Omie Tillett recalls a day nearly 50 years ago when charter captain Willie Etheridge tied up at an Oregon Inlet dock with a most unusual catch, a fish that would change the face of North Carolina boatbuilding forever.

Etheridge had been to the Gulf Stream and hooked a blue marlin. The fish weighed less than 200 pounds-not big by today's standards-but it created a stir in the fish-crazy town, recalls Tillett, 71, a skipper himself, who was there when Etheridge came in. "That's the first one I can remember," says Tillett.

Etheridge caught and even bigger one the next day; and the day after that, two boats came in with blue marlin, at several hundred pounds each. "From then on, fishing the coastline wasn't enough," Tillett says. The horizon had opened up.

With World War II recently ended, big-city clients |began to flock to the Outer Banks to go after the prized billfish, and nascent wood-hulled charter fleets began heading further and further offshore. |

It soon became clear that this rush to the Gulf Stream demanded a new vessel, one that could handle the 6-foot waves, stiff breezes and following seas of the Outer Banks-conditions that boatbuilder Paul Mann calls "just an ol' fishing day."

The result is the proven, seaworthy Carolina sportfisherman, with its exaggerated bow flare, broken sheer and a tower soaring over a long cambered foredeck that resembles a flightdeck. Still admired for their seakeeping and angling qualities, the boats from Buddy Davis, Jarrett Bay and others have become North Carolina's signature craft.

Boatbuilding boom

North Carolina builders have put their stamp on American recreational boating. The walkaround was invented by Grady-White, the Greenville, N.C., company in business since 1958. Over the last quartercentury, Grady and the walkaround have become virtually synonymous. Hatteras' groundbreaking 41 Convertible, launched in 1960, was the prototype modern sportfisherman and the largest fiberglass boat in the world at the time.

Led by those two pioneer manufacturers, North Carolina today finds itself one of the country's more prolific boatbuilding regions, boasting 90-plus builders, most of them turning out fishing boats.

Why? The state's skilled labor pool, strong work ethic, rich boatbuilding tradition and exciting marine fisheries are among the North Carolina attractions, says Mike Bradley, president of the North Carolina Marine Trades Association.

"On the Outer Banks alone there are 14 [custom] builders producing sportfishermen - 37 boats are under construction in all, each more than 55 feet," he says. Prices for those vessels generally run from a half million dollars to a few million dollars.

The production builders are going full swing, too.
At last count, some 10,000 people were employed directly in marine industries, and those numbers are on the rise, according to the association.

World Class Cats is doubling its work force to 200 people, hoping to turn out 800 boats a year. "It's well-located for distribution, right between the Northeast and Florida," says company president Forest Munden. "And there are lots of good builders in this part of the world, so I felt in good company.

Jarrett Bay Boatworks, once a 30-employee shop, is now part of a full-service marine center with 120 workers. Parker Marine Enterprises is adding 50,000-square-foot plant addition, with a goal of building up to 1,400 boats a year.

Others are following. KCS International, builders of Rampage and Cruisers boats, is building a new plant in Wilmington that will bring 800 jobs, and Michigan boatbuilder Tiara will soon more than double its Swansboro facility to about 400 employees, according to the association.

"Boatbuilding in eastern Carolina," said a county economic official, "has just taken off."

Proven boats

The boats of North Carolina have been shaped and influenced and tested on the state's varied waters, which range from tidal rivers and shallow, open bays to inlets, coastal conditions and the Gulf Stream. Three major capes-Hatteras, Lookout and Fear- jut into the Atlantic

When Carolina sport anglers get together, they naturally talk about fish, but they also talk about weather, says Dan Brower of Jarrett Bay Boatworks, which is located not far from breezy Cape LookQut. "It's nothing to have the wind blowing 25 knots out of the southwest with 6- to 8-foot seas and a 45-mile run to the fishing grounds." Brower says. "And what you come home in is usually worse."

The smaller boats, 32 feet and less, are no less rugged than the larger ones. The inshore and bay waters they run have a reputation for contrariness, too, says Grady-White president Eddie Smith.

"Pamlico Sound may be one of the nastiest bodies of water on the East Coast when it blows, because it has such a broad reach and it's so shallow," Smith says.

Munden of World Class Cats says North Carolina is the perfect place to promote the soft, dry ride of his 22- to 26-foot power catamarans. "You just take one out into the nearest inlet, where you can really ride the heck out of it," he says.

The North Carolina sportfisher roll call starts with Grady-White and Hatteras, two of the oldest production builders in the state.

Smith recalls that Grady-White was a "struggling builder with a great reputation" when he bought it in 1968. Smith converted to fiberglass construction, focused on fishing, and in 1980 limited production to maintain quality, he says. Today, the company's seemingly ubiquitous walkarounds and center consoles (from 18 to 31 feet) have a strong reputation for quality.

With a moderate Carolina flare and a conservative broken sheer, Grady-Whites look just distinctive enough to set them apart. The new Sailfish 282 is a good example of what the company offers anglers. The 28-footer includes a transom bait center with faucet, a 40-gallon live well and 300-quart fishbox, rod holders and storage, as well as nice touches like cockpit toe rails.

The walkaround Sailfish interior includes a portside galley with a stove, refrigerator and optional microwave. The enclosed head has room for a sink and shower, and the whole area can be air conditioned big-boat style.

It's the kind of interior Smith envisioned in 1974 when Grady-White "blew up the [center] console and moved it forward" to create the walkaround. "We still had all-around fishability in sunken decks, but now we had a space for a head, a bunk or just to throw your gear," he says.

The 282 rides an all-fiberglass hull, injected with foam for strength and a measure of flotation. Power comes from twin outboards to 250 hp each, and standard fuel load is 220 gallons.

While Smith's company sticks to boats 30 feet or less, Hatteras is turning out a new generation of the big sportfishermen that made it famous. Willis Slane's prototypical fiberglass flybridge convertible, Knit-Wits, set the tone 40 years ago, and today the New Bern builder's lineup includes vessels from 50 to 90 feet.

The Hatteras 65 is a company mainstay, typical of the quest for luxury fishing machines. Introduced in 1987, more than 120 of these boats have been sold, making it the best-selling Hatteras of all time, and the best-selling sportfisherman over 60 feet in the world, according to Hatteras.

The builder's newest entry, the 60 Convertible, has all the elements of a typical Hatteras, starting with a fish-rigged cockpit with bait and tackle centers, drop-in freezer, flush-deck fishbox with macerator and refrigerated compartment doubling as a live well.

The company calls the new 60 "perhaps the most versatile sportfisher on the market today," and cruising in it would not be hard either. The basic layout has three staterooms, two with island berths and one with bunks. The galley-up has both microwave and convection ovens, and increased refrigeration and storage space to handle longer fishing trips or cruises. Three galley layouts and a four-stateroom option are available, in addition to the standard offerings.

Power comes from a pair of 1,400-hp Caterpillar diesels or optional Detroit Diesel 1,480-hp power-plants. The all-fiberglass bottom is a modified-vee with prop tunnels.

The Davis test

Buddy Davis has bounced back from the lean days of the early 1990s, when his Buddy Davis Yachts was hit hard by the federal luxury tax on new boats.

Today, his Buddy Davis Boatworks makes some of the most distinctive sportfishing boats around.

Buddy Davis got his start with pioneering builder Warren O'Neal, and his five semicustom models from 45 to 70 feet feature the Carolina look-and Carolina performance. Davis, a former charter skipper, takes each one for a test ride before it leaves his Wanchese, N.C., shop. And it's not just for show. It's rumored that Davis has buried the stern of 70footers backing down into 8-foot seas "just to see how she drains."

The boats draw a crowd wherever they show up, and Davis expects to triple production to 30 boats a year by 2002.

There are three semicustom convertibles to choose from this year ranging from 50- to 58- to 70footers. Custom models can also be ordered. Added to the line are a pair of open express boats, 45 and 50 feet.

The new 58 replaces the popular but outdated 61. With its all-fiberglass bottom and cored topsides, deck and superstructure, the 58 is light and fast, capable of 40 knots.

Topside, Buddy Davis boats feature the usual sportfishing gear and layout, from a walkthrough tuna door to indeck fishboxes with pumpouts. Several towers are available. Davis doesn't stint below, either, offering wood-rich, luxury layouts with up to four staterooms and three heads.

Jarrett Bay Boatworks is enjoying a higher profile these days, thanks to the opening of a new boating center in Beaufort. The 23-acre facility is home to Jarrett Bay's construction facilities, as well as independent stores and services for visiting anglers and cruisers.

The company was started 14 years ago by former charter captain Randy Ramsey, who first worked on Roanoke Island with Tillett. The Jarrett Bay look has always been "Carolina," and the mission has always been fishing, says Brower, who handles the company's advertising.

"These boats are made for the pursuit of billfish, which may take them anywhere from the Carolinas toVenezuela," he says.

And a Jarrett Bay boat, whether it's a 38 or a 73, goes in style. The bow flare is pronounced, the crowned foredeck like a landing field, and the curved and cambered transom a work of art. A 51-footer at Fort Lauderdale Boat Show was topped by a 30 foot tuna tower.

Jarrett Bay's boats are cold-molded, made up of three layers of okoume plywood finished with a sheathing of fiberglass and epoxy. It's a tried-and-true method used by many Carolina builders.

Among the latest Jarrett Bay customers is golfer Curtis Strange, who ordered a 43-footer with Detroit. Diesel's new Series 60 770-hp engines.

Big-boat ride

Albemarle is a family-owned builder with a rich past. Scott Harrell and his son, Scotty, introduced a highly regarded 24-footer in 1978 and have stayed in' the small and midsize range since.

"We were dealers at the time," says Scotty Harrell, president of the Edenton, N.C., builder. "Our l goal was to build a sportfishing boat that would hold its value. I think we had a dealer's insight into what was right and what was wrong with other boats."

The 410, Albemarle's newest and biggest, is the company's first venture into the 40-foot range. Like all Albemarle's boats, the 410 is an all-fiberglass hull, with a wood-and-glass stringer system. There's a decided Carolina flare to the bow, and the broken sheer adds to the look and usefulness of the offshore angling machine.

The cockpit is loaded with fishing gear -tackle/bait prep center, live well, ice box (and optional freezer plate), insulated fishbox with macerator, transom fishbox and tuna door. Washdowns, rod holders and storage, and lights complete the fishing package. Options include tuna tower, spreader riggers with flybridge control, a teak helm chair and a teak tuna chair.

There are two staterooms below and a full head and galley. Classic touches like a teak-and-holly sole add to the boat's feel. "It's a little big boat, with all the big-boat gear and a big-boat ride," says Harrell.

Mac Privott, founder of Carolina Classic, was raised around the water. After a career in textiles, he worked for Albemarle before starting his own company. "Boatbuilding got into my blood, and it's been there ever since," he says.

Carolina Classic, also based in Edenton, builds three boats, a 25, a 28 and the Carolina Classic 35, the fleet's flagship. The boats live up to their name, showing a high, flared bow and a typical Carolina sheer. Designed for serious offshore running, they're inboard powered, riding all-fiberglass deep-vee hulls that carry an extensive array of standard and optional fishing gear.

The 35, for example, can be outfitted with a tuna tower, outriggers, second-station controls and a fighting chair. Cockpit fishing features include a prep center, twin 55-gallon fishboxes with macerators, 55-gallon freezer fishbox, live well, gaff rack, gunwale padding, rod holders, washdowns and a transom door.

Various twin-engine packages can be ordered, using conventional prop drives. ( The 28 comes with standard or jackshaft setups.)

"Overbuilt" boats

Born and raised on Harkers Island, Linwood Parker started his boatbuilding career with a $400 loan from his father.

"I built a 21-footer, sold it and got the materials for a 38," he says. "I sold that and built a 55." From there he went on to build wooden head boats up to 65 feet before turning to fiberglass in the late 1970s.

Once head of a three-man shop, today his Parker Marine Enterprises builds more than 1,000 glass center consoles and walkarounds a year at a 200,C square-foot factory in Beaufort. The largest of them, the 2801 center console, shows clean lines with straight sheer and just a slight flare to the bow - a look Parker finds appealing.

"I like a moderate design, with clean lines with no extremes," he says.

The 2801, like its stablemate, the 2501 walkaround, rides an all-fiberglass, deep-vee hull with plenty of beam (9 feet, 6 inches). The big boat is rated for up to 600 hp and carries 300 gallons of fuel.

Fishing gear includes a 30-gallon live well, 268-quart transom fishbox, and gunwale rod storage.
A T-top and bow rail are optional.

Parker calls his boats "overbuilt," harkening back to his island roots. "I've always wanted my boats to keep their value and usefulness," he says. "That's just something I grew up with."

As a builder of power catamarans, World Class Cats represents a more unconventional approach to boat design than one typically associates with North Carolina's distinctive sportfishing monhulls.

The World Class lineup is diverse, with boats for both the serious angler and the family. Models include center consoles, a cuddy and bow rider, 22 to 26 feet. Munden's latest offering, the 266 Tournament, is typically Carolina, says Munden, who started the company in 1997. "A fully rigged fishing boat, with dual wells, dual boxes, macerators - everything a high-class fishing boat needs, " he says. "We're really doing it right."

In July 1999, a 26-footer with Munden at the helm left New York in an 800-mile run to Bermuda. Powered by a pair of Mercury Optimax 150-hp out-boards, the cat arrived in a record 29 hours, 19 minutes. A new facility in nearby Tarboro will allow the company to build up to 800 boats a year in what Munden calls a modern facility featuring computerized equipment, including five-axis cutters.

Owen and Joan Maxwell started Regulator Marine in 1988, building boats in an old grocery store in Edenton. "We started out with the idea of building the best center console we could," says Joan Maxwell, a native of Fairfield, N.C. "And we've held on to that."

The company employs 80 people and produces about 240 boats a year. One fellow builder calls the fleet of center consoles "the best-quality product in this state." When people come to him looking for something 32 feet or under, he often tells them, "Go see Owen."

The outboard-powered fleet is confined to just four basic models from 22 to 32 feet, un-abashedly dedicated to fishing. Construction is all-fiberglass, except on the 32, which uses Core-cell and Klegecell in the topsides and transom. The boats all ride deep-vee hulls (up to 24 degrees of deadrise), and the 32 carries twin engines to 250 hp each.

The look of the Lou Codega-designed 32 is conservative but quite Carolina, the flare on the high bow more hinted at than accentuated. But its fishability is obvious: transom door, transom live well and fishbox, tackle center and rocket launchers, with a rigging station freshwater sink. There's also a console head with a sink and shower.

Maintaining momentum

The greatest problem currently facing North Carolina builders is finding enough skilled labor to meet the expanding demand. "Most of our skilled workers have jobs, and the influx of talented foreign workers just isn't enough," says Bradley, president of the marine trades association.

Solving the labor situation will take a coalition of government, business and private interests, and there are several moves under way or being contemplated by the state's major players, according to Bradley.

Regulator Marine owners Joan and Owen Maxwell are working with the Department of Labor to create and operate an apprenticeship program. Six out of 21 to applicants have been enrolled in the inaugural course at Regulator's factory.

Randy Ramsey and Jarrett Bay Boatworks recently offered to take the lead in building a state or regional marine trades school. And the Department of Community Colleges is assembling a staff of certified instructors to teach marine trades courses.

Bradley wants to build legislative support, too. "I want [North Carolina] to be a Rhode Island," he says emphatically. "They have some excellent programs that stimulate their marine industries." Rhode Island in 1993 eliminated the sales and excise taxes on state-built boats, products and services.

The industry deserves the recognition, says Parker, the Beaufort small-boat builder. "There's such a heritage and a history associated with the North Carolina boats," he says. "For us, boatbuilding is pretty much still a labor of love."

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