This past spring I finished up my biggest project to date. The captain of the boat Nils Erickson and his fiancee Meredith Pridgen were heading up a large refit of a Gunboat 62 formerly named Lickity Split 2 up in the Newport Shipyard. In the world of sailing, Gunboat is the very top tier when it comes to performance and quality. They specialize in building high performance multihull sailing yachts. Coming from a fishing boat background I had a lot to learn in the sailing world, but can appreciate true craftsmanship and design in any type of boat. The retro fit included about everything you could possibly imagine, it almost seems it would have made more sense to order a new boat, but the lead time is very long to have one built so this was the next best option. Nils and Meredith run a boat called Soma, a Formula 40, that they charter and sail down in the Virgin Islands. It is the fastest charter sailboat in the Caribbean and quite possibly the world. The tops of the hulls on Soma are completely decked out in SeaDek making for a comfortable and safe ride whether cruising or racing. When it came time to figure out what to do on the decks on Zenyatta they had a crazy idea to fully deck it out in SeaDek. The only reason I say crazy is because it had never been done before to this extent on a boat of this size or caliber. Needless to say it was quite the project with a lot of detail involved due to all of the hardware and rigging, but one that when it was all finished you can take a step back and not help but smile. Special thanks to Rick Lohre from Rick Lohre Photography for taking and providing the amazing pictures of Zenyatta. You can check out more picture of Zenyatta here.
Zenyatta full steam ahead
Micro dot pattern provides great traction when wet
Complex curves and bends around the jib track
Aerial view of the bow shows some great detail
Cabin roof and aft
A cool view of the solar panels and the starboard bow
A view looking forward from just in front of the cabin
Tags: castaway customs, catamaran, Custom SeaDek, Gunboat, Lickity Split 2, marine flooring, multihull, Newport Shipyard, sailing, sailing yacht, seadeck, SeaDek, Yachts, Zenyatta
Custom SeaDek, marine flooring, Sailboats, SeaDek, Yachts | admin | 
October 22, 2010 1:06 pm | 
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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
Tags: castaway customs, Custom SeaDek, everglades national park, flats boat, master angler, Maverick Boat Company, maverick boats, pathfinder, seadeck, SeaDek, undergunnel pad
Custom SeaDek, Flats Boats, Inshore Boats, marine flooring, SeaDek, SeaDek Floor Kits, Under Gunnel Pads | admin | October 21, 2010 8:58 am | Comments (1)
I had the opportunity to work with a customer on a neat project recently. He was having two Lake and Bay boats built to ship down to Golfito in Costa Rica. These boat are going to be used in coordination with Mote Marine Laboratory to help further the study of snook. From everything that I have gathered a 40 acre snook pond has been built or setup that has natural tidal flow and all sorts of bait already in the pond to provide a natural environment to breed and study snook. The 17 Predator will be used in the pond and the 20 Boca Grande will be used to transport fish. The amount of livewell space on the 20 is incredible. Lake and Bay built a special one off livewell that is inside the deck extension and drops down below the floor of the boat. Another neat SeaDek feature that the guys over at Lake and Bay designed into the new Boca Grande is a SeaDek gasket. What this does is make the hatches water tight and also stops them from rattling. Both boats will be used for work and play and now with them decked out in custom SeaDek, they can do it more comfortably and safe. If you need any sort of custom SeaDek work contact Castaway Customs via email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com
The massive front deck on the 20
The floor kit on the Boca Grande with the side console
The cool gray over storm gray color combination is nice and subtle
Check out that massive livewell and the SeaDek gasket on the underside of the hatch
The front deck of the 17 is also very spacious
The rear deck on the Predator
An aerial view from above the 17
Tags: castaway customs, Custom SeaDek, Lake and Bay, marine flooring, Mote Marine Laboratory, seadeck, SeaDek, snook research
Custom SeaDek, Flats Boats, marine flooring, SeaDek, SeaDek Floor Kits | admin | October 12, 2010 6:51 am | Comments (0)
When I think of a typical West Coast style tower boat the Sheaffer 23 is what comes to mind. There are several companies that build similar style boats and the only thing that separates them is fit and finish and budget. This customer had an issue with rods banging around on his undergunnels so he wanted to do some undergunnel pads to not only protect his rods and reels, but also his boat. This boat is a family boat as well as a fishing machine so we added a pad to the swim step on the back to make it more comfortable and safe when crawling in and out of the boat. Many of these style boats have a nice sharp entry in the bow, but are very flat off the transom so having a helm pad is a must in rough seas. We added the Sheaffer logo to the helm pad for a nice custom touch and we also designed the helm pad so it’s wide enough for more than one person to stand on. These pads are Beach Sand over Caribbean Blue and matched the boat perfectly. The hull color is light blue and the inside of the boat was a sand color so everything accented nicely. If you are interested in having some custom SeaDek made for your bay boat or offshore center console make sure to contact Castaway Customs by email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com or give me a call at 321-537-2039.
23 Shaffer Boat
Swim step before adding SeaDek
Beach sand over Caribbean blue pad
Helm area before SeaDek
Helm area after SeaDek with Sheaffer logo
Undergunnel before SeaDek
Undergunnel after SeaDek with snook logo
The other side with a tarpon logo
Tags: Bay Boat, castaway customs, center console boat, custom helm pad, Custom SeaDek, Helm Pad, seadeck, SeaDek, Sheaffer Boats, swim step, undergunnel pad
Bay Boat | admin | October 4, 2010 10:24 am | Comments (0)
The 22 Pathfinder bay boat has been a staple for a long time in the bay boat market. Looking at the older model boats, you can see they have made some nice upgrades to the deck areas on the newer boats. This customer wanted to dress up his older boat by decking it out in SeaDek. He decided to add a few logos on the front deck as well as on the back bulkhead to give it that custom touch. Most of the boats produced by Maverick Boat Company all have an “oyster white” gel coat so our mica colored SeaDek is a nice color to match. A popular option of many customers is a pad under the leaning post to help prevent the cooler from moving around. If you are interested in having some custom SeaDek made for your bay boat or skiff feel free to contact me at tyler@castawaycustom.com.
The front deck with snook logo and ruler stick
Floor kit from the bow looking back
Rear Deck with Pathfinder logo on bulkhead
Rear cockpit with cooler leaning post pad
Tags: Bay Boat, castaway customs, custom logo, Custom SeaDek, Maverick Boat Company, pathfinder, seadeck, SeaDek
Bay Boat, Custom SeaDek, marine flooring, SeaDek Floor Kits | admin | 9:18 am | Comments (0)
Just finished up a job on a 23 Bluewater. Bluewater Boats builds a very nice offshore center console boat and the owner decided to call me up to add a helm pad and coaming bolsters to the boat. Most of the Bluewater Boats are what they call a two piece boat. The only downside with a two piece boat is that you don’t have a toe kick area which means if you are leaning against the gunnel your toes are hitting the liner of the boat. On any offshore fishing boat, especially a two piece boat, having bolster pads is a must. It makes fighting a fish much more comfortable. Another must have on an offshore boat is a helm pad. Castaway Customs does many custom helm pads and the nice thing is to order one most of the time all that is required are some simple dimensions. We decided to go with 15mm pad which is cool gray over bright blue. The bright blue color accented nicely with the canvas and boot stripe color on the boat. Now the customer can ride and also fish comfortably. If you are looking to add a custom helm pad or coaming bolsters to your boat you can contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com. We have a variety of colors to choose from and can also add the name of your boat or a fish logo to the pad.
The helm area before SeaDek
The helm area after SeaDek
Another view of the foot rest
Port side gunnel before custom SeaDek bolster pads
Port side gunnel after custom SeaDek bolster pads
Transom before installing coaming bolsters
Transom after installing coaming bolsters
Tags: bluewater boats, castaway customs, coaming bolster, coaming pads, Custom SeaDek, fishing boat, Helm Pad, seadeck, SeaDek
Before and After Boats, Bolster Pads, Coaming Bolsters, Custom SeaDek, Offshore Boats, SeaDek | admin | August 18, 2010 10:58 am | Comments (0)
I had the pleasure meeting the guys from Boatmaster Trailers through a mutual friend Capt. Chris Wittman down in Fort Myers. Chris runs the Team Hooters Lake and Bay boat which he guides out of and fishes in numerous tournament series. I was very impressed with the double rig trailer built by Boatmaster to pull around not only the Boca Grande, but also the 17′ Predator at the same time. It is like the circus coming to town when these guys pull up towing two boats behind one truck. Boatmaster also builds many of the trailers for military so they know how to build a trailer that will take some abuse. The owner of Boatmaster fished with Chris one day and was impressed with the custom SeaDek on his Lake and Bay and happened to own a Lake and Bay himself so he gave me a call. His boat is older and had seen better days so he figured a full SeaDek kit would not only provide the comfort and traction he was looking for, but also give his boat a nice face lift. As you can see the beach sand over black color is a very nice color combination and contrasts nicely with the bright yellow hull. Those Fort Myers boys know how to catch some big snook so we threw in a snook logo as well as a large measuring stick so they can have proof of their fish tales. Castaway Customs is working on a few project boats that will soon be sitting on Boatmaster Trailers and following me around the state. Keep checking back for updates on the project boats and in the meantime if you would like some custom SeaDek you can contact me by email at tyler@castawaycustoms.com and if you are need for a new trailer make sure to contact Boatmaster for some of the baddest trailers made.
A pulled back view of the entire boat
A shot of the front deck before the install
A shot of the front deck after the install
The floor kit helps to quiet the boat down
The business end of the boat
Snook logo with tape measure
The Hooters Lake and Bay boat sitting on a Boatmaster
A military trailer built by Boatmaster
Tags: boatmaster trailers, castaway customs, custom logo, Custom SeaDek, Lake and Bay, marine traction, seadeck, SeaDek, team hooters
Before and After Boats, Custom SeaDek, Flats Boats, marine flooring, SeaDek, SeaDek Floor Kits | admin | August 13, 2010 7:12 am | Comments (0)
Growing up fishing and living in East Central Florida you don’t see to many Silver King boats running around. If you head over to the Florida’s Nature Coast you see them everywhere. The boat was designed and made to fish for none other than the tarpon. Many of the tarpon line class world records come out the Homosassa area and that’s where this boat spends a lot of it’s time fishing. The owner of the boat previously had a Lake and Bay Boca Grande which he fully decked out and wanted to do the same with this skiff. He said once you fish with SeaDek you never go back, the comfort and traction provided makes fishing a much more enjoyable on those long days on the water. We decided to go with cool gray over storm gray for the colors in a 6mm thickness. The color combination provides a nice subtle look. The before and after pictures really show the difference. If you are interested in decking out your boat or skiff you can contact Castaway Customs at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.
The front casting deck before SeaDek
After SeaDek with a custom logo on the casting platform
The rear deck before SeaDek
Rear deck after SeaDek
Cockpit floor before SeaDek
Cockpit floor after SeaDek
Tags: castaway customs, custom logo, Custom SeaDek, Florida nature coast, Lake and Bay, seadeck, silver king, tarpon fishing
Casting Platforms, Custom SeaDek, Flats Boats, Inshore Boats, marine flooring, SeaDek, SeaDek Floor Kits | admin | July 14, 2010 4:24 pm | Comments (0)
Got a call from a customer who wanted to deck out pretty much his entire 31 Fountain. The offshore center console was pretty much gutted when he purchased it so he was rebuilding the way he wanted to adding some nice custom touches. The boat was recently wrapped so the customer wanted something darker and brighter than our stock caribbean blue color to help accent his boat wrap. Fortunately we had enough of a custom color laying around to make what he wanted. A few nice features on this boat are the thicker helm pad with the Fountain logo to offer more cushioning and comfort while driving. We also decided to cover the floor, steps, and cuddy area with 8mm foam which was a combination of the 3mm brighter blue over our 5mm stock caribbean blue. This not only helps reduce fatigue, but also works excellent as a traction. Another very popular option I have done on several boats lately is a pad for the top of the console. This helps to keep things like your iPhone from sliding around when underway. If you are interested in having custom SeaDek designed and installed you can contact me at tyler@castawaycustoms.com.
A custom 13mm helm pad with the Fountain Boats logo
A console pad stops things from sliding around
A view looking at the entry way to the cuddy cabin
The pads on top of the cuddy cabin help assure footing when throwing a cast net of the bow for live baits
Steps pads going to the top of the cuddy cabin
Tags: castaway customs, center console boat, cushion, custom logo, Custom SeaDek, Fountain Boats, Helm Pad, marine traction, offshore boat, seadeck, SeaDek
Boat Cushion, Custom SeaDek, Helm Pad, marine flooring, Offshore Boats, SeaDek, SeaDek Floor Kits, Sportfishing Boats | admin | July 12, 2010 3:35 pm | Comments (0)
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
Tags: carpet replacement, castaway customs, Custom SeaDek, flats boat, hpx-v, maverick boats, non-skid, nonskid, seadeck, SeaDek, sportfishing, tender, Yachts, Yeti Coolers
Custom SeaDek, Flats Boats, marine flooring, Offshore Boats, SeaDek Floor Kits, skiff, Sportfishing Boats, Under Gunnel Pads, Yachts, Yeti Coolers | admin | June 17, 2010 4:54 pm | Comments (0)
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