If you enjoy looking at old advertising here is a vintage Bob Hewes Boats ad, circa 1985.
Vintage Bob Hewes Bonefisher Ad
16 ft. Wooden Skiff Built During the Bill McCoy Rum Festival
Joe Egeberg of Daytona Beach, FL, popularized the style of wooden skiff with his brother after they bought a boat business near Chesapeake Bay in the 1970s and 1980s. He figures they built between 400 and 500 for commercial and recreational use. Since moving to Florida in 1984, he’s only built five or six. But a recent festival sponsored by the Holly Hill Historic Preservation Society inspired a group of volunteers to build one during the festival and bring attention to the Maritime Museum.
One Man’s Skiff Renovation; Part III
We checked back in Seth Vernon to find out where he is with his Beavertail B2 renovation. The latest updates include a lot of sanding, laying down some Awlgrip Primer, a lively debate about what new deck color should be chosen, a visit to a local fabrication shop for a custom poling platform, a few modifications to the trailer while the primer dries, some coxcombing on the steering wheel and finally back to the sanding to get ready for Awlgrip non-skid. You can check out a little more of Seth’s renovation on his blog.
One Man’s Skiff Renovation; Part I
Seth Vernon, an excellent Wilmington NC guide walks us through part 1 of his Beavertail B2 skiff renovation – stripping the boat of all the current hardware, SeaDek, sanding the non-skid off and prepping the deck and cockpit for AwlGrip paint and new non-skid. We’ll check back in next week and see what he’s up too in part II, but in the meantime here’s a few images from part I.
Making a few modifications to the hull
Lots of sanding getting the topside gel coat ready for new Awlgrip
Silver Kings TV
Silver Kings is an Outdoor show filmed in and around the time of the tarpon tournaments in Islamorada, Florida. The stunning beauty of the Florida Keys and Islamorada is on full display and the fast and furious action of two guides and their clients fly-fishing for tarpon in the most unique fishing environment in the US…the Florida Keys. Here’s a show trailer, but you can learn more about the show at www.silverkingstv.com and watch an episode or two. There is some great footage of guides and anglers working really hard late in the day, which underscores the importance of always keeping your head in the game, even when the conditions and getting bites are tough.
SILVER KINGS Series Open Tease from Marty Dashiell on Vimeo.
15 HP Propane Outboard
This week at the Miami Boat Show, Lehr’s Outboards will introduce their newest propane burning 15 HP four-stroke model. This is their fourth model in the line of clean burning fuel efficient engines. The engine also comes with an internal starting battery weighing less than 2 lbs and is available in both 15″ and 20″ shaft lengths. [Read more…]
Hells Bay “Around the Shop” Photos
Hells Bay Boatworks has added some new photos to their “Around the Shop” series on Facebook for January. Check them out and see what they are up too.
Nano Technology Fiberglass Repair Product
We’ll have our hands on sample in a few weeks time for testing but a new repair product claims to be a simple all-in-one solution that fixes, bonds and color matches various type of fiberglass damage. MagicEzy products include 9 Second Chip Fix and Hairline Fix which come in 11 of
the most popular boat colors and thanks to their revolutionary nano-technology, it can also be used on wood, ceramics, plastic, metal, glass and masonry.
Ask The Experts – Skiff Waxing
Question: I have recently acquired a Waterman and want to wax the hull. What is the best product, frequency, and process?
Mike F.
Thank you for the question Mike, we asked Paul Payne, the service manager at Hells Bay Boatworks and he offered the following advice and tips.
Answer: I always recommend a liquid wax because they are so much easier to use than paste waxes. Meguiars makes a good product but my favorite is Woody Wax, not just because it smells so good, it leaves a long lasting protective coat and is the easiest to use. Ease of use is important, because it takes the hesitation out of frequent waxing, which is key when talking about gel coat maintenance.
Just follow the directions on the label. Spray it on a wet fine bristle brush and wipe it onto all areas of the skiff (hull and deck), a little goes a long way. Allow the wax to dry and then just rinse it off with water. For the best protection, re-apply at least 3 times per year or more, depending on use and the amount of sun and weather the boat gets. Water no longer beading during wash-down is a good indicator that it’s time to wax again.
You may find that proper waxing prevents fish blood and other stains from penetrating so deep into the gel coat pores and makes the whole skiff clean-up process much easier.
Woody Wax and Meguiars are both available at West Marine and many other marine supply retailers and can also be ordered online.
Have a question? Email it to info@skiffrepublic.com, we’ll ask our experts and publish their response.
Happy Thanksgiving from Skiff Republic
We hope you enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends and maybe even sneak out to run the skiff a little. Happy Thanksgiving to you from Skiff Republic.