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Mirage Fused…
Welcome to the Third Chapter in the construciton of my next Maverick Mirage…. Fused
The construction of my new Maverick Mirage is near completion. I visited the Maverick Boat Co. plant this past week and got to take the first in person glance at my new skiff. The color combination looks great in photos but even better in person. I can’t wait to bring her home. While at the factory, I got to watch the masterminds fuse the hull and the cap of my boat together. After I had lunch with the whole Maverick Boat Co. administration, Tyler of Castaway Customs met up with me and installed the under gunnel seadeck pads. The work definitely speaks for itself as the quality of Tyler’s work is second to none. Here are some photos from my visit north…
Stay tuned for the next chapter… Refined…
The end of one and beginning of next…… the INCUBATION.
All my life, I have always tried to seek out the best of the best and this comes especially true when choosing my next flats skiff. This will my my third skiff I own and my third product from Maverick Boat Company as well. Currently, Maverick Boats is building my next skiff… and for the first time, I was able to build one from scratch with every little nit pick detail that I desired. After a 12 year run fishing the shallows from Flamingo to Islamorada, I have finally spec’ed out everything I wanted in a skiff; both for guiding and for fun fishing days.
I learned to run a boat and fish the shallows at age 12 on a Hewes/Maverick Light Tackle 18 flats skiff (currently the Redfisher 18). It had a 2 tone commander blue and white hull with Yamaha 150HP Saltwater Series motor, lots of weight, and a fishy attitude. I tried to get into places where this big flats boat was pushed to it’s limits from big water Dolphin fishing to shallow water Redfishing. This was hardly a skiff, but a big water flats boat, which my buddies and I actually did end up still trying to pole. For many years, I first learned to fish Whitewater Bay before learning how to fish the flats out front in Florida Bay. Along the way, my buddy Capt. Frank had also taught me how to bonefish in Key Largo as well as introduce me to fly fishing. I did a lot of this in either Frank’s Hewes Bayfisher 18 or my Hewes Light Tackle 18. These bigger skiffs were adequate and got me where I needed to be dry and comfortably. I fished the hell out of my 18 Light Tackle from the day I bought it in 1998 until the day I sold it in 2004.
Hewes Light Tackle 18... my first boat!
Flamingo Redfish on DOA... 1999
Maverick HPX-V 17... 2006 to 2010.
Upper Keys Tarpon on Fly... 2010
Hull inside the plug
VARIS... Vacuum Aided Resin Infusion System
In the next few weeks, I will keep an updated blog on Saltyshores of the entire skiff building process that goes into a Maverick Mirage HPX from start to finish. Until next time…. stay tuned for the “Hatching”!!!
Scott s4s fly rod, Capt. Colby Haine, Tyler Castaway Customs, Hellsbay Skate , 5am no reason
Scott s4s fly rod
I got up this morning at 4:50am …why? I couldn’t tell you as I type this. The only sound is my keyboard clicking away and the whirl of the fan in my computer. I got my cup of instant coffee in front of me on my cluttered up desk littered with business cards, demo reels, video tapes that needs to be digitized and a pile of unopened mail. Not to mention all the coffee stain rings on top of scraps of papers, old outdated magazines with numbers and notes written down of I don’t know what anymore. As I type this I noticed I had my coffee cup sitting on top of an check I got from one of the magazines yesterday along with a Christmas card. I just moved it so I wouldn’t spill coffee on it and have to ask for a new one.
I’m wearing an old micro fiber shirts with no logo on it. I have not shaved in a week so feeling and looking kind of rough. Horrible sitting position as I’m slid down and leaning back in my almost new, imitation leather office chair I got from Costco or Office depot a couple months ago. The old muscle aches a bit so I’m contemplating downing an Aleve and chasing it down with some good old instant coffee. When I was younger I could not understand all the Aspirin commercials I see on TV. As a kid, you just don’t feel these little annoying aches and pain that pretty much accompany you most mornings. Now, not only do I understand, I resemble it. 
In about 3 hours from now I’m meeting Colby and Tyler from Castaway Customs to do a little fishing. We get to play with some new toys this morning. Colby has the new Scott s4s fly rod which is Scott fly rod’s flagship salt water rod. Tyler is towing behind him the new Hells bay Skate.
hells bay skate
The weather is not the greatest but that means it’s a good day to test things. Testing products in ideal conditions always yield the best results. What most people want to know is when it’s not so idea how does the product handle. Well within reason anyways. I mean you wouldn’t want to test a skiff offshore or fight a marlin with a spinning rod if you know what I mean.
I’m off to make me another cup of delicious cup of Nescafe instant coffee. In a perfect world and if all goes well I should have some nice pics and hopefully a tailing redfish next to these guys.
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