More flats boat photos from 1982 86

You can click on the photos to make them full size.

These boats were built in the Florida Keys in Islamorada , and Key largo.

Bert Sherbs 17 Mako Remake

Berts boat. Boy did they make ugly towers back then.

 Mako remake plug ,waiting for mold gelcoat to cure befor laminating.

Mako remake at Bayside Inn which is now the Bass Pro extravaganza in Islamorada. 

Carl Navarreas skiff in my new shop Back Bay Boats in Tavenier Key largo 1985.

Flipping over Hal Chittums Mako experimental after painting. You can see the stringers printing tru the bottom because they are made of wood.

See the boat really was called the Mako experimental.

Glassing in the boxes, look at how narrow the hatch channels were. They had 1/4 in copper tubbing for draining so a real nightmare.

Stern view of Hals skiff, you can see all the glassed over plywood.

Glassing in the sheer overhang with more plywood. This boat weighed a ton and I know that Hal even at that time in his life at 31 knew that if there was a better way he wanted to be part of it.

Inside shot of the cored Sea Craft I built for Dick Negley. This was another boat where I bought a finished boat on a trailer for 800.00 dollars and gutted the boat down to the bare skin. Dick had a lot of good ideas for this boat which was a great project and a great guy to work for. 

Dicks Sea Craft had a 100 gallon fuel tank under the console which could all be removed , the boat had three live wells, a 235 Johnson on the stern with a jack plate toe kick and a full transom across the stern. Because we saved so much weight with the build it could carry a lot of stuff , go fast and shallow for the places he fished in Texas and the Gulf. It is till owned by his friend Dev. This is 1983, the two Mako remakes and this skiff took Lawanda and I 12 months to finish at a set price and time frame.

Bow of Sea Craft

Dick Neglys scooter boat being planked up

 Hull skin on temporary framing ready for outer skin.

My little wedge tunnel for the 200 Merc that was fitted with a jet drive.

Pretty simple boat.

Inside showing stringers going in with Uni S- glass. Any boat that has Kevlar on the inside is wasting your money. E - glass done right will do just great, s- glass is only a little less stiffer than Carbon but a whole lot less in cost. Carbon is great in certain areas and if you have deep pockets then its the go to material for certain projects. All these boats were built using Dion resin which is a polyester and all these boats are still going strong.

Lawanda next to the first half of the skin coat using Kevlar on the out side. The day that Dick first launched the boat he ran over a steel pipe sticking out of the bottom and all you could see was a slight scratch.

Testing the bottom 

Flipped over working on the insides. I will post pictures of this boat fishing when I find the photos.

Our shop Back Bay Boats next to the Tavernier Health Dept. It is an auto body shop now.

Before getting into flats boats I built sailboats, this a boat for Lawanda and I being built next to the Sea Lark building which is now Bass world. 1982

Lawanda and I going out in our Bahamian catboat to set some Lobster habitats . We ate a lot of lobster back then as they were everywhere. This is 1982

We all raced in the afternoons off what is now the Lorrilie resturant. No one was there in 1982. I built these three cats.

Myself and Dave Calvert at Bayside Inn with my new  sailboat hull which I have just built and am moving here to fishing building. Dave was a sailmaker there and went on to help Steve Fosset break the North Atlantic crossing record on Playstation. Little did we know the fun we were going to have down the road from this day in 1980.

One of many little dorys I would build in an evening. 

A 2 part folding row boat I built in an attic in the Bahamas. The boat had to fit through the window.

 I do not know if World Wide Sportsmen tore these down at their place in Islamorada. This was one of many projects that Ray Dye had me do while I worked there .

 So a few more shots from the past. Sure wish I still had the energy I had then.
More to come.

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A Front Deck and Photos of an Adorable Puppy

First off, now that the boat is upright, I made Hazel a ramp so she can go in and out of the boat while Im working.

Next, I put the front deck on.  There are probably things I need to do under there that would be easier without the deck, but my excitement trumps good planning. I know I still need to bolt in the motor well/mount, so the back deck stays off for now.

If you are following this blog, youve read through the stressful process of using epoxy resin to adhere the boat members together, so Ill skip the narrative blow by blow. Just remember, dealing with epoxy is like defusing a ticking time bomb.

So having our first deck on the boat allows Hazel and I to enjoy a much deserved sunny lay-about.

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Photos from my shop from 1983 1996

Here are some shots of some of the projects that I was involved in during this period. I will be posting many more shots as I get the time.

This is the Mako 17 hull with my plug modifications on the bottom and stern , waxed and ready for mold gelcoat and glass.

Mako remake hull out of mold, solid glass hull ready for custom interior, 1984 just across the street from Cambells Marina Tavernier Florida Keys. Thats Lawnada my ex and Christian Kuerstiner  helping to lift hull into the garage we were renting for a shop.

These are the wood plugs I make to form the hatch drain moldings for the decks. The red is clay that becomes the radius edges. Very fast and simple to do.

Deck is laid up and flipped over and I am pulling out the hatch moldings. I now have this system down to very few parts. To make a custom deck this way it takes from start to finish about a week.

Bert Sherbs deck after all the plugs pulled. This is the deck idea that I believe that Silver King copied. 

This deck weighed about 100 lbs

Here I am 25 years old laying up cored stingers in 17 ft. Hull in 1983 using S- glass over core.

Interior shot of hull # 1 of Mako remakes 1983.

Stern lockers before floors going in. Way over built by my standards today as hull would be all core so would not need the stringer.

Charley Causeys hull just launched with Rick Justice who rigged it starting up the Merc. 1983.

Charley and I going out for test ride. I ended up building 3 different skiffs for Charley over the years.This is the canal inPlantation Key in1983.

This is Carl Naverras  all core skiff made up with all S- glass cloth and core. I believe this to be the first all core boat. 1984.

    Here I am in1984 just moved into my new shop in Tavernier , Key Largo finishing off Carls all core skiff " Back lash" . One time a couple of clients were in the shop as I was working and one said to the other " boy you sure couldnt get a Cuban to do this kind of work" . I looked up smiling and said , " well youre getting half of one right now as my dad is Cuban !" 

My mom was born in Sweden so I am a first generation half breed American.

 Hal Chittums Mako experimental skiff getting ready to flip over for painting. This boat was cored in all plywood. Weighed a ton .Thats Ray Dye and me in what is now the middle of World Wide Sportsmens shop in Islamorada. 1982.

Hal Chittums Mako Experimental skiff finished waiting for Ray Dye to rig. I am 24 years old in this shot.

 This is Sandy Morets all core Kevlar skiff one off that was finished in my new shop in 1986.

Sandy Morrets skiff.

Stern shot of one off skiff that I designed and built for Charley Causey that is the predecessor to the Whip Ray. I built this boat in Marathon Florida Keys  in 1995.

Whip Ray predecessor one off 1995 all core.

 Whip Ray predecessor one off .

Whip Ray predecessor side view ready for glass skin. I built these one off skiffs from design to finish alone in 3 months time in very simple work shops so I feel everybody should be able to do the same with a little guidance .

Finished skiff with a big ass motor on the stern 1996. This is the skiff that I told Hal Chittum and Flip Pallot to go for a ride in before we talked about their ultimate John Boat idea.This skiff cost fully rigged as a one off $ 20,000.00 . I have always built my skiffs on a set price and always made a living. The best deals out there today are used skiffs, but a one off can be built for a fraction of a new skiff if you have the inclination and drive.

 More photos to come and Chapter 2 about my time at Hells Bay. Thanks to my daughter Lillian for helping me post these shots as all this computer stuff is way above my pay grade.

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