21' Skater questions

[AlaskaStreamin]

Now that I'm a new Skater owner, I have a few questions.

I hear about the low speed roll overs.
Is there anyone out there that has actually rolled a 21' Skater? I'd like to get the story from someone first hand.

I'm using the twin ram Hynautics pressurized system that came with the boat. The steering is stiffer than the SeaStar front ram system I use on our harbor boat and the dual cable that was on my V-King and Virage. It appears it will be a bear manouvering around the harbor.

Here's a shot of the rigging in progress. Just popped the cowl out of the mold today. (It's a right handed lightweight version )

Is there any floatation in these boats?? Will it float if it rolls?? Mine's a '87 model.

[AlaskaStreamin]

Front of motor

[at100plus]

Now that I'm no longer a Skater owner, I'm happy to say, no, I never rolled it! Sad that I'm no longer a Skater owner, or any boat for that matter.

[Gerben]

Hi,

First let me say that I have no knowledge of your hydraulic system.
That being said, you might check the oil in the system. Sometimes an oil with too high a viscosity has been put in the system, which makes it stiff to steer. The Seastar oil f.i. is water thin.

Gerben

[at100plus]

No, that's normal, my original steering was the same. Ron it is a very good steering though, tight, no play. You'll get used to it, just use to hands and do fast 10 and 3 turns. You won't be palming the wheel on that setup, I couldn't with my Imco ram either. The seastar is easy, but it also has alot of play.

[Trikki1010]

I don't see no stinkin' motor

Maybe that's why it's stiffed

[skatermike24]

The object here is not to roll it. Because it is a single engine boat with no center sponson it could break a sked cause of the height of the engine when your running flat out.

[LaserModVee]

I have yet to hear a first hand tale of a 21 Skater rolling over. It seems that this subject comes up from time to time, but nobody has any first hand experience of one rolling.

A friend of mine had a 21 Skater for ten or more years, with twins that varied from Bridgeports to S3000 Champ motors. That thing saw speeds of 133 on GPS. This guy pushed the envelope on a regular basis in that boat and never rolled it.

Like Skatermike said, the object is not to roll it. Watch that skeg.

I guess you could roll any high freeboard cat, especially at low speeds when you're dragging the full length of the sponsons, if you made a sudden, sharp turn. Or, if you were to break a skeg on a single engine 21 and the boat hooked.

[AlaskaStreamin]

Banjo is the only person who almost rolled a 21' Skater. He was on lake taps in Arizona. At around 30 mph he tried to turn the boat around and the outer sponson dug in and started to pull the front down. He started turning out of it and the boat rolled to the other side. He said it took several counter turns to get it straight. It scared him!! Now he says you need to have the bow up and power into the turn. Kinda like a wheelie turn.

I'm boating in 600' of open ocean waters so if something bad happens, I at least want something to hang onto untill someone comes around.

My first speed boat was a 17' picklefork and the bow area was filled with round blow-up cushions (like throw pillows). I was looking for something that was lightweight, cheap, won't absorb water, and easy to put in the bow. There is a TON of dead space up there.

[at100plus]

Thunderduck told me some stories of getting thrown out of his 21 when he broke a skeg. I think he was also the one who told me a friend of his barrel rolled after breaking a steering component in a 21.

[Ospreyproduction]

I have the same twin ram Hynautics pressurized system. It's tight in the marina and at low speed, but when you get the numbers up there, you'll like the tightness. If you drop the pressure, you may get some play in the motor.

This is my 3rd cat and I must say that I am still getting used to it. The biggest mistake is to panic if you roll outwards at 30mph. It won't go over, it's just what happens at 30, you'll get the abnormal feel for it after some time behind the wheel. It's when you freak out about it and counter steer the hell out of it and it rolls even harder the other direction. Even then they don't roll over. It just feels freaky. The solution....don't do that! lol!

As for just cruising...when your up and running flat, always keep on the gas in the turns. If you stay on the gas, that thing will hold tight and flat. No leaning in any direction, just flat like a corvette. The mistake is to let off the gas, and most people do when driving a 21 Skater for the first time because they have heard terrible things about them rolling over, and the freak out..that's when it rolls.....but they don't roll over. I've never known anyone who rolled one. Someone always says, "I had a friend who knew a guy that rolled one, but you never meet that guy. Like you said, Banjo ALMOST rolled one, (or he felt like it was going to roll) but it didn't. Banjo just needed some time behind the wheel.

Your 21 has no floatation in it. It's an 87 if I remember correctly. It's had a pretty long life, with a number of different drivers, some experienced and some not, and there it sits, in pretty good shape.....and I would just bet, that it too has never rolled over. Just my .02

Good DAY!!

[Ospreyproduction]

One more thing to add.

If your're screamin down the river in ANY single OB hull running 90-100 MPH...and the skeg breaks, you better hang on to your ass because it ain't gonna be fun.

It wouldn't matter if you were in a Skater or a 21' V-hull, you better hang on.

[Thunderduck]

Never heard of a slow speed roll over!! However, they will definitly stuff and sink (no floatation). More info (FYI):

I had a 21 with a single 2.5 EFI. Boat ran high 90's but only if you raised the motor real high and gave it a lot of time to get there (top speed). From experience I can tell you that a single engine cat is a bad combination. First, the 21 is prone to "hook" because the propeller is trying to spin the boat around. When you raise the motor the propeller is trying to paddle wheel across the top of the water. The hull tries to drive the rig. Second, by raising the motor the boat places enormous pressure on the skeg. I broke three skegs in 18 months. When the skeg breaks off the boat doesn't know which way is forward and usually takes a violent turn, one way or the other. Third, the 21 is prone to "stuff" in rough water. If it stuffs both pickle forks at speed (over 60 mph), it will most likely hunt the bottom. Like I said, this is all from my own personal experience with the boat.

The 21 with twin 280s doesn't seem to be a very good combination either. The boat is real hard to drive and the tunnel doesn't seem to generate enough compression to carry the hull. I've seen some 21s with "tunnel extensions" but I don't know if that really works either.

I now own a 24 with twin 280s. The one thing I've learned here on the Gulf Coast of Florida is that there is no substitution for length. The 24 is a much more user friendly boat than the 21. Although I did break a skeg on my 24, overall it's been a much less costly boat to operate.

If you're going to run a 21 on a lake or river it's probably OK. Anything else, it's a "bad combination".

Good Luck!!

[AlaskaStreamin]

Naw, just kidding!!

Thanks for the input Thunderduck. I sold the Virage cause it would beat you up in 3'-4' chop. I considered the 24' but twin motors seemed too expensive. Guess I'll have to still pick my days to go out in the ocean.

I've had the Virage start to buck hitting a odd swell. It wanted to stuff but the tunnel flattens out at the bow.

Banjo has broke lower units above the cavitation plate. He switched to a four blade prop but it tries to run sideways over 100 mph. Must be trying to paddle around. I think I'll keep mine a little deeper and be safe"r".

I think I'll try to find those blow up cushions and fill up the bow.
Anyone know where to find them??The ones I had were in a 17' California Cool picklefork.

[at100plus]

Ron,

Don't worry too much, just know that limitations. Talking to Thunderduck made me want to sell the boat before I even owned, but now that I had mine for a year, I would buy another one. I really liked it. Just don't stuff it, and pray everyday nothing breaks! As I told you, I did get the paddlewheel effect a few times, but when I let off the gas, it straightenend out. I think jacking too high is a bad idea, although that's where the speed is. With the motor you are building you should be happy with the performance while keeping the height conservative.