Popular Boats Trough The Years

[aqua pimp]

In the late 70's early 80's we fished out of the old walk through windshield Glasstrons and CC Cobia's. We thought they were the sheet!! After a long day of fishing we would sit down at the marina in Port OConner and watch the big $$$ boys come in with there Robalos, Whalers, and Grady Whites. Told myself as a kid I would have one one day LOL.
In the 90's there were a bunch of boats I liked. The Gulf Coast, Pathfinder, Bayhawk, Kenner, Redfin, Bluewave, Baymaster, Bay Quest, Promaster, Bay Stealth, El Pescador, Parker, Century, Shallow Sport, Osprey, Predator, Actioncraft, Shallow Craft, and on and on......
Some of those boats in that list are history as well as they should be because of the way they were made. But a few of them are still around because they made one hell of a boat.

Out of the boats I owned I loved the Kenners. I had the 21' I ran for 3 years and the 24' I ran for 9 years. The 24 was a tank and the ultimate guide boat for Galveston Bay. I will own another one day! The BayMasters was a piece of sh!t!!!!! The Gulf Coast Cat I hated!!!!! Never own a Cat again ever ever ever ever!!!!! My Xtreme I have only had 6 months but I love the hell out of this boat so far.

AQUA PIMP

[Reef Drifter]

In the late 70's early 80's we fished out of the old walk through windshield Glasstrons and CC Cobia's. We thought they were the sheet!! After a long day of fishing we would sit down at the marina in Port OConner and watch the big $$$ boys come in with there Robalos, Whalers, and Grady Whites. Told myself as a kid I would have one one day LOL.
In the 90's there were a bunch of boats I liked. The Gulf Coast, Pathfinder, Bayhawk, Kenner, Redfin, Bluewave, Baymaster, Bay Quest, Promaster, Bay Stealth, El Pescador, Parker, Century, Shallow Sport, Osprey, Predator, Actioncraft, Shallow Craft, and on and on......
Some of those boats in that list are history as well as they should be because of the way they were made. But a few of them are still around because they made one hell of a boat.

Out of the boats I owned I loved the Kenners. I had the 21' I ran for 3 years and the 24' I ran for 9 years. The 24 was a tank and the ultimate guide boat for Galveston Bay. I will own another one day! The BayMasters was a piece of sh!t!!!!! The Gulf Coast Cat I hated!!!!! Never own a Cat again ever ever ever ever!!!!! My Xtreme I have only had 6 months but I love the hell out of this boat so far.

AQUA PIMP

That 24 kenner you had was awesome ! I want one that size

I don't always drink beer , but when I do , I prefer to be fishing !

[SCHU]

Don't forget Shoalwater, skinny water boat that be! Love my kenner 18tunnel, shoulda bought a bigger Kenner. Will be getting a wooden tunnel hull boat this fall that my dad built.

[rtoler]

Glastron Tri-Hull...

[Mell Wader]

In the beginning there was the Whaler, Grady White, Mako, and Proline. The first Texas boats I remember were the Helton's.
The first flats boat that I remember everyone had to have was the Shallow Sport, then the Majek. Next was the Tran, and Parker. There was the poling skiff craze, and now the Haynie.
There are others I left out, but I'm sure others will have their recollections and list.

Kenny, that is real accurate, particularly the Grady, Mako and Whaler. One that really stood out in the 80's was the ol' cathedral hull McKee Craft.

[SCHU]

Lamar boats had a factory in La Marque for a few years. Out o bidness now.

[Texfish]

Lest we not forget Larson and Sea-Ray boats. I saw what seemed like a million of them when I was younger in Galveston.

[Bonito]

I graduated from high school in 1950 and my Dad and I bought a new unpainted 14" Smithberry plywood boat for $250.00. Being welderswe built our own trailer and then bought a new 25HP Evinrude from CB DelHomme for either $250 or $450 I can't remember which but I believe it was 250.00. Smithberry Boat Co. was on Cornish St in Houston and they were selling the boats as fast as they could build them I also remember the Ashburn plywood boats that were built on Old Galveston Rd at Broadway. There was also the Yellowjacket which was molded Mahogany plywood as was the Helton boats which were beautiful. The molded plywood boats were round bottom instead of semi-vee. For those of you too young to remember that time period, this was shortly after WWII and most fishermen rented wooden skiffs from the bait camps and used small outboards (5to10 HP). which they hand bolted on the boats. This was about the time people started buying their own boats. There were some other brands that were popular but I can't recall them. There was a brite Aluminum boat with a pointed bow that I am trying to remember the name of. The sides were sort of rounded at the stern. A word about trailers. People with boats did not float their boats off their trailers like we do now. The bearing buddies were not in general use yet so we didn't want our wheel bearings in the water. We backed the trailer to the edge of othe water, then pulled a lever to raise a system of rollers and the boat was released from the winch and rolled off the trailer into the water. To load the boat you had to hand winch the boat on. Some trailers were tilt models which worked very well.After the boat was on the trailer you lowered the rollers. I still have a picture of a Bait camp named Oddo's at seabrook which shows their fleet of rent boats (Skiffs). The picture also shows an island in the background which is no longer there due to subsidence and storms. The island was about 4-5 acres in size and there was a channel which also does not exist anymore. I believe the channel was originally part of Clear Creek.

Bonito

[SCHU]

I still have a trailer with lift rollers...

[H.Maier]

I wish I had my little Carolina Skiff 16' w/ 30 yamaha. I could get in places the kayaks go. Every time I put another motor on it in Santa Fe, somebody would come along and steal it. Finally sold it and trailer to someone on west end.

[kenny]

"Ashburn plywood boats that were built on Old Galveston Rd at Broadway" I remember that place. Park Place is where I grew up. The first boat I remember Dad buying was a Helton with a 40hp Evinrude. Pat & his brother were about my older brothers age.

[WestEndAngler]

I wish I had my little Carolina Skiff 16' w/ 30 yamaha. I could get in places the kayaks go. Every time I put another motor on it in Santa Fe, somebody would come along and steal it. Finally sold it and trailer to someone on west end.

Here... Go anywhere & more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g36hGROx56U

When you get bored here go with an air boat

[H.Maier]

No doubt I couldn't get that shallow.

[coachlaw]

I remember in the late 70's it seemed like EVERYONE in La. had either a tri-hull or a Lafitte Skiff. I know the Lafitte is a local design there, but the tri-hulls were so ubiquitous that as a child, I thought it was the coolest boat on the water. In 1977 Dad bought a Marquis 18 foot tri-hull and talk about awesome . . . . . Now a days, they call tri-hull "Cathedral Hull" to make it sound like a new idea.

[rdb]

Did anybody mention Mowdy. They are back in business. Don't know if it will be worth a sh.. Robbie Gregory is supposedly running.