Michael Brown wanted a boat that he could take fishing offshore and inshore, that would be easy for his parents to get in and out of and that would be safe for his dog.
The result was the Dusky 242 Bay Boat. The fully rigged, fishing-tested model made its debut Thursday on a breezy, occasionally rainy but mostly sunny opening day of the Palm Beach International Boat Show along Flagler Drive.
The 32nd annual show runs through Sunday with hundreds of boats on land and in the Intracoastal Waterway. Also on display are outboard motors, fishing tackle, clothing, footwear and marine artwork. Tickets, which are $22 for adults and $12 for ages 6-15, are available online at showmanagement.com or at the gate.
Dusky Marine, which builds custom boats in Dania Beach, was founded 50 years ago by Brown’s parents, Pat and Ralph. Brown, who had fished out of a smaller Dusky in Florida Bay and the Atlantic Ocean when visitng the Florida Keys, designed the 242 Bay with a deeper V-hull and reverse chines for smooth, dry running no matter where he’s fishing.
“I kind of built it for myself so it’s able to handle any kind of rough water I want to be in, but still be able to get out in the backcountry and fish,” Brown said. “It turned out really nice.”
The base price for the 24-foot, 2-inch boat is $55,000. The boat at the show, which is priced at $76,600 and comes with a 300-horsepower Suzuki outboard, has extra features such as a T-top, autopilot, more than 20 rod-holders, an open bow area with MarineMat foam decking, a Power Pole shallow-water anchor, a solid helm seat so Brown’s yellow Labrador retriever won’t slide through the seat and a double footrest so a passenger can put his or her footrest down while the driver keeps his or hers up and out of the way. Brown said the boat also has dog-friendly knife holders.
Also at the Dusky display on land are the company’s 278, 252 and 227 center consoles, as well as a 33-footer built for Guy Harvey with a wrap featuring a blue marlin painted by the marine wildlife artist.
Artist Carey Chen of Palm Beach Gardens has a booth inside one of the main tents at the show that features his framed artwork as well as several new products.
Among them is Chen’s American-made All Over T-shirts for men and women that are entirely covered in his artwork. The art is printed on the sleeves and the main part of the shirt, which are then cut and sewn together. The stylish polyester shirts have 50 SPF sun protection and retail for $50.
Chen also has sandals and canvas belts with his artwork of either a dolphin or a blue marlin. And for anglers, Chen’s line of trolling lures, which sell for $60 to $300 depending on the size, feature his paintings of dolphin and tuna in the clear, plastic heads.
“We’re mimicking the baitfish,” said Chen of his lures, which are made in North Carolina by Bost Lures. “My art is pretty realistic, so fish are going to eat them.
“We had a grander on one of the big ones. A 1,000-pound blue marlin in Madeira.”
SeaVee Boats of Miami had its popular center consoles on land and in the water, and although it doesn’t have any new models at the show, it had some major news.
“We have a new facility that’s currently being developed and we hope to move into in 18 months,” said John Caballero, who said that the factory will be about four miles northwest of the current one.
“We’re adding new features to our boats. It’s a great opportunity for customers to come here and see our boats and learn a little bit more about what we’re doing and arrange for a sea trial. And we can make sure that the customers get all the information they need so they can make the right decision.”
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