InTheBite

The Man Who Saw Boats: Remembering Ricky Scarborough Sr.

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By Mitchell Bateman

If you’ve been involved in the world of offshore sportfishing for more than a week, chances are good that you have heard of Scarborough Boatworks and the man behind some of the finest boats ever built, Ricky Scarborough, Sr. From his first 18- to 25-foot hunting skiffs and work boats, to his last 60- to 85-foot custom-built luxury sportfishing yachts, Ricky’s reputation for quality craftsmanship and ingenuity is well known. The actual number of boats he built is a little fuzzy considering he didn’t keep written records of all the crab boats and hunting skiffs he built for his neighbors and family. With the incorporation of Scarborough Boatworks in 1977, along with better record-keeping, it is probable that the grand total of boats Ricky built was north of 100.

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DH Yacht Sales and Vilano Boatworks Announce Exclusive Partnership

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Million dollar luxury fishing boat crashing through the ocean off the coast of South Carolina.

DH Yachts Sales and Vilano Boatworks, both headquartered in Florida, have developed a partnership that establishes DH Yacht Sales as the exclusive listing and brokerage company for the custom sportfish boat builder. 

Vilano Boatworks is bringing something different to the boating world in the form of a new 65′ Sportfish with design and engineering by in-house Naval Architect Erwin Gerards. The jig-built composite boat features Caterpillar engines and has a projected splash date of May 2022. Performance will be in the 40kt cruise with a top speed approaching 50kts.

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American Custom Yachts Facility and Assets Acquired by Willis Custom Yachts

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Photo courtesy Willis Custom Yachts

STUART, FLORIDA, USA, June 29, 2021/EINPresswire.com/—Willis Custom Yachts announced the acquisition of American Custom Yachts Assets in Stuart, Florida. An icon In the Stuart marine market for decades the American property spans nearly 64 acres. Willis has plans to expand and enhance the facilities in the coming months with an additional 90,000 square feet of boat building and manufacturing facility, add additional covered repair and dockage facilities, add a new 150 Ton travel lift plus an enlarged haul out well with future 220 Ton lift. Additionally, a new waterfront facility east of NW Flagler Ave. in Stuart Florida is being developed for new Yacht customer deliveries very near the Stuart inlet.

With the additional 90,000 square feet of modern and highly automated yacht production facilities, construction times will be greatly shortened while extending the construction capacity and availability of the highest quality custom sport fishing vessels for customers. Expanded haul out and covered repair and dockage facilities will greatly enhance service and refit capabilities and capacities.

Yachts currently under construction are, ACY (American) hull # 22, a 68-footer and WCY (Willis) hull # 15, a 70-footer, and slotted to start construction this summer is WCY (Willis) hull # 16 another 70-footer, with hull #17 length TBD, scheduled to start spring 2022. Future construction slots are currently available but limited while the facilities expand.

Included in the acquisition of assets was also Bausch American Towers which now is part of the WCY family. Tim Bausch will continue to lead the rebranded entity Bausch Towers and will benefit from the new additional facilities and technology enhancements.

The Venture center-console brand was also part of the acquisition and plans are on the drawing board to modernize the brand with all new design and tooling for future opportunities as part of the Willis Custom Yachts family.

MarkCam Inc, the in-house design and CNC business will also be relocating to the new facility
with greatly expanded capacity and capabilities for much larger applications.

Doug West has joined as president and general manager of Yacht Services for WCY. Doug previously served as president/CEO of Lauderdale Marine Center and President of Rybovich in West Palm Beach, FL. Doug’s vast experience in two of the largest marine service facilities in the entire country will be a major contributor in shaping the future of the facility and its operations.

In a statement Mark Wills said, “I am very excited to be able to greatly expand our ability to offer the absolute finest quality custom sport fishing vessels to many new owners. Having waterfront access of this magnitude changes the game for us and will vastly enhance our ability to provide the highest quality service and support to all of our customers.”

New Viking 64 to Premiere at the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

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Image courtesy of Viking Yachts

New Gretna, New Jersey, Summer 2021—On the heels of the award-winning 54 Convertible, Viking is proud to announce the all-new 64 Convertible, the second-generation of this model that will make its world premiere at the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. This four-stateroom, three-head fishing battlewagon is poised to become another best-in-class superstar on the tournament circuit and the new standard in luxury, accommodations and comfort.

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Contender Boats Announces Second Manufacturing Facility in Fort Pierce, Florida

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HOMESTEAD, FL – June 29, 2021 — Since its inception in 1984, Contender Boats has led the industry in building semi-custom sportfishing boats — for fisherman by fisherman. That mission has only grown stronger over the years.

Today, in a market trending toward brand consolidation, Joe Neber, president and owner of Contender Boats, solidified Contender’s legacy as a family-owned, Florida-based company by purchasing a second manufacturing facility in Fort Pierce.

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White River Marine Group Acquires Hatteras Brand

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Johnny Morris

Johnny Morris with 40+ year Hatteras veterans Alden Harris and Bob Arthur in front of the very first Hatteras sportfishing boat ever built, in 1960, the Knit Wits. Photo courtesy Bass Pro Shops

NC Governor Roy Cooper, May 20, 2021—White River Marine Group, LLC, a leading manufacturer of recreational boats, will open a manufacturing facility in Craven County, with a target of 500 jobs, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company will make a significant investment in New Bern, creating its first coastal manufacturing site and adding Hatteras to its portfolio of well-known brands.

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Release Boatworks: 55 Walkaround Flybridge

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Image courtesy Release Boatworks

55 Walkaround Flybridge

  • LOA: 55′ 
  • Beam: 16′ 9″ 
  • Deadrise (at transom): 12.5°
  • Draft:  4′  
  • Displacement (standard Fuel load): 54,000 pounds 
  • Fuel capacity standard: 1275 gallon 
  • Water capacity: 150 gallons
  • Holding tank capacity: 15 gallons
  • Cockpit area: 150 square feet 

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Weaver Boatworks Dream Weaver

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Dream Weaver

Photo courtesy Weaver Boatworks

By Nichole Osinski

Jim Weaver started fishing when he was around 20 years old, but it wasn’t until the 80s when he first competed in the White Marlin Open. A Maryland native, Weaver claims it was that tournament that got him hooked on sportfishing. Fast forward to the late 90s and Jim had started a construction business and now had his own 55-foot Ocean Yacht, as well as friends who had custom boats built. Something that Weaver would see as a challenge.

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Bayliss 67’ Overtime Hull 28 Flip

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bayliss hull flip

Photo courtesy Bayliss Boatworks

Baylliss Boatworks, Wednesday, March 17, 2021—Overtime, the newest 67-foot vessel by Bayliss Boatworks, is sitting right side up after a successful hull flip earlier this month. Construction began on Overtime last summer and is expected to be delivered to its owners in early 2022. Like all Bayliss Boatworks builds, she is designed and custom-built to fish as effectively as possible.

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Vela Boatworks Enters the Sportfishing Market with New Catamaran “Gamechanger”

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vela boatworks catamaran gamechanger

Photo courtesy Vela Boatworks

Some things in life are just meant to be. For Tommy Jones and Blake Kingsbury it was boat building. The two had attended middle school together and were friends all the way through high school but ended up losing touch when they went to college. It was only after running into each other at a wedding about two years earlier that they reconnected. Blake mentioned he was starting a boat building company and asked Tommy—who’s been in the marine industry for years, from being in the coast guard to working as a marine surveyor—if he would be interested in coming on to help build hull #1. 

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