28 Skater questions

**simpson_3** · 12-10-2022, 12:39 PM

I've been looking for a 28 Skater and have been wondering a few things about them.

#1 - How many have been built?
#2 - How much wood do these contain? I heard the stringers and transom are wood. Anything else?
#3 - I've heard eventually these will need the bottoms replaced, how true is that? I've seen they need bottoms when they let the tanks rot out but if you don't let that happen, would it ever need a new bottom?
#4 - Are the fuel tank issues age related or do they only fail if ethanol is used?

I've been looking at the 28 Skaters off and on for the last year or so and can't decide if I should buy something else like a DW 28 or just go with the Skater because I've read how they're one of the most fun cats ever made.

**mikesufka** · 12-10-2022, 01:03 PM

I’ll see if I can get Rayzor to respond - he’d know … I don’t and I have a 28 Skater - lol. Wicked boat.

MDS

**Rayzor** · 12-10-2022, 02:15 PM

Answers to your questions about the 28 to the best of my knowledge:

1. They've built 135-140 to date - the most of any model in their line.
2. Most 28s were built with balsa coring (hull and deck), with some having been built with foam coring in the hullsides and deck. All Skaters are built with wood stringers and transoms.
3. I'm not certain where you heard 28s need the bottoms replaced, but that is completely false. Unless the boat has been run aground, no Skater will ever need the bottom replaced due purely to age. I've owned a '94 46, '96, '97 and '07 28s, '05 30 and '09 36 - none of them ever had any structural issues due to poor build quality. It's not to say that you won't find some that need repairs due to water intrusion into areas of wood, but these issues are always caused by penetrations through the fiberglass - either collision damage or rigging defects - that allows moisture into the coring/stringers/transom.
4. The tanks need to be done on any Skater built prior to 2007 if fuel containing ethanol was in the tanks for several years.

I highly recommend you stay the course on your quest to purchase a 28 Skater. I've owned three of them (one I owned twice when I bought it back several years later), and they're the best "bang-for-the-buck" boat in that size range you can buy. The DW28 works well on smooth water, but not near as well over large wakes or choppy/rough water. My buddy has one of the first ones built with 300XSs on it (I've been out with him in it), and while it is fast (120mph), it does not get over snotty water near as well as a Skater 28. None of the DW28s are built as solid as a Skater either, it doesn't matter what manufacturer built it (those molds have changed hands several times). Even a brand new DW built by DW does not compare to the build quality of a Skater - old or new.

**simpson_3** · 12-10-2022, 02:32 PM

Originally Posted by Rayzor

Answers to your questions about the 28 to the best of my knowledge:

1. They've built 135-140 to date - the most of any model in their line.
2. Most 28s were built with balsa coring (hull and deck), with some having been built with foam coring in the hullsides and deck. All Skaters are built with wood stringers and transoms.
3. I'm not certain where you heard 28s need the bottoms replaced, but that is completely false. Unless the boat has been run aground, no Skater will ever need the bottom replaced due purely to age. I've owned a '94 46, '96, '97 and '07 28s, '05 30 and '09 36 - none of them ever had any structural issues due to poor build quality. It's not to say that you won't find some that need repairs due to water intrusion into areas of wood, but these issues are always caused by penetrations through the fiberglass - either collision damage or rigging defects - that allows moisture into the coring/stringers/transom.
4. The tanks need to be done on any Skater built prior to 2007 if fuel containing ethanol was in the tanks for several years.

I highly recommend you stay the course on your quest to purchase a 28 Skater. I've owned three of them (one I owned twice when I bought it back several years later), and they're the best "bang-for-the-buck" boat in that size range you can buy. The DW28 works well on smooth water, but not near as well over large wakes or choppy/rough water. My buddy has one of the first ones built with 300XSs on it (I've been out with him in it), and while it is fast (120mph), it does not get over snotty water near as well as a Skater 28. None of the DW28s are built as solid as a Skater either, it doesn't matter what manufacturer built it (those molds have changed hands several times). Even a brand new DW built by DW does not compare to the build quality of a Skater - old or new.

Ok. I appreciate the info. If I bought a late 90's 28 that's never had ethanol ran through it and I never plan on running ethanol because non-ethanol is readily available in my area, would the tank issue be a concern ever?

**Rayzor** · 12-10-2022, 02:55 PM

To the best of my knowledge, no. The first 28 I ever owned was a 1997 that I bought in 2001. It was always a California boat (ethanol blend gas) until approximately 2007 when it was sold to a guy in Arizona. The fuel that was in it for the next 10 years did not have any ethanol in it and when I bought it back in 2017, the tanks were still fine. I then sold it to a friend of mine also in California and he owned it up until 2019 and the tanks were good when he sold it.

**mikesufka** · 12-10-2022, 04:56 PM

Thanks for the info Dale

MDS

**Rayzor** · 12-10-2022, 05:40 PM

Thanks for hitting me up this morning! I'm not on this site very often any more, so it was cool to catch up on some of the posts.

**John S** · 12-10-2022, 06:20 PM

Originally Posted by mikesufka

I’ll see if I can get Rayzor to respond - he’d know … I don’t and I have a 28 Skater - lol. Wicked boat.

MDS

Don't forget the part where you can't drive em for shat.

@Rayzor Where did the MTR w/ twin 200XS you built end up? Praise Odin, that thing was sexy AF.

**Rayzor** · 12-10-2022, 07:44 PM

I wish I knew where the MTR was, I have a buddy that recently moved to Lake Havasu and would love to buy it. I just contacted the guy I sold it to back in 2013 to see if he knew where it was, and he said he's finally lost track of it. It changed hands a few times since he owned it and kept it in Needles, AZ, but it always stayed in the Needles/Havasu area. It just recently disappeared!

**simpson_3** · 12-10-2022, 08:48 PM

Originally Posted by Rayzor

To the best of my knowledge, no. The first 28 I ever owned was a 1997 that I bought in 2001. It was always a California boat (ethanol blend gas) until approximately 2007 when it was sold to a guy in Arizona. The fuel that was in it for the next 10 years did not have any ethanol in it and when I bought it back in 2017, the tanks were still fine. I then sold it to a friend of mine also in California and he owned it up until 2019 and the tanks were good when he sold it.

What did you have for engines on your 28's? What's your favorite engine package on the 28?

**Rayzor** · 12-10-2022, 09:31 PM

I've had 2.5/280/20" mids, 2.5/280/ROS 15" mids, 3.0/300/20" mids and 3.2/300/15" mids. The best performing were the 2.5/280/ROS as the boat is best balanced with the 415# motors hanging off the back, but by far my favorite all-around motors were the 3.2/300XS w/ 15" mids as they were way more reliable, fuel efficient and were just as fast as the 2.5/280s. The additional 100#s per motor of the 3.2s was definitely noticeable over large wakes and in the rough though. The new V8 300R motors that weigh 512#s would also work well, but I would never want one with the 400R Verados or V8 450Rs that weigh over 700#s.

**CUDA** · 12-10-2022, 10:13 PM

So how does one check the gas tanks

Scope?

**Rayzor** · 12-11-2022, 12:49 AM

Originally Posted by CUDA

So how does one check the gas tanks

Scope?

No, all Skater tanks have a metal plate that covers an approximately 4" x 6" opening in the top of the tank. The pick-up, return and sending unit are all attached to this removable plate. It is easy to look down into the tanks with a flashlight when the plate is removed. The attached picture is from my first 28, which was a '97 with 2.5/280/ROS 20" motors which had a fairly complex fuel system. The fuel came from the tank to a water separating fuel filter, to a low-pressure pump that fed a slosh tank which then went to the high-pressure pump which fed the engine. This system assured that the motors always had fuel, even in the roughest of water conditions.

**Brad Zastrow** · 12-13-2022, 12:40 PM

I agree on every point Rayzor made about Skaters. I have owned 4 Skaters over the years and the gas tank issue can be a really big problem if it is not fixed before even before even worse problems happen such as destroying the hull bottom. As for fit and finish on Skaters I think that is real weak spot compared to other boats in that price category.

**simpson_3** · 12-13-2022, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by Brad Zastrow

I agree on every point Rayzor made about Skaters. I have owned 4 Skaters over the years and the gas tank issue can be a really big problem if it is not fixed before even before even worse problems happen such as destroying the hull bottom. As for fit and finish on Skaters I think that is real weak spot compared to other boats in that price category.

Is ethanol the only thing that kills the tanks? Do they simply go bad from age over time even if the tanks never had ethanol in them? How do you know if the tanks are starting to destroy the hull bottom? I see a few people have mentioned the transom can go bad. I know transom issues aren't specific to Skaters but what causes a transom to go bad in a Skater or any other brand of boat with a wood core transom? I always thought it had to do with leaving the boat in water for long periods of time.