No title - Hell`s Bay Boatworks

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Boat Profile
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Hell’s Bay Skate
I
n addition to releasing the largest
flats boat it’s ever built, the Neptune, Hell’s Bay Boatworks recently
unveiled its smallest skiff on record.
With a hull length of just under 13 feet
and a weight of 250 pounds, the Skate
is a small-water specialty boat that will
serve skinny-water fly-anglers well.
How shallow will this little craft go?
Even with a full tank of gas and a small
outboard mounted on the stern, the
Skate will venture into 3½ inches of
water, making it the ultimate technical
boat for adventurous anglers looking to
target game fish where most can’t go.
Design and Construction
Te Skate may be small of stature,
but it’s long on quality and attention
to detail, typical of any Hell’s Bay.
Tis starts in the hull, which features
vinylester resins and vacuum-bagged
Core-Cell construction throughout
the entire structure. Crafted into the
hull, under the fore and aft decks, are
large storage areas with hatches sealed
with rubber gaskets and spring-loaded
Moonlite hardware.
Te Skate is strictly a tiller boat and is
ideally powered with a small outboard
66
ranging from 9.9 to 15 hp. Rigged and
wired to American Boat and Yacht
Council standards, the skiff comes
equipped with a six-gallon aluminum
powder-coated gas tank. Tis may not
lend itself to long-distance runs, but
then again, the Skate was designed for
the shallows and backcountry.
Measuring 12 feet 9 inches in length,
the boat has a 3-foot-9-inch beam,
and its gunwale edges are protected by
heavy-duty rub rails. Te package is
completed with seat cushions for angler
comfort and a custom aluminum trailer
equipped with a spare tire — it’s a nifty
outfit that’s just dying to be towed to
the nearest boat ramp.
SPecificationS
LOA:
12'9"
BEAM:
DrAft:
WEight:
3'9"
3½" (w/ fuel and 15 hp OB)
250 lbs. (dry)
fuEL:
6 gals.
MAx hP:
MSrP:
15
$16,000
(w/ 15 hp two-stroke OB)
Hell’s Bay Boatworks
titusville, florida
321-383-8223
www.hellsbayboatworks.com
Running and Fishing
Of course, the Skate is decidedly
not a boat you’ll want to take in rough
waters. Nor is it a boat you’ll want to
load up with all of your beer-drinking
college buddies. Instead, it’s designed
for the skilled angler who knows how
to exercise some degree of caution and
maneuver around deftly in a technical
skiff. Given its small size and narrow
beam, the Skate is best fished with no
more than two occupants.
But, as all saltwater fly-anglers know,
that’s all it takes. Te Skate comes with
Stiffy push-pole holders and an anodized poling platform featuring SeaDek
coating on top for added traction and
stability. Given the carpeted rod racks
under the gunwales, up to four assembled fly rods can be safely stowed, and
anglers will appreciate Hell’s Bay’s wide
selection of hull colors, not to mention
the company’s classic nonskid decks.
Simply put, the Skate is a cool little
boat. And best of all, its small size translates to a fairly reasonable price tag, a nice
option for those working under a tight
budget. For $16,000, you get a complete
outfit with a trailer — and a skiff that
will venture where very few dare.
M ay / J u n e 2 0 1 0
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3/24/10 4:47:25 PM