Professional Class Fishing Boats – Hell’s Bay Boatworks

If you’re a REAL flats fishermen, you need a REAL flats fishing boat. And that’s exactly what you’ll get from the fine folks at Hell’s Bay Boatworks. They’re fishermen who make boats that work. And they recognize that different kinds of flats fishermen need different things from their boats.

Says Chris Peterson, owner of Hell’s Bay Boatworks, “The company was started ten years ago because there were no boats that fit the needs for flats fishermen. Flip Pallot, a famous fisherman who’s had several TV fishing shows, came up with a better boat design.”

That’s how Hell’s Bay got its start. All of its boats are technically poling skiffs. In generic terms they’re called ‘flats boats’. But all flats fishermen are not the same; there are different boating needs depending on the local conditions. Hell’s Bay recognizes those different needs and makes boats to accommodate each of them.

Chris compares three of Hell’s Bay’s boats, each one similar in being 18 feet in length and narrow abeam, but each having a different purpose. “The Marquesa,” said Chris, “has more of a V-shaped bottom and handles rough water very well. It is still an excellent poling skiff, but has higher sides to handle waves while crossing the bigger bays. It draws around 7 inches of water.”

“The Professional model has a much flatter bottom which makes for a shallower draft of around 5 inches, but it doesn’t handle waves as well as the Marquesa,” continued Chris. “But the Professional has lower sides, so it isn’t blown by the wind while you’re poling the flats as much as the Marquesa with its higher sides. Everything is a trade-off.”

The Guide model is even more specialized. It is designed to handle more weight in the front of the boat without changing the craft’s attitude in the water. This allows professional guides to get more people fishing from the front of the boat.

No matter what model, each Hell’s Bay boat is designed to be a top-notch, flat water poling skiff. “Each boat will track through the water silently,” Chris said. “Sound travels through water very quickly and scares fish.” Even waves lapping against the hull make noise. Hell’s Bay’s boats are designed so waves don’t make the lapping sound, which means you can really sneak up on fish.

Each Hell’s Bay boat is custom made and Chris and his team will work with each buyer to design and equip the boat to suit his or her desires. “We will specialize a boat for every fisherman. From the type of console to electronics, we satisfy each customer’s needs”. With that much attention to detail, Hell’s Bay makes a REAL fishing boat.

Hell’s Bay Boatworks, 1520 Chaffee Drive, Titusville, FL 32780, www.hellsbayboatworks.com