You’d think that Ron Szolack might get tired of buying and selling go-fast boats, especially of the Skater catamaran kind. Now based at the Lake of the Ozarks, the guy has built, bought and sold more Skater cats than he can remember. He has two builds, a 388 and a 368, in progress at the Douglas, Mich., company right now. Last month, he bought the famed 2001 model-year 46-foot Tom Cat Skater from his best friend Todd Fountain.
Szolack has to get tired of it at some point, right?
Wrong. He still digs the adrenaline that comes with buying and selling. And he still feels less than complete if he doesn’t have a Skater in production.
So it came as no surprise when Szolack—a longtime friend—reached out yesterday with news of yet another boat he sold from his considerable stable. This time around, Szolack’s 36-foot Classic Skater went to a couple from California.
“They were the nicest husband and wife—they flew in and spent a couple of days at the lake,” he said. “They had never been here before and they had never owned a cat. They came out of a Cigarette 38 Top Gun.
“I don’t think they’ll ever own a V-bottom again,” he added, then laughed. “Myrick Coil of Performance Boat Center and I took them for a test drive, and they had a great time.”
And therein lies the joy Szolack finds in buying and selling go-fast boats. He simply likes watching people, whether new to the performance-boating world or longtime owners, take pleasure in using boats he once and owned and loved. He revels in their catamaran discoveries. Their joy is his joy.
And when they return to the lake for Szolack’s “Weekend At Ronnie’s” affair in late September, they’ll get to share it again with him.
“They already booked their room,” he said, then laughed again.