In what he called “arguably the coolest blank canvas project” his team at Waves and Wheels has worked on, Justin Wagner said that everyone at the Osage Beach, Mo., marine audio custom fabrication and upholstery shop was honored to play a role in the production of the first Skater Powerboats 478 V-bottom from Douglas Marine in Douglas, Mich.

Waves and Wheels showed off its new bolster design in the first Skater 478. Photos courtesy Brad Glidewell/Brad Glidewell Photography

“This was a project we’ve always dreamed of really,” said Wagner, who founded Waves and Wheels in 2001. “It was a blank canvas; it was literally ours to create. We fabricated everything in the boat and handled the audio, the lighting, the upholstery and the seat design. The project is even more awesome to me because it’s the first one with our new stand-up bolsters—the WW16 SU. We also have a sit-down version , the WW16 SD, that we are going to install in our shop’s 46-foot Skater project boat.

“We’re very proud of the new seats and the way the whole boat came together,” Wagner continued. “The owner and the team at Skater seemed pleased with it and that’s all that really matters. I can’t wait for the public to see the finished product. It was definitely a challenge, but it was a challenge everyone here enjoyed. I say everyone because there wasn’t one person on our team who didn’t touch the boat.”

Wagner admitted the team was a little off its 10-week completion estimation, but he said the owner was extremely impressed with the overall design as a whole as well as the Waves and Wheels and Focal-powered audio system featuring eight 7-inch speakers, two 10-inch subwoofers, two FDP Focal amplifiers and a Fusion head unit.

Not only did the crew at Waves and Wheels tackle the entire cockpit and the massive matching sunpad, it handled everything from the lighting, liner, upholstery and lounge seating construction, which was designed to match the cockpit seats, throughout the 47-footer’s full cabin.

Check out the slideshow above for more images of the 47-footer’s complete interior.

The 47-footer was delivered to Douglas last week and the rigging has begun on the boat, which was painted in-house and is going to be powered by twin Mercury Racing 1100 engines.

“The boat looks awesome, those guys did a great job,” said Tony Cutsuries, Skater’s national sales manager. “We’re happy with the quality and the turnaround time. Justin and his team were real easy to work with, too.”

According to Wagner, Waves and Wheels is going to be producing its new hydraulic WW16 SU and WW16 SD bolsters, which feature the company’s innovative Bolster Secure System for extra support in the seats, for both manufacturers and consumers. Designed in single and dual configurations for both front and rear seating, the bolsters are expected to be available in the fall.

Editor’s note: Look for an in-depth story on the new Waves and Wheels seats in an upcoming issue of Speed On The Water magazine. To download copies of any of our past digital issues, click here.

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