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March 25, 2005
Help Promote ClassicAquasport.com!
The official ClassicAquasport.com flyer is now online in PDF format. Feel free to print as many as you like and distribute them to your favorite local marinas, bait shops and boat ramps. Thanks!
Download ClassicAquasport.com Flyer
Posted by captain at 03:09 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 17, 2005
Aquasport History Project Gets Underway!
Steve Dembner, better known to ClassicAquasport.com members as steved, is initiating an effort to document Aquasport boats and their unique history in small boat manufacturing and fishing. Aquasport was founded in 1967 and then was taken over by Genmar in 1988. Unfortunately, the takeover was preceded by tumultuous times and Genmar has very little material related to Aquasport prior to 1988.
Research will include any original Aquasport documentation that can be obtained, either from Aquasport directly or, more likely, from Aquasport owners and enthusiasts; back issues of boating magazines that published at that time, as well as back issues of newspapers that may have published stories on Aquasport (originally located in Hialeah, Florida). Personal contacts with former Aquasport employees, dealers, etc. will also be key. The objective is a clear history of the company and complete technical information on all of the boat models built by Aquasport during the period 1967-1988. The results will be published on ClassicAquasport.com as a work in progress and user input will be welcome, in fact essential.
ClassicAquasport.com members or guests who have knowledge or leads about Aquasport and/or classic Aquasport boats are requested to contact Steve Dembner. You can also reach Steve through his ClassicAquasport.com username steved. ClassicAquasport.com management thanks Steve for all of the hard work he has put into this project!
Posted by captain at 09:03 AM | TrackBack
March 07, 2005
Unique Boat! - Everglades Canoe Company
Wilson and I came across the Everglades Canoe Company's display at the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo & Boat Show last weekend. They have put together what appears to be the next generation version of the Gheenoe. I hope the Everglades folks don't take that as an insult. It's just the best comparison my uncreative mind can come up with.
Anyway, the design is unlike anything I've seen in a production boat. The company officially opened its doors about six weeks ago and currently offers the Gladesmen 18 as their flagship model. These boats offer some cool options as well. The company plans on launching a 17' and 15' model in the near future. Definitely some boats to keep an eye out for. I wonder if you could throw a Go-Devil on these?
Posted by captain at 05:08 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
March 06, 2005
Sheaffer Boats
Wilson and I had an opportunity to speak with Ben Sheaffer, President of Sheaffer Boats, while attending the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo & Boat Show on Friday. I've posted some pictures in the photo gallery. Ben is one of the most knowledgeable custom boat builders in Florida. He is also a pioneer who helped to resurrect the fishing friendly design of boats like the original Aquasports.
Those of you in the Tampa Bay area are likely familiar with The Boat Doctor, a boat repair and refurbishing facility owned and operated by Ben. After spending many years running The Boat Doctor, repairing and refurbishing old boats (and many Aquasports), Ben realized he had gained the knowledge and expertise to build the ultimate fishing platform, the Sheaffer 239 - V. These boats are impeccably built and Ben spares no expense. They are not for those light in the wallet! However, if you want classic lines in a new boat, the Sheaffer is the way to go. Ben uses only the highest quality materials and he has literally thought out every square inch of this boat.
Ben brought up an interesting point about adding towers to older boats like the Aquasport, as well as closing in the transom. He noted that these boats, while similar in length to the boats of today, were nevertheless not built with towers in mind, nor massive 4-strokes hanging a foot or two off the transom on a bracket. When making such changes to an older boat, Ben emphasized the importance of taking into consideration the weight issues and distribution of that weight. He says he has seen or heard of several rebuilds that have gone to the bottom or overturned because of such issues. It is something to consider as Wilson and I contemplate what type of tower we want to install on our 1975 23' Mako.
Ben brought up another interesting issue regarding the flat back design. While most people (me included) believed Aquasport flattened the stern in order to reduce the draft, Ben tells us that the smaller outboards of the day simply could not get a boat with any substantial dead rise aft up onto a plane. The flattened back added much needed lift. It wasn't until the larger engines where manufactured that could produce enough horsepower to get a V-hulled boat sufficiently on plane that the flat back design was scraped.
Posted by captain at 01:32 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack
March 04, 2005
Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo & Boat Show
Wilson and I are heading over to the Florida State Fairgrounds this afternoon to get an early look at the Tampa Tribune Outdoors Expo & Boat Show. The event, hosted by the prolific author and Tribune outdoor writer Frank Sargeant, is Florida's largest outdoors show.
While the exhibitors will be quite different from what we saw at the Miami Boat Show, I think they will be of more interest to us. After all, I can't afford a 60' Bertram like the ones we saw in Miami!. The following exibitors will be of particular interest to me, Shaeffer Boats, T.A. Mahoney (where Wilson purchased those cool garboard plugs), and Young Boats (never heard of them, but maybe I'm related?). I also hope to get a chance to speak with Capt. Bill Miller from the Hooked on Fishing television program. Capt. Miller probably knows plenty of folks with older Aquasports who would be interested in getting involved with our group. I'll try to post some pictures from the show later this weekend.
