# retired boatbuilder/designer from 'all over Florida'



## sugarloafer (Jul 18, 2017)

started off at 14 building/glassing plywood surfboards [that's right-it was 1963 afterall]...ended up in Hawaii for college [meteorology] n shaping n glassing boards.....back here as a subcontractor built FG radar arches/hard tops for Bertram/Sea Ray/Wellcraft.....sold that then designed/built cold molded 'lobster' yachts......just built the prototypes for the Chris Morejohn designed Lithium 18 poling skiff in Islamorada.

Got a whole bunch of CoreCell transom foam sheets for sale [its in the 'for sale' classifieds here at microskiff.

Now just running between Atlantic Beach, Islamorada, sugarloaf key, Sebastian and Steinhatchee in the motorhome pulling the 25 year old plywood skiff and occasionally pulling it with my lobsterboat....20,000 miles under that skiff I figure.

hello to all. ....Sportfisher is boat I designed for Geno at Matecumbe Skiffwerks in Islamorada, me n him built it... 'Head Turner'......28" draft, 36', 11K lbs!....single 440 yanmar.......38MPH WOT.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

Badass! I wanna see some more lobsterboat pics.


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## sugarloafer (Jul 18, 2017)

EvanHammer said:


> Badass! I wanna see some more lobsterboat pics.


you got it Evan


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## CoolRunnings (Oct 18, 2012)

Sugarloafer,

Very nice lobster boats! Reminds me of all the Downeasters and Picnic boats (Hinckley) when I went to Maine coast. Very cool background as well. Purchased some plans for a Bateau design skiff and have contemplated building it out. Im sure everyone would love to hear your insight on the Chris Morejohn designs!


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## sugarloafer (Jul 18, 2017)

Austin_Boudreaux said:


> Sugarloafer,
> 
> Very nice lobster boats! Reminds me of all the Downeasters and Picnic boats (Hinckley) when I went to Maine coast. Very cool background as well. Purchased some plans for a Bateau design skiff and have contemplated building it out. Im sure everyone would love to hear your insight on the Chris Morejohn designs!


Thanks....it's a down southeast lobster boat HA!........hard chine.........Well if ur ever scratching your head on your build I would have an opinion........I may just post my view of Chris's skiffs, might be a bit biased, even before I knew him I felt he was ahead of everyone else.......many have copied his built in spray rail concept, and other things.....none have improved on him really......Hal Chittum afterall was just a back slapper at hells bay when Chris ran it n was part owner....Flip palet had a few insights.....but hells bay was 99% Chris.......the new owner has rewritten history n wrote Chris out of the story.......ridiculous.


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## EvanHammer (Aug 14, 2015)

How big is that lobsterboat? I wanna build something like that one day.


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## sugarloafer (Jul 18, 2017)

It's 34'. X 10' x 28"draft......8000 lbs single 300 Cummings.......hull is ocummee and fir ply 3/4" bottom 1/2" sides.......cockpit is 1/2" fir.......other decks are 1 1/4" divinycell ...for insulation.....all glassed with 20oz cloth n isothalic polyester.....been to the Bahamas 20x.....


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## fjmaverick (Sep 18, 2015)

Any input on a florida style tolman skiff?


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## sugarloafer (Jul 18, 2017)

Tolman---Well for what they are, they are really great......you can only make 'simple' [curved in one direction only tho you can twist them] curved panels by bending them [in this case, plywood].....they are not going to ride as well or be as dry in rough conditions as a complex panel curved technical skiff with a big spray rail molded into the bow sides, but hey...... they're very very serviceable......and ride much better than a simple carolina skiff type. 

And you can make them yourself easily and quickly and do not cost 25K$!....

....my old skiff is a 'hybred'---80% plywood [3/8" marine press treated-'Greenwood' bottom and floor, 1/4" occume sides n upper decks] and 20% foam cored FG [just to make the severe curved rounded sections in the bow bottom]


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