Tricked out Maverick HPX-V Skiff

This project was for a customer who runs McCall Anglers, an outfitter and fly shop in Idaho, and spends his Spring chasing permit and tarpon down in the Florida Keys.  It was a joint project with Shallow Water Customs down in South Florida.  The guys at Shallow Water Customs run a great rigging and repair shop and have been installing SeaDek for years.  The boat had a complete makeover from new gelcoat and rigging to a full SeaDek kit.  This HPX-V spends it time primarily down in Key West and will surely stand out among the other Mavericks in the Lower Keys.  This customer decided to go with Caribbean blue over black.  The black makes the edges and the custom logos really pop nicely.  We also replaced the old carpet on the undergunnels.  This has become a very popular option the Maverick boats because carpet and saltwater don’t tend to mix very well.  If you need any custom SeaDek work done to your skiff you can contact Castaway Customs at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.

The bow section fully decked

Floor kits are also a very popular option on the Mavericks

No more nasty carpet

Custom Nautilus logo

Custom logo on his custom casting platform

Castaway Customs decks out Maverick Master Angler

While not as popular as some of the newer models built by Maverick Boat Company, the Master Angler line of boats has a serious following and has proven itself for years on the water.  While the 18 Master Angler isn’t the most shallow drafting boat, it will still get plenty skinny and also provides great storage, stability, and ride.  This particular boat is a 1996 model and is in great shape for the age.  The owner takes his wife and kids on the boat frequently so he wanted something that would make it more comfortable when lounging around on the decks.  Standard thickness for SeaDek on most decks and floors is either a 5mm single color or a 6mm two tone.  We decide to step it up just a little and go with an 8mm foam which is a combination of 5mm black with 3mm mica on top.  This color combination contrasted very nicely with the color of the boat and the black underlay allowed us to add some ruler sticks on the gunnels to measure fish.  The little extra thickness provided by the 8mm will make his wife and kids more comfortable while on the boat.  If you are looking to add any custom SeaDek to your Maverick or any other brand skiff contact Castaway Customs at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.

Covering the front deck will make for comfortable fishing and lounging

Notice the detailed cuts around everything

A pulled back view

Nice and comfy poling platform pad

How big was that fish?

Custom SeaDek for 17 Tunnel Pathfinder

I recently did some work for Capt. Peter Babb who guides out of the 10,000 Islands and Everglades National Park.  Peter runs this 17T Pathfinder for low water and sight fishing.  Although Maverick Boat Company doesn’t build this particular flats boat anymore, they have a cult following by those who fish out of them.  Peter also runs a Maverick 21 Master Angler.  The boat had been used and fished hard so it was starting to show some signs of aging and needed a little face lift.  Castaway Customs deals with many customers who are looking to take an old boat and make it look new again.  SeaDek is a great product to not only enhance the look of your boat, but also add comfort and traction.  For standard two tone decks we mostly use 6mm foam, but we were looking to get a little extra comfort so we stepped it up and went with an 8mm two tone of Cool Gray over Black.  This color combination is a favorite among customers and really pops nicely with the black border.  The customer decided to cover the areas of the boat that get the most traffic and we also added the undergunnel pads for reel protection and threw in the Pathfinder Tunnel logo to give it that custom touch.  If you need any custom SeaDek work done to your 17T Pathfinder or any of the Maverick Boat Company products feel free to contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.

A wide angle shot of the boat

Another wide angle shot

A neat view from the front of the bow

A wide angle cockpit view

The color combination looks great on this boat

Maverick 17 HPX-V Tender on Garlington Sportfishing Yacht

Castaway Customs just finished a trip down to Islamorada to install custom SeaDek on a Maverick HPX-V sitting on the bow of a Garlington.  The boat captain was tired of slipping on the nonskid and looking for something to make those long days fishing more comfortable.  We decide to deck out everything to give the boat a fresh new look.  We decided to go with a cool gray over storm gray to give it a nice subtle look.  The original carpet in the skiff, although not that old, was starting to fall off and look a little dingy so we also decide to upgrade to SeaDek on the undergunnels.  This is a very popular option on the Maverick line of boats and any flats boat really.  We also decked out a couple of Yeti Coolers with Hogfish logos on them for the boat.  Keep checking back in for a write up on the cockpit of the big boat.  We are working on a neat job for her.  If you are interested in getting any custom SeaDek work done on your boat, no matter how big or small, feel free to contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com

The view looking down from the upper helm

A closer look at the full layout

Notice the attention to detail

A neat view from the bow

The floor kit helps to quiet the boat down

No more nasty carpet

Mmmmmm tasty

A view of the Garlington

22 Pathfinder Bay Boat Custom SeaDek

If there is a staple in boating industry for bay boats, it has the be the Pathfinder bay boat.  The 22 Pathfinder is one of the models built out of the same factory that produces the Maverick flats boats and also the Hewes line of skiffs.  It seems like no matter where I’m on the road working, or on the water fishing I always seem to see a Pathfinder bay boat.  While there are a few different styles of the 22 Pathfinder, this particular boat is just the standard model.  The customer was looking for a way to make his time on the water more comfortable and also give his boat a fresh new look.  Castaway Customs designed a floor kit to cover the entire cockpit of the boat including the helm pad area and also under the leaning post to provide a cooler pad.  Check out the before and after pictures to see what a difference the SeaDek makes.  We decided to cover everything in 8mm cool gray over storm gray.  While many customer choose black as a bottom color, this particular boat didn’t have very many black accents so the subtle change from the cool gray to storm gray was a nice clean look.  If you are interested in having any custom SeaDek work done to your boat you can contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com or by phone at 321-537-2039.

Front deck before SeaDek

Front deck after SeaDek

Rear deck before SeaDek

Rear deck after SeaDek

Cockpit floor before SeaDek

Cockpit floor after SeaDek

Helm area with console foot pads

Cooler pad and rear cockpit floor

Overview from bow to stern

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.