Sea Skimmer
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Sea Skimmer Boats
Aqua Sport Inc.
Lawrence, Kansas
This manufacturer appeared on the 1961 Boat Show circuit with a 5 1/2 ft. fiberglass personal watercraft powered by an electric or two sizes of gasoline engines. According to the January 15, 1961 issue of the New York Times, the Sea Skimmer was known as a "power swim unit". The operator of the unit holds on and is towed through the water. Steering is accomplished by the operator using legs and feet as a rudder. Flotation chambers ensured the boat wouldn't sink and the manufacturer suggested the boat could even be dived for short stretches. Three models were offered: the Dolphin with 22 HP outboard motor advertised to reach 25 mph, the Skate with a 6 HP (reported to be a Mercury motor) also said to reach 25 mph, and the Ray with an electric motor and 12 volt battery capable of 12 to 15 mph. The Dolphin was listed at $695, the Skate at $495, and the Ray at $395.
More information can be found at the following website by a family member of Harry Hoch, an original company investor and developer of the Sea Skimmer:
http://terri.vincentranch.com/SEA_SKIMMER/SeaSkimmerDocumentation2.html
This concept of a swim unit, ski-tow, or ski-tug was later produced in the 1970s by a different company as the Swimobile.
