I got a call from one of the owners of Inshore Power Boats, simply referred to as IPB. He was going to build a duck hunting boat and wanted to use our camo SeaDek to deck out the boat. The nice thing about an IPB is the many different options and ways to build it out. You basically have a blank canvas and if you have an idea, they can make it happen. This boat is just an example of what they can do. They added KC headlamps, gun box, poling platform, mud motor, custom grab bar, and of course the army camo SeaDek with custom duck logos to top it off. Check out a few of the pics of the SeaDek before the boat was fully rigged out and a picture of the boat rigged out, dog not included. If you are interested in having Castaway Customs deck out your hunting boat, IPB, or any boat for that matter, give us a call at 321-537-2039 or shoot me an email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.
The IPB ready to hunt
The IPB before Camo SeaDek
The IPB after Camo SeaDek
Castaway Customs puts that custom touch on your boat
I had the pleasure to meet up with Capt. Raul Montoro down in Miami. He fishes throughout South Florida and the Florida Keys. Raul runs a 17′ Dolphin Super Skiff that he keeps in great shape. He was looking for a way to make his boat more quiet for chasing big bonefish in Biscayne Bay and also make it more comfortable for his clients. Turns out the snow camo SeaDek was just the ticket. He decided to go with a floor kit, poling platform pad, casting platform pad, and under gunnel pads. The carpet on his under gunnels had started to tear up after only a few years so he figured he would fix the problem once and for all by going with SeaDek. The look of the snow camo really sets his boat apart and looks great. Make sure to check out Raul at www.biscaynebayfishing.com. If you are interested in getting some SeaDek for your boat feel free to call me at 321-537-2039 or email me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com
Maverick Boats have been a staple in the shallow water boating market since the beginning. There is a lot of history behind the skiff company and if boats could talk there are some Maverick boats with stories that could keep us entertained all night. I have fished with Capt Benny Blanco down in Flamingo on his Maverick HPX-T and have a few great stories of my own. The HPX-T is a tunnel hull boat that can cross extremely shallow water and jump up on plane very quickly. The boat is a fairly flat bottomed skiff so crossing open or rough waters in not ideal in this skiff. That is where the HPX-V comes into play. The Maverick HPX-V is a proven hull designed used and abused by guides and charter captains throughout the world. While it isn’t made for extremely skinny water, it will get you home safely when the wind and seas kick up. I deal with a lot of customers who have Maverick Boats and they ask me what are some of the more popular options as far as SeaDek and boating accessories are concerned. On any poling skiff, my first recommendation is to SeaDek their poling platforms and their casting platform, if they have one. Castaway Customs provides custom aluminum work as well as SeaDek so if you need a casting platform made, feel free to contact us.
A nice example of a custom casting platform on the bow of a Maverick HPX-T
For those who don’t have a casting platform and looking to kill two birds with one stone, a Yeti Cooler is a great option. The coolers are stable enough to stand on and fish while doing a great job of keeping things cold. A 35 QT Yeti Tundra cooler fits nicely in front of the console on either Maverick and easily can hold a trips worth of food and drinks. If you are looking a little larger cooler the 45 QT Yeti Tundra can be turned to run length wise in the cockpit and it still fits nicely in front of the console.
Yeti Tundra Coolers work great as a casting platform
Maverick Boats have used carpet for a long time on the under gunnel areas on their boats. One of the most common jobs I do on Mavericks is replacing that old carpet with SeaDek. Unfortunately from boat to boat placement of the rod holders seem to vary slightly so there isn’t a one size fits all kit. If you would like to order a set for your boat, just contact me and I can work through the details with you. We can do almost any logos you would like on the under gunnel areas and this really dresses the boat up nicely.
The owner of Maverick Boats, Scott Deal's personal boat
Maverick Boats are known for being very stealthy and quite, but one thing that ruin it is a client or friend stomping around in the boat. We all have been on a boat with someone who isn’t exactly light footed. A cockpit kit for the floor of the boat dampens sound and makes it more stealthy when trying to sneek up on a school of skittish fish. Most layouts for our floor kits cover the helm area of the boat creating a helm pad and making it more comfortable when driving the boat also.
17 HPX-V floor kit
Depending upon where you are fishing in your Maverick sometimes staking out with your push pole isn’t a good option. For instance, many places in Mosquito Lagoon have a harder sand bottom and trying to stake off with the push pole wont work. If you are fishing down in the Everglades over a soft or muddy bottom, a push pole may work out just fine. Either way, we always find ourselves in situations where having the capability to stake out is nice. A great shallow water anchor system I recommend to my clients is the Wang Anchor. There are different mounting systems depending upon you need. They make a transom mount system and also a quick release deck mount system. Both systems have their place in certain instances. Even just purchasing the pole works great and you can just tie off to the pole with a rope. The 3/4″ solid fiberglass pole penetrates hard bottom easily allowing you to stakeout and it can easily be stored in the under gunnel rod tubes of your Maverick.
This is the transom mount system on a HPX-V
Every technical poling skiff needs one thing and that is a push pole. Castaway Customs has you covered there also as we carry many different push poles. The pole that I’m currently using and for the price can’t be beat is a Loop push pole. The Loop push pole is made from carbon fiber and is extremely stiff and lightweight. It can also be made up to 25′ 9″ allowing you to pole more efficiently.
The Loop push poles work great
When it comes to tricking out your skiff, these are only a few of the most popular options and products my customers ask for. The possibilities are endless and many time the only limits are created by the size of your pockets. No matter what type of skiff you have, just remember that the purpose is to get out on the water and make some stories of your own.
On January 9, 2010 Brevard County along with the entire state of Florida experienced some of the coldest temperatures on record. Sleet and snow flurries weren’t an uncommon sight. The extreme temperatures were the ending to a week of cold days and freezing nights. With the weather here to stay for a few more days before things begin to heat back up, we decided to go exploring a little. The fragile ecosystems are not use to cold temperatures especially with the water temperature dipping well below normal. This had many anglers throughout the state concerned, especially with more tropical fish species like snook and tarpon. Redfish and black drum, along with other species, have a much higher tolerance for the cold.
While exploring local ponds we found many different species laying on the banks in the brackish waters. Some fish were already dead while others were barely hanging in there. There were also several fish skeletons further up along the banks that died throughout the week and became food for foraging birds. We saw myan cyclids, common snook, fat snook, swordspine snook, tarpon, ladyfish, and mojarra. Hopefully some of the stunned fish can hang on a few more days until the sun warm air decide to back. Unfortunately it is doubtful, but nature has a way of working things out. We can only hope that most fish found their way to warmer waters and weren’t affected by the freeze.
We contacted the FWC so they can go and take samples and any data they need of the fish. I don’t think we will ever stop mother nature and nature has a way of working things out, but hopefully we can learn a little more about different species when things like this happen.
Florida Sport Fishing Magazine recently made a trip to the SeaDek factory for their “Made in Florida” series. This article features business around the state that actually manufacture and produce products in the state. The article goes through and informs people a little more about what all goes into making a great product. Castaway Customs work is featured on the front page of the article. The boat that is decked out is Capt. Chris Wittman’s Lake and Bay Boca Grande. Chris fished the ESPN Redfish Cup out of the boat last year. Check out that article that starts on page 129. To get your boat decked out contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com or give me a call at 321-537-2039.
Check out page 129 in Florida Sport Fishing Magazine
When working on a flats boat, one of the most common SeaDek projects is under gunnel pads. They protect rods and reels while running the boat and also add a very nice custom look to the boat. I have worked on most boats so I have templates for most under gunnel pads. Whether you have a Hellsbay, Maverick, Hewes, ECC, Dolphin, Egret, you name it and I should have a template for it. Some manufactures put stock carpet on the under gunnels and it is easy to replace the carpet with SeaDek. If you have nothing on theunder gunnel of your skiff, it is even easier to apply SeaDek because you don’t have to bother removing the old carpet. I also work in close relation with many manufactures so if you are ordering a new skiff give me a call and I can get the pads installed directly from the factory so they are on the boat when you come and pick it up. Take a look at some pictures of under gunnel pads, we can do many different color options as well as logos to really give your boat that custom look. Contact me today at 321-537-2039 or by email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com to have SeaDek under gunnel pads made for your flats boat.
Before and After Boats, Custom SeaDek, Hunting Boats, Inshore Boats, SeaDek, SeaDek Floor Kits | admin | 
January 23, 2010 12:00 am | 
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