In mid-November, I reported on Douglas Marine Skater’s new hardtop 40-footer. According to Chris Mornes of the Douglas, Mich., company, the catamaran should be delivered to owner Gary College of Discovery Bay, Calif., in the next couple of weeks.

The question is: What will the overall length of the boat, which rides on a Skater 40 Super Sport hull, actually be? Like many Skater cats, its deck and transom have been extended per owner specifications. (All Skater decks are custom—Skater has no deck tooling.)

“Pete (Hledin, the founder and owner of Douglas Marine) doesn’t include extensions in the length of his boats,” Mornes told me this morning. “But the owner could call it a 46—that would be probably be closest—or maybe even a 50 if he wanted to. All Skaters are one-of-a-kind, and owners tend to describe them their own way.”

The retractable roof of the cat, which is powered by a pair of Teague Custom Marine 1,200-hp engines, operates on twin hydraulic cylinders. Highlights of the six-person interior include mahogany and burled wood accents, as well as teak flooring.

According Hledin, Skater will offer the retractable roof option on several of its other models.

In other Skater news:

•The company reportedly has six catamarans in the rigging stage right now Two of them are 38-footers. “We are slammed,” said Mornes.

•Skater is working on a V-bottom for “military applications” with twin 480-hp Cummins diesel engines. The first boat reportedly will go to the Drug Enforcement Agency in Detroit.