good but I’ve read they’re not worth the coin compared to a TCM or similarly powered engine.


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Duramax

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They might sound good but I’ve read they’re not worth the coin compared to a TCM or similarly powered engine.


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I have different feelings about that. When I bought my Skater used, it had Sterling 1100-1300 that were "fresh". Sterling has a great name in engines, but of course they smoked the 2nd time out and I went down the rabbit hole as Sterling blew me off. Out of all the aftermarket engine companies, Teague is, in my eyes, the most like an OEM engine package. Everything Mercury has is pricy, but I believe these 860's come with a warranty of some sort? Does Teague? The 860's are dry sumped, nothing Teague has is, and that might be an issue for the type of transom Pete is building you. If you are doing poker runs around the country, Mercury usually has a presence at them. I think Teague is an amazing company, but if I was building a new boat, it would be with Merc power also. I would have done 1100's myself, but I can't imagine the money that has already been spent on this beautiful rig. Don't forget resale value as I believe Mercury OEM will be more sought after in the used market.
 

Singleton

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I have different feelings about that. When I bought my Skater used, it had Sterling 1100-1300 that were "fresh". Sterling has a great name in engines, but of course they smoked the 2nd time out and I went down the rabbit hole as Sterling blew me off. Out of all the aftermarket engine companies, Teague is, in my eyes, the most like an OEM engine package. Everything Mercury has is pricy, but I believe these 860's come with a warranty of some sort? Does Teague? The 860's are dry sumped, nothing Teague has is, and that might be an issue for the type of transom Pete is building you. If you are doing poker runs around the country, Mercury usually has a presence at them. I think Teague is an amazing company, but if I was building a new boat, it would be with Merc power also. I would have done 1100's myself, but I can't imagine the money that has already been spent on this beautiful rig. Don't forget resale value as I believe Mercury OEM will be more sought after in the used market.

You don’t see a ton of Merc 860’s for a reason. Most Mercury products are solid, but the 860 did not hit the mark. Mercury brought back the 700 for a reason :)
 

Skinny Tire AH

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I have different feelings about that. When I bought my Skater used, it had Sterling 1100-1300 that were "fresh". Sterling has a great name in engines, but of course they smoked the 2nd time out and I went down the rabbit hole as Sterling blew me off. Out of all the aftermarket engine companies, Teague is, in my eyes, the most like an OEM engine package. Everything Mercury has is pricy, but I believe these 860's come with a warranty of some sort? Does Teague? The 860's are dry sumped, nothing Teague has is, and that might be an issue for the type of transom Pete is building you. If you are doing poker runs around the country, Mercury usually has a presence at them. I think Teague is an amazing company, but if I was building a new boat, it would be with Merc power also. I would have done 1100's myself, but I can't imagine the money that has already been spent on this beautiful rig. Don't forget resale value as I believe Mercury OEM will be more sought after in the used market.

I very clearly remember sitting at lunch with Peter and Tony on my first visit. We had this exact discussion. Peter, as you know does not mince words, he stated that they weren't a great choice for my boat for a multitude of reasons. I'm trusting what Peter Hledin has to say about boats.

He also stated that he believed Mercury Racing will build him a set of 700;s for my boat. When we got back to the plant, Tony called his Mercury rep. On speaker phone the guy hemmed and hawed and said...ahhh, yea sure we'll build ya a set. That was all before Mercury formally announced the return of the 700.

As to 1100's. 3 reasons. My capabilities going 170 MPH, 100K more dollars and the ridiculous insurance rates. After a few seasons??? I keep shit forever so time is on my side.

I do plan on doing a few events around the country. I'll be fully retired in 18 months so timing is good.
 

Duramax

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I very clearly remember sitting at lunch with Peter and Tony on my first visit. We had this exact discussion. Peter, as you know does not mince words, he stated that they weren't a great choice for my boat for a multitude of reasons. I'm trusting what Peter Hledin has to say about boats.

He also stated that he believed Mercury Racing will build him a set of 700;s for my boat. When we got back to the plant, Tony called his Mercury rep. On speaker phone the guy hemmed and hawed and said...ahhh, yea sure we'll build ya a set. That was all before Mercury formally announced the return of the 700.

As to 1100's. 3 reasons. My capabilities going 170 MPH, 100K more dollars and the ridiculous insurance rates. After a few seasons??? I keep shit forever so time is on my side.

I do plan on doing a few events around the country. I'll be fully retired in 18 months so timing is good.
For the record, I am not bashing 700's, 860's, or anything Mercury does! I am in love with my 2.5 offshores from 94', lol. Your boat is absolutely amazing in every aspect, I was simply telling the other poster that I would pic Mercury power over Teague.
You are right, I can count the amount of times on my hand I ran over 150 in my rig.

I thought you had 860's also, so I was defending your honor, haha! I didn't see your damn post about 700's.
 

Skinny Tire AH

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For the record, I am not bashing 700's, 860's, or anything Mercury does! I am in love with my 2.5 offshores from 94', lol. Your boat is absolutely amazing in every aspect, I was simply telling the other poster that I would pic Mercury power over Teague.
You are right, I can count the amount of times on my hand I ran over 150 in my rig.

I thought you had 860's also, so I was defending your honor, haha! I didn't see your damn post about 700's.

Yep, I understood where you were coming from. I looked at it very similarly to you. I had 600SC's, 860's, 1100's or 1350's to pick from Mercury. None fit my niche perfectly and I didn't want to go down the aftermarket rabbit-hole. Larry Pedo has been building me high HP engines for boats and cars for me for years. He actually wanted to build a pair of 1000HP LS's like the one in my Chevelle, to put in it but I'm over all that.

Its all good.
 

jnmn

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Yep, I understood where you were coming from. I looked at it very similarly to you. I had 600SC's, 860's, 1100's or 1350's to pick from Mercury. None fit my niche perfectly and I didn't want to go down the aftermarket rabbit-hole. Larry Pedo has been building me high HP engines for boats and cars for me for years. He actually wanted to build a pair of 1000HP LS's like the one in my Chevelle, to put in it but I'm over all that.

Its all good.
JMO, Nganga I agree with both of your last posts. First, how fast and for how long do you want to run, cost for power and Insurance VS ROI?
Second, I have had many discussions with Peter over the years and he knows his Skaters, so if he suggests something during a build, best practice is
to Heed his advice!
 

Perlmudder

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I think the 700's a great choice. Performance and warranty. Once they are out of warranty or in need of a rebuild, there are plenty or reputable builders who can bump them up and keep the reliability.
 

Duramax

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Yep, I understood where you were coming from. I looked at it very similarly to you. I had 600SC's, 860's, 1100's or 1350's to pick from Mercury. None fit my niche perfectly and I didn't want to go down the aftermarket rabbit-hole. Larry Pedo has been building me high HP engines for boats and cars for me for years. He actually wanted to build a pair of 1000HP LS's like the one in my Chevelle, to put in it but I'm over all that.

Its all good.
As much as I love Larry, I think you made the right decision.
 

FROGMAN524

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I very clearly remember sitting at lunch with Peter and Tony on my first visit. We had this exact discussion. Peter, as you know does not mince words, he stated that they weren't a great choice for my boat for a multitude of reasons. I'm trusting what Peter Hledin has to say about boats.

He also stated that he believed Mercury Racing will build him a set of 700;s for my boat. When we got back to the plant, Tony called his Mercury rep. On speaker phone the guy hemmed and hawed and said...ahhh, yea sure we'll build ya a set. That was all before Mercury formally announced the return of the 700.

As to 1100's. 3 reasons. My capabilities going 170 MPH, 100K more dollars and the ridiculous insurance rates. After a few seasons??? I keep shit forever so time is on my side.

I do plan on doing a few events around the country. I'll be fully retired in 18 months so timing is good.
What's interesting is if you stop in to Octane Marine, as I was there yesterday chatting with Charlie and Daniel, they have a 48' Skater V hull in there right now that they just pulled some Merc 700s out of and the guy is installing some "New" Merc 1100s in their place. They have one of the 1100s sitting in the show room right now. Man those are massive motors!
 
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precisiondetails

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The reason for not many 860s is price. They are too close to 1100 $$. But from stock 700 to stock 860 I have talked to Tony at DCB and he says the 860s are better. But at what cost. But a stage 3 700 is faster than the 860s. The key to the 860s is 2 year warranty and DOHC NA motors will probably last an easy 400-500 hours. And the 860s have DTS
 
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Duramax

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Yep, I understood where you were coming from. I looked at it very similarly to you. I had 600SC's, 860's, 1100's or 1350's to pick from Mercury. None fit my niche perfectly and I didn't want to go down the aftermarket rabbit-hole. Larry Pedo has been building me high HP engines for boats and cars for me for years. He actually wanted to build a pair of 1000HP LS's like the one in my Chevelle, to put in it but I'm over all that.

Its all good.
Did you see the pictures of your boat in the Speed On the Water article? The picture of your deck is absolutely amazing. The reds are just so beautiful. Congrats bud, you have an amazing boat.
 

Skater368

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Thanks to all you guys posting that stuff. I am working on "killing" the Nganga screen name. I wanted to finish this thread out with Skater368. The talent on display there isn't easily described. Steve and Jake are as normal (for artists) and down to earth as you could ever imagine. All the Skater craftsmen seem to be at the very top of their game.

So, you'll see this name in here till the end.

Steve
 

rivrrts429

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Thanks to all you guys posting that stuff. I am working on "killing" the Nganga screen name. I wanted to finish this thread out with Skater368. The talent on display there isn't easily described. Steve and Jake are as normal (for artists) and down to earth as you could ever imagine. All the Skater craftsmen seem to be at the very top of their game.

So, you'll see this name in here till the end.

Steve



Where in the hell did you ever come up with that screen name?!?!


[emoji38]
 

BHC Vic

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I very clearly remember sitting at lunch with Peter and Tony on my first visit. We had this exact discussion. Peter, as you know does not mince words, he stated that they weren't a great choice for my boat for a multitude of reasons. I'm trusting what Peter Hledin has to say about boats.

He also stated that he believed Mercury Racing will build him a set of 700;s for my boat. When we got back to the plant, Tony called his Mercury rep. On speaker phone the guy hemmed and hawed and said...ahhh, yea sure we'll build ya a set. That was all before Mercury formally announced the return of the 700.

As to 1100's. 3 reasons. My capabilities going 170 MPH, 100K more dollars and the ridiculous insurance rates. After a few seasons??? I keep shit forever so time is on my side.

I do plan on doing a few events around the country. I'll be fully retired in 18 months so timing is good.
I’ve always thought I wanted the fastest boat I could afford and figured driving it would be easy. Regor let me drive his boat once and that was the fastest boat I’d ever driven. Of course I didn’t push it or anything, but I quickly realized I’d need more seat time before I felt comfortable. The one thing that stood out was we didn’t slow down the way I thought we would when I let off the throttle. Maybe it was because it was my first time in a cat, or maybe because we were going faster than I had ever gone before. Either way, it gave me a certain respect I didn’t have before that day.
 
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Duramax

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Absolutely amazing!!!! My dad would just be beside himself if he was still alive to see that red. The only thing I would ask is if the top of the dash being in red is going to reflect into your windshield? They used to always do flat black I thought for that reason. My canopies had flat black under them.
 

ChevelleSB406

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It's just so incredible, I am in love with the use of the fades and "textures" going on. The purple in the black is just amazing, and the difference in how the red appears after instead of it being just the bright red that was the base, these things didn't even come across to me in the renderings, its an amazing work of art. Congrats again.
 

Skater368

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Absolutely amazing!!!! My dad would just be beside himself if he was still alive to see that red. The only thing I would ask is if the top of the dash being in red is going to reflect into your windshield? They used to always do flat black I thought for that reason. My canopies had flat black under them.

Were putting an upholstered dash pad on it. Either black or grey, don't remember
 

ToMorrow44

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I have different feelings about that. When I bought my Skater used, it had Sterling 1100-1300 that were "fresh". Sterling has a great name in engines, but of course they smoked the 2nd time out and I went down the rabbit hole as Sterling blew me off. Out of all the aftermarket engine companies, Teague is, in my eyes, the most like an OEM engine package. Everything Mercury has is pricy, but I believe these 860's come with a warranty of some sort? Does Teague? The 860's are dry sumped, nothing Teague has is, and that might be an issue for the type of transom Pete is building you. If you are doing poker runs around the country, Mercury usually has a presence at them. I think Teague is an amazing company, but if I was building a new boat, it would be with Merc power also. I would have done 1100's myself, but I can't imagine the money that has already been spent on this beautiful rig. Don't forget resale value as I believe Mercury OEM will be more sought after in the used market.
Yes Teague has a one year warranty on all their motors. And no, Mercury is not traveling around the country at poker runs helping to service broken boats.
 

Duramax

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Yes Teague has a one year warranty on all their motors. And no, Mercury is not traveling around the country at poker runs helping to service broken boats.
Please point me to where I said Mercury was "servicing boats at Poker Runs around the country". I said they USUALLY have a presence at them. I was able to get two new prop nuts for my 6's back when the Catalina Poker run was going strong. I know that sounds dumb, nut it was nice they gave me some spares. I will never, ever, bash Teague as they have done more for high performance boating than any company in my opinion, but I will stand by my statement of resale value and Mercury.
 

Skater368

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Nothing to update. Just Christmas wishes to all and a thank you to the love of my life for tolerating the pursuit of superfluous, impractical dreams. She's the greatest life partner a man could ever want.

Skater is shut-down until January 4th.
 

HubbaHubbaLife

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Ha, we're all pretty impatient on this masterpiece .... he may be on big game safari .... he's consistent on updates so sure we'll have some when anything advances. Shop shut down over holidays as I recall only opening again on this past Monday.
 

Thunderhead1

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The reason for not many 860s is price. They are too close to 1100 $$. But from stock 700 to stock 860 I have talked to Tony at DCB and he says the 860s are better. But at what cost. But a stage 3 700 is faster than the 860s. The key to the 860s is 2 year warranty and DOHC NA motors will probably last an easy 400-500 hours. And the 860s have DTS
I have different feelings about that. When I bought my Skater used, it had Sterling 1100-1300 that were "fresh". Sterling has a great name in engines, but of course they smoked the 2nd time out and I went down the rabbit hole as Sterling blew me off. Out of all the aftermarket engine companies, Teague is, in my eyes, the most like an OEM engine package. Everything Mercury has is pricy, but I believe these 860's come with a warranty of some sort? Does Teague? The 860's are dry sumped, nothing Teague has is, and that might be an issue for the type of transom Pete is building you. If you are doing poker runs around the country, Mercury usually has a presence at them. I think Teague is an amazing company, but if I was building a new boat, it would be with Merc power also. I would have done 1100's myself, but I can't imagine the money that has already been spent on this beautiful rig. Don't forget resale value as I believe Mercury OEM will be more sought after in the used market.

860's are not dry sumped. They do have a 2yr warranty from Merc.
 
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