douglas skater 28 twin mercury 280 hps

Description

I bought this boat in 1999 and I raced APBA with #113. It won the world championships in Saint Petersburg November 17/ 20/21, 1999 I also was the Rookie of the year and still have the championship flag and the trophy . The boat was tested at Lake X and it consistently ran over 115 mph with3/4 full tanks! I had fabricated baffles to put in the exhaust because when I used it on my lake in Alabama I tried to keep it quiet. Lake X said that was the fastest 28 footer tested at that time with the 280s. The boat was raced for one year and then I did attempt to set the flying kilo record in 2000 in North Carolina at the Fountain factory. I ran over 119 mph on the 1st leg but my crank sensor came loose on reverse run. Consequently I never got to set the flying Kilo record. The boat was always lifted to be launched and I still have the straps. The Skater trailer is in excellent condition and only put in the bay one time and I spent an hour rinsing it off. The gear cases have been changed to 2.00 ratio and they were serviced at the last race by the Lake X staff from the big rig that goes to the major events. They have barely been used for recreational usesince the rebuild and I know that they went entirely thru them. I rebuilt one in about 2006. I also had a spare engine that I had rushed to the St Petersburg race when I won the first day. It was air freighted to me by Mercury and I bought it incase I had an issue with my motors. It was brand new and I never needed it for the race. When I rebuilt the one motor in 2006 I got lazy and decided to use the brand new assembly on the right sided motor. I just used them on Lay Lake in Alabama and they never were stressed . Just joy rides on flat water. The original interior isvery nice! All the instrumentation and wiring is first class.The cowls were replaced in 1999 and look like new. Latham steering and adjustable jack plate . The race cover for the deckdoes have a small area that needs some minor fiberglass repair on the inside where it can not be seen. The first batteries lasted about 15 years and always cranked the boat. The newOptima batteries always hold a charge.The fuel system and pumps are new and it has the heavy duty offshore trim pumps and brackets. The bottom of the hull is excellent and it was blue printed. I have 2 sets of props. 30p and 34P. The 34p props were blue printed and lightened by Mercury and the boat runs 113 with the 30s and over 119 mph at the rev limiter around 8100 rpm with the 34p set and both sets go with the boat. This is one of the fastest 28 foot Skaters. I have recently pulled off most of the decals and stickers and was going to restore the paint but I decided to let the new owner handle it. There are some small cracks on the topside of the front of the boat where some one jumped off the pier, but they are cosmetic.The bottom/hull is in super shape. I have been under the cockpit area many times to distribute weight and it is also perfect condition. In about 2012I was replacing the 4fuel filters and noticed some very small fibers. The boat only had about 20 gallons per side and I drained them andrecently replaced all four fuel pumps. The HULL HAS NEVER LEAKED and has been dry for 4 years. The tanks had hardly any fuel and there is no way the upper part of them were causing the very small fibers.I caught it early and I think it could be recoated or sealed.The boat hasabout 18 hours since the replacement power head was installed . I also have the Mercury test computer to verify the hours and the settings.The Skater trailerlooks very nice and always rinsed if it got near salt water.I can be reached at 205 678 1018 if you need additional information. Serious inquiries please, Mitch