Degrees of Separation

Innovative Hull Designs and the Future of Boat Building from the Perspective of Two of the Industry’s Finest…

Under cool skies and the cover of complete darkness, I watched the running lights of close to 200 boats home in on a lonely mile marker off Stock Island in the Florida Keys.

The long awaited start to kingfish season begins each January at the country’s southernmost port. Perhaps a half an hour or so thereafter, the green light was given by the committee boat and the adrenaline producing thunder of pegged outboards replaced the occasional slap of water and intermittent gusts of wind which all SKA fishermen are familiar.

The marvel of watching a large pack of boats, each captained by a total fanatic, pop up on plane and scream off toward the horizon- some pushing the 70 mph mark- in gigantic seas is something to observe at least once during your lifetime. With each passing year, the boats that compete in these prestigious events or just head toward fishy waters each weekend get bigger as does the power that hangs off their respective transoms. With an impending season of boat shows right around the corner, I had the unique opportunity to sit down and discuss the present state of hull designs and the future of boat building with two of the industry’s finest; Wylie Nagler of Yellowfin Yachts and Steve Dougherty of Everglades Boats.