Custom SeaDek on Ranger Banshee Extreme

I got a call the other day from Travis Tucker who runs a Ranger Banshee Extreme and fishes many redfish tournaments.  Travis had seen my custom SeaDek work on another boat and knew that is what he wanted on his boat.  We organized a time a place and place to meet up so I could scan the boat to make sure everything fit perfectly.  We completely covered the boat from the cockpit and decks to the poling platform and Yeti Cooler.  He will now have an easier time sneaking up on those spooky redfish in tournaments and also be nice and comfortable after a long day on the water.  Here are a few before and after shots, that really emphasize the difference that custom SeaDek can make to your skiff.  If you are interested in decking out your boat, big or small, give me shout at 321-537-2039 or shoot me an email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.

This is a before shot of the front deck

This is an after shot of the front deck. The Ranger logo and ruler stick really set it off.

This is a before shot of the cockpit of the boat.

This is an after shot of the cockpit. We changed out the stock side gunnel pads to match the rest of the boat.

Before SeaDek on the Yeti Cooler and rear deck

After adding SeaDek to the Yeti Cooler and rear deck

Trick out your Maverick HPX-T or Maverick HPX-V

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.

Custom SeaDek on Triton Bay Boat and Viking Sport Fishing Boat

Had the opportunity to meet and work with the owner of Deltran Battery Tender.  He owns a Triton 24 LTS Pro bay boat and also a 53 Viking sport fishing boat.  He decide that he wanted to do work on both of his boat.  On the Triton bay boat, he already had a SeaDek helm pad, and decided he wanted to cover the entire front deck.  On his larger boat, after taking a look at it we realized that there were many different applications for custom SeaDek.  He has a 250 QT Yeti Tundra cooler that he uses as a fish box, and also a seat in the cockpit of the boat.  we decided to go with a 13mm pad to add extra cushioning for comfort and also put the name of his boat into the pad for that custom touch.  Another great application in the cockpit of the boat that we decided to cover were the step box and also the steps going into the cabin of the boat.  Once we climbed up the ladder into the upper station of the boat we realized that the upper helm as well as the forward seating area floor would be a nice addition.  Check out the pics and if you are interested in any custom SeaDek work feel free to contact me.

Triton 24 LTS Front Deck

250 QT Yeti Tundra Cooler Pad

54 Viking Upper Station Helm

54 Viking Upper Station Seating

SeaDek Helm Pads

SeaDek helm pads are designed to provide you a comforting time on the water.  Helm pads vary in thickness depending upon your application and needs.  Stock helm pads are 15mm thick, but we make them in a wide variety of thicknesses also.  We also offer our pads in a wide varitey of colors so you will be able to find something that looks great at the helm of your boat.  While we sell stock SeaDek helm pads on our webstore, we also specialize in custom SeaDek helm pads.  So if you don’t see a size that fits your boat or just want a custom logo contact us and we will get you all taken care of.  We specialize is custom logos and design so if you just want one of our stock fish designs, the name of your fishing team, or name of your boat that is not a problem at all.  Shoot me an email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com or feel free to give me a call at 321-537-2039 for more information.

Stock SeaDek Small Helm Pad

Custom 33' Hydrasport Helm Pad

Custom Logo for Surfari Charters

Which Thickness SeaDek?

SeaDek comes in a varitey of different thicknesses.  This is nice because it allows you to custom tailor a pad to your needs and application.  Our 3mm foam is the thinnest sheets avaliable.  If you are looking only for traction a 3mm pad may suit your needs.  The 3mm works great for knife cutting do-it yourself projects.  It is to thin to be routed on our CNC machine for custom applications so a knife cut edge is the only option.  The next step up in thickness is our 5mm sheets.  The 5mm sheets are kind of a standard and what have been around since the beginning.  Having the extra thickness provides not only traction, but added comfort as well.  Anything that is 5mm or thicker can be routed on the CNC machines giving the pad a nice beveled edge and adding a more finished look to any project.  The next step up is our 10mm sheets.  Once you move up to a 10mm pad or thicker you are most likely looking at a thickness for something like a helm pad which provides extra cushioning.  The great thing about SeaDek is all of these different thicknesses can be laminated together to give you even more options in thickness.  Laminating two different colors of foam together also allow the contrast needed to create logos in the pads while giving the pad a two tone border which really sets it off.  For example you can laminate a 3mm piece of Storm Gray foam over 3mm Midnight Black to give you a 6mm piece of foam.  Take a look at the picture below to see what a nice look 6mm foam can provide.

3mm Storm Gray over 3mm Black

For a helm pad for a larger center console boat, we use 13mm or 15mm.  I try to us a combination of 3mm foam as the top layer on any pads with logos so the routed logos stay fairly shallow in depth.  Stock SeaDek helm pads consist of a 15mm foam.  Take a look at the picture below to see 5mm White laminated over 10mm Storm Gray in a stock helm pad.

5mm White over 10mm Storm Gray

No matter what type of boat you have or the application of boating you do, having different thicknesses allows us to create products that will suit your needs.  Castaway Customs specializes in custom products so if you have any questions or would like to purchase any custom or stock SeaDek products please contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com or feel free to give me a call at 321-537-2039.