You can’t fly fish from just any boat. The typical fishing boat’s structures make it hard to cast a fly line without getting your line wrapped around a boat part. So flats boats, with little structure to get in the way, are a good choice for the fly angler. And Mitzi Skiffs are a good choice for a fly fishing flats boat, says Rick Leonard, Sales Manager for Mitzi Skiffs. “Fly fishing requires more room than regular cast fishing,” he said. “You need more foot room and more room to make a cast with those long fly poles.”

Mitzi Skiffs are a great value.

To get more deck room for the angler, the Mitzi line, which ranges from 15 to 17 feet in length, has a very useful feature-the Carolina flair. According to Leonard, the Carolina flair is the industry term for the very wide, flared hull of the boat. This extreme flaring of the hull upward and outward makes the deck much wider than that of a boat with little to no flair. The wide deck at the front of the Mitzi skiff is created by the Carolina flair. And the wider deck gives a fly fisher more room to make his cast. “On a Mitzi, you have plenty of foot room while the boat is still nice and stable,” Leonard said.

The wide bow deck of the Mitzi is uncluttered by storage compartments. Why? “When a fly fisher is stripping off line to increase the length of his cast, the extra line often ends up on the deck,” said Leonard. “If a storage locker is underfoot, the line can get caught on the locker. We want to keep the deck as clean as possible so lines don’t get caught.”

Mitzi Skiffs are a great value.

To further that goal, Mitzi skiffs also have a spring loaded, recessed bow cleat, meaning the cleat is stowed even with the deck, rather than protruding above it. This keeps the cleat from fouling fishing line. The cleat can be raised with a push when it’s needed to tie up.

Fishing the flats that surround most of the Gulf of Mexico requires a different kind of boat. The flats are favorite hunting grounds for redfish and black drum. “These fish will stalk their prey into water so shallow that their fins are above water,” exclaimed Leonard. To get to these fish in the extremely shallow flats, a boat cannot draw too much water. Flats boats are designed specifically to float in these shallow areas. The Mitzi Skiffs only require around six inches of water to float, allowing access to all but the shallowest flat. And once in the flats, stealth is required to keep from spooking the fish. Thus, a push pole platform is standard on each Mitzi. To increase the stealth element, the Mitzi’s hull is designed to prevent slapping noise from waves, which can scare fish.

Mitzi Skiffs are a great value.

These thoughtful design elements are one of the reasons for the Mitzi’s popularity. Another reason is their price-they start at $11,995, and top out around $25,000. That’s much less than a lot of other flats boats. “When I first started comparing flats boats,” said Leonard, “I was helping a friend. He’d heard of Mitzi Skiffs and wanted one. When I saw they were half the price of their competitors, it was a no brainer to get involved.” So in February of 2009, Custom Fiberglass Products, Inc., of which Leonard is a part, bought Mitzi Skiffs from its originator, Tom Mitzlaff.

There are only two Mitzi authorized dealers on the Gulf Coast, Rockport Marine in Rockport, Texas and Gulf Coast Boat Sales, in New Port Richey, Florida. “We have some really great dealers,” said Leonard. “We appreciate dealers that have the same passion for boats as we do. For example, John Harris, from Rockport Marine, the first time I met him, I knew he had the passion. I felt it instantly. Dealers with passion take care of their customers, and we’re fortunately to have great dealers.”

Mitzi Skiffs website

The Mitzi Skiff Boat Company
110 Salem Creek Drive
Winston Salem, NC 27103
Phone: 336 659 6062
Email: info@mitziskiffboats.com

Luxury yacht manufacturing has come to Texas. Calixas Yachts was founded in 2003 by Montie Twining, and is based in Austin, Texas. Wait. Austin? That’s 200 miles from the Gulf coast. How can a luxury yacht manufacturer be 200 miles from the coast? Easy. Can you say internet? Mr. Twining can. He uses his lengthy background in the computer software industry to coordinate a world-wide yacht building team. The Calixas C2, a 105 foot dreamboat, was designed by naval architect Gregory Marshall, working out of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. The interior is manufactured by SMI in New Zealand, then shipped to the Premier Shipyard in Taiwan where the hull is built and final construction takes place. Using what he describes as the most advanced 3D engineering and manufacturing techniques in the yacht building industry, Twining has produced a boat where all the parts are computer designed. Interior wood panels are even inscribed with a code to show exactly where they are to be installed. The first C2 was completed in 2007 and has sold. Its price tag was just under $11 million. The second C2 is about half way through construction and is expected to be completed in 2009. “Yacht building is terribly labor intensive,” said Twining. “For a C2, it takes 75 man-years to complete. That’s 75 men working for one year, or one man working for 75 years.”

Calixas also has plans to built larger yachts, with plans for a C3 (130 feet long) and a C4 (145 feet). The yachts are all designed for serious deepwater travel, something Twining refers to as an expedition boat. They are designed for long voyages and have long, heavy keels for stability, a large bow for handling waves, and low fuel consumption that allows for a range of 3000 miles. The C2 is also hailed as a “green” yacht.

“I certainly wouldn’t say a super yacht is especially green,” said Twining, “but we can build it as responsibly as possible. We use renewable and recycled components when whenever feasible, and we intentionally chose the cleanest burning engines and generator sets we could find. And our gas mileage, 40 gallons per hour, is about one fourth of some of the other similar sized boats. Our hull manufacturing uses a process called vacuum infusion, which emits very few vapors into the atmosphere.”

Additionally, the boat’s waste water is filtered by an industrial water treatment unit before it is discharged. Looking at the C2, you first notice the height of the crow’s nest. It sits nearly 50 feet above the water and houses full helm controls, which provides excellent visibility when docking. Two huge round portholes with a center support beam are found amidships on both port and starboard sides, and serve as natural illumination for the interior, and have also become the trade symbol of Calixas. The yacht has three deck levels, and includes a flying bridge complete with Jacuzzi, bar and barb- que pit. The interior is stunningly beautiful, and features a Skylounge with a sofa and love seat, game table and bar, and an enormous round skylight. The main salon features a large sitting area and a pull down movie screen. The dining salon has doors for privacy and a drop down screen and projector. The master suite has a king bed, desk, settee, Jacuzzi tub, separate his and her wardrobes, and private access to the foredeck veranda. There is a VIP bedroom, and two guest bedrooms and crew’s quarters. The galley is a marvel, complete with gas stove and two ovens, and a double fridge/freezer. The bridge is clean and uncluttered with exceptional views.

The C2 will accommodate eight guests and six crew members. It provides 3000 square feet of luxury, and as you would expect, has all the latest and greatest electronics and navigation gear. It has a davit for lifting its launch, and a stern garage, large enough to house a Mini Cooper.

Twining, a Texan who spent his childhood on the water in Galveston, teamed with Marshall, a friend of 20 years, to come up with the idea for Calixas. Marshall is from California, so the name of the company became a mix of those two states and is pronounced by using the first half of California, Cal-ee, and the second half of Texas, ex-as. Cal-ee-ex-as. Rolls off the tongue with a little practice.

“We’re still a start-up company and will probably be one for the next ten to fifteen years. Yacht producers are not easy start-ups. It takes a lot of capital,” said Twining. One of his goals is to establish a production factory in the U.S. “Other states have luxury yacht manufacturers, and I think Texas needs one,” said Twining with the usual Texas pride.

With his own shop, Twining says they could be manufacturing several boats at once, rather than one at a time as is required now. To that end, Twining has been in talks with Ingleside, Texas, just north of Corpus Christi and on Corpus Christi Bay. Twining and Ingleside are looking for land where Calixas could build a plant. The U. S. Navy has announced closure of the Ingleside Naval Station, and will withdraw operations from Ingleside by 2010.

The loss of jobs in Ingleside is estimated at 7000, which is devestating. Some of the Naval Station land is attractive to Twining. The sites Twining is considering have deep water access and are located along the La Quinta Ship Channel. The Ingleside City Council voted in support of the project, and would consider tax abatements. The project would require an initial investment between $25 million and $50 million, and would create 250-500 jobs with average salaries of $50,000. It would seem to be an ideal fit; a yacht company in need of a plant and skilled labor, and a town who is losing thousands of naval jobs.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

You can’t fly fish from just any boat. The typical fishing boat’s structures make it hard to cast a fly line without getting your line wrapped around a boat part. So flats boats, with little structure to get in the way, are a good choice for the fly angler. And Mitzi Skiffs are a good choice for a fly fishing flats boat, says Rick Leonard, Sales Manager for Mitzi Skiffs. “Fly fishing requires more room than regular cast fishing,” he said. “You need more foot room and more room to make a cast with those long fly poles.”

To get more deck room for the angler, the Mitzi line, which ranges from 15 to 17 feet in length, has a very useful feature-the Carolina flair. According to Leonard, the Carolina flair is the industry term for the very wide, flared hull of the boat. This extreme flaring of the hull upward and outward makes the deck much wider than that of a boat with little to no flair. The wide deck at the front of the Mitzi skiff is created by the Carolina flair. And the wider deck gives a fly fisher more room to make his cast. “On a Mitzi, you have plenty of foot room while the boat is still nice and stable,” Leonard said.

The wide bow deck of the Mitzi is uncluttered by storage compartments. Why? “When a fly fisher is stripping off line to increase the length of his cast, the extra line often ends up on the deck,” said Leonard. “If a storage locker is underfoot, the line can get caught on the locker. We want to keep the deck as clean as possible so lines don’t get caught.”

To further that goal, Mitzi skiffs also have a spring loaded, recessed bow cleat, meaning the cleat is stowed even with the deck, rather than protruding above it. This keeps the cleat from fouling fishing line. The cleat can be raised with a push when it’s needed to tie up.

Fishing the flats that surround most of the Gulf of Mexico requires a different kind of boat. The flats are favorite hunting grounds for redfish and black drum. “These fish will stalk their prey into water so shallow that their fins are above water,” exclaimed Leonard. To get to these fish in the extremely shallow flats, a boat cannot draw too much water. Flats boats are designed specifically to float in these shallow areas. The Mitzi Skiffs only require around six inches of water to float, allowing access to all but the shallowest flat. And once in the flats, stealth is required to keep from spooking the fish. Thus, a push pole platform is standard on each Mitzi. To increase the stealth element, the Mitzi’s hull is designed to prevent slapping noise from waves, which can scare fish.

These thoughtful design elements are one of the reasons for the Mitzi’s popularity. Another reason is their price-they start at $11,995, and top out around $25,000. That’s much less than a lot of other flats boats. “When I first started comparing flats boats,” said Leonard, “I was helping a friend. He’d heard of Mitzi Skiffs and wanted one. When I saw they were half the price of their competitors, it was a no brainer to get involved.” So in February of 2009, Custom Fiberglass Products, Inc., of which Leonard is a part, bought Mitzi Skiffs from its originator, Tom Mitzlaff.

There are only two Mitzi authorized dealers on the Gulf Coast, Rockport Marine in Rockport, Texas and Gulf Coast Boat Sales, in New Port Richey, Florida. “We have some really great dealers,” said Leonard. “We appreciate dealers that have the same passion for boats as we do. For example, John Harris, from Rockport Marine, the first time I met him, I knew he had the passion. I felt it instantly. Dealers with passion take care of their customers, and we’re fortunately to have great dealers.”

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

Curt Morse grew up in true Huck Finn style, playing on the banks of the Mississippi River in Greenville, Mississippi. And, as did Mark Twain, Curt grew up with boats, something that served both of them well later on in life. After graduating from the University of Southern Mississippi, Curt embarked on a 15-year career in the world of retail equestrian products, a business that eventually took him to Ireland for three years.

The lure of the beach eventually got to Curt, and he and his wife Connie moved to Pensacola. This led to a chance encounter that would change Curt’s life and vocation. Curt was spending a leisurely day at Pirate’s Cove, a waterfront bar and restaurant on Arnica Bay in Josephine, Alabama, just across the border from Florida. He saw an interesting boat tied up at the Pirate’s Cove dock, one like he’d never seen before. He walked up, touched it, and “felt the life and energy in the boat.” He was mesmerized.

“It was a Caribiana Sea Skiff,” said Curt. “I met the boat’s owner there who turned out to be the original founder of Caribiana, Lynn Rabren. This was in ’03 or ’04. Lynn was by trade a videographer. He’s done stuff for “60 Minutes” and filmed Bob Dylan before becoming a boat builder. I got to know and respect him. He and I were kindred spirits.”

Then Katrina hit. Curt saw the effect on Lynn. “It floored him. After the storm, he went to New Orleans and filmed the damage and recovery efforts. I think it got to him. Katrina also knocked out the production facility for Caribiana and I talked to Lynn about getting involved. Lynn and his wife Joanne McDonough (who was a T.V. producer) had the artistic vision to design the boat, but the daily production chores weren’t what he liked. I thought I could handle the production side and marketing. We had the classic right brain versus left brain difference. Lynn was a creative, I was more business oriented. So I picked up the reigns from Lynn. I think the boat business had sidetracked him; I believe his true love was videography. After filming the effects of Katrina, he went back to it. Lynn and his wife had the design expertise and had perfected the boat. Now he needed someone else to take the business to the next level. Lynn said that Caribiana was like a kid. He had raised the kid and gotten her through high school, but she needed to go to college. He thought I could get the kid to college. So I started looking into what it would take to get things up and running again. Now we’re building the boats in Pensacola.”

Curt didn’t have any formal education in the boat business, but he’d had plenty of business and marketing experience, which he put to good use making Caribiana a sought after boat. “Boats are a lifestyle. That’s how people see them. The equestrian industry was a lifestyle, too, so I had experience selling a lifestyle. We’ve sold our skiffs from the East coast to the West coast, and to some notable people. A lot of our sales come from our owners’ friends, who see the boat and say, ‘Hey, I want one of those’.”

A Caribiana Sea Skiff is 23’ long and 6 ½’ abeam. Each is custom made. The fiberglass hull is hand laid. She’s rated for 90 h.p. but Curt and others say the craft works fine with a much smaller motor due to the narrow beam of the boat. Curt explained, “The Caribiana is based on a dory design from the Caribbean. You see them all over the Caribbean and there’s a reason they are so popular. They work. They don’t require a lot of engine to push them. They are very efficient. They glide through the water.”

Pricing for a boat with engine starts at around $30,000, but since each boat is custom made, there are lots of extras available. The standard fittings are stainless, but bronze is available as an option. Curt says the bronze turns to a wonderful patina finish that gives the boat an Old World look. And there’s lots of teak. There are options for a teak pedestal for the wheel, a teak rub rail with rope inlay, teak floorboards and a teak breastplate. All woodwork is done locally, too. Decked out in all that teak, the Caribiana is a beauty to behold.

It was the beauty that hooked Sid Klein, Clearwater, Florida’s police chief. Chief Klein went to the boat show in Pensacola in 2001 to see the Caribiana. He took a demo ride in Pensacola Bay. “I was impressed. The bay was really rolling and we didn’t get wet,” he said. “I loved the way it rode. And I fell in love with its looks. I wanted to buy it on the spot, but talked myself down. Then I got out to the car with my wife and she said, ‘You know you want it, why not go ahead and buy it?’ So I walked back in and bought it on the spot. It’s hull number 39, and I named it the ‘Lady Lo’ after my deceased wife.”

The Chief uses the Caribiana every chance he gets. “I take it out fishing, out in the bay island hopping. And it’s great for picnics. It has a fold down picnic table that folds right out from the center console. You can have dinner just like eating at your table.”

Powering Chief Klein’s skiff is a 50 h.p. Honda. “It sips gas,” he said. “And it gets me anywhere I want to go at 25-30 knots.” One of the things he enjoys about the boat is the attention. “Every time you launch it, it turns heads. Someone always comes up to me and says, ‘That’s the most beautiful boat I’ve ever seen.’”

The affection Chief Klein has for his Caribiana Sea Skiff is shared by most other owners. The Chief declares, “It’s the last boat I’ll ever own.” That’s a good thing and a bad thing for Curt Morse. Why? Lack of repeat sales. That’s the price you pay when you build something beautiful that lasts.

Curt Morse, owner, PO Box 2128, Pensacola, FL 32513, Telephone:  (850) 287-4546, Toll-Free:  (888) 203-4883, Fax: (866) 876-6445, Website: www.caribiana.com, e-mail: info@caribiana.com

Gulfscapes Magazine is a lifestyle magazine for those who live or vacation along the Gulf coast. The magazine emphasizes home design and travel. Articles offer information on home interiors and building materials; coastal recreation; food; travel destinations; style; and real estate concerns.

Scallops

Attributes
Firm texture, sweet, delicate flavor. Extra lean.

Substitutes
Clams.

How Much to Buy
Shucked Scallops: 1/3 pound per serving.

Buying, Storage and Handling
Remember to purchase seafood last and keep it cold during the trip home.

Scallops have a fresh odor when freshly shucked.

Freshly shucked scallops should have very little liquid in the package.

Scallop meat should have a creamy white, light tan or pinkish color and firm texture.

Refrigerate shellfish in a sealed container on ice or in the coldest part of the refrigerator.

Store shucked scallops up to two days.

Preparation
Keep raw and cooked seafood separate to prevent bacterial cross-contamination.

After handling raw seafood thoroughly wash knives, cutting surfaces, sponges and your hands with hot soapy water.

Always marinate seafood in the refrigerator.

Discard marinade; it contains raw juices which may harbor bacteria.

When marinade is needed for basting reserve a portion before adding raw seafood.

Cooking
Scallops are cooked when the center is opaque and white; test by cutting in half.

Overcooking will cause toughness and weight loss.

Depending on their size, scallops cook in 3 to 4 minutes, by any method.

Choose recipes with little or no added fat so the full flavor of the sweet, light meat will not be masked.

Nutrition
Nutritional values for approximately 4 ounces (114 grams) of raw, edible portions

Calories 100  
Calories From Fat 10  
Total Fat 1 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 40 mg
Sodium 185 mg
Total Carbohydrates 3 g
Protein 18 g
Vitamin A 0 %DV
Vitamin C 0 %DV
Calcium 2 %DV
Iron 2 %DV
Omega-3 Fatty Acid 0.20 g

More About Scallops
The scallop, like the oyster, is a bivalve mollusk. However, unlike the oyster that attaches itself to a bed, the scallop moves about by swimming. The swimming action is accomplished by the shells snapping together which forces the water to propel it. This technique has developed an oversized muscle called the "eye." This sweet-flavored muscle is the only part of the scallop eaten by Americans, but Europeans eat the entire shucked scallop.

The name, "scallop," aptly describes the fluted edges of its fan-shaped shell. The shells of young scallops are beautiful. The outside shell is delicately colored pink and white and the inside is pearly-white with a satiny luster. Calico scallop meats vary from creamy white to light tan or pink. They measure about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in diameter.

Calico scallops (Argopecten gibbus) are harvested with trawls and dredges in the deep offshore waters of Florida’s Atlantic and northern Gulf coasts. Unlike oysters and clams, scallops do not close their shells tightly and will lose moisture unless shucked soon after harvesting.

Gulfscapes Magazine or Gulfscapes www.gulfscapes.com Gulfscapes, Gulfscapes Magazine coastal publication, texas magazine, beach, fireworks

Gulfscapes Magazine or Gulfscapes www.gulfscapes.com Gulfscapes, Gulfscapes Magazine coastal publication, texas magazine, beach, fireworks

Mahi-Mahi

Type of meat: Firm texture, light, sweetly moist meat with solid flake and moderate flavor. Extra lean fish.

Substitute: Amberjack, Pompano, Farm-raised Catfish, Grouper, Tuna.

How Much to Buy:
Whole fish: 1 pound per serving
Cleaned fish: 1/2 pound per serving
Fillets or steaks: 1/3 pound per serving

Nutritional values (4 ounces, raw):
Calories 100  
Calories From Fat 10  
Total Fat 1 g
Saturated Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 80 mg
Sodium 100 mg
Total Carbohydrates 0 g
Protein 22 g
Omega-3 Fatty Acid 0.11 g

Season: year round

Size: 2 to 40 lbs.

Notes of Interest:
The mahi-mahi is also known as dolphin or dorado, is one of the most beautiful fish in the sea; brilliantly colored with an iridescent bluish green and gold body, and golden yellow fins and tail.

Amberjack

Type of meat: Firm texture, white meat with mild flavor. Extra lean fish.

Substitute: Mahi-Mahi, Grouper

How Much to Buy:
Whole fish: 1 pound per serving.
Cleaned fish: 1/2 pound per serving.
Fillets or steaks: 1/3 pound per serving.

Nutritional values (4 ounces, raw):
Calories 120  
Calories From Fat 20  
Total Fat 2  g
Saturated Fat 0  g
Cholesterol 50  mg
Sodium 40  mg
Total Carbohydrates 0  g
Protein 24  g
Omega-3 Fatty Acid 0.26 g

Season: year round, but Greater amberjack harvest from federal offshore waters is prohibited in March, April and May.

Size: Average 20-75 lbs., but can weigh more than 150 pounds. The smaller amberjacks, weighing 15 pounds or less, are considered the best to eat.

Notes of Interest:
The flesh has a lateral strip of dark, stronger-tasting meat which must be removed before storage or cooking. Properly handled, it is an excellent fish, especially suitable for grilling. It is in high demand, with several hundred thousand pounds landed each year of greater amberjack.