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Random Quote: You have to be smarter than the equipment you use.
On a side note: The two Freeman 33's have caught all targeted species in the gulf except for a spearfish. The list is blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish, tuna, wahoo, dolphin, bluefin tuna, blackfin tuna. Capt Wells has caught 4 blues, and Mike has caught 3.[/quote]
I know I havent exactly kept up with the updates, but we have been crazy busy.
We just sold another 33' that will be going to Tampa, Fl. She will be rigged with Yamaha 350's and a kick azz hardtop. The owner will use her 50/50 between Tampa and Islamorada. Finally a boat in Florida!!!!
I have another gentleman wanting a 36' with the new 400 Yammis that should be coming out next year. Sick......
We got the hulls glassed, faired and primed with high build. We would have flipped this week, but we are waiting on Hanna to pass. Its been pretty cool building 2 boats at once. We are 3 months into it and ready to flip. On hull #2 it took us 2 months to flip, so the economies of scale definitely work.
Great job on the boats. Good Idea not to build a mold with this economy now. I was in the boat building business once or twice and the bigger I got the more money my suppliers and employees GOT! Buddy Gentry of G and S boats a very long list of top fishing boats. He told me stay semmi custom but no I couldnt listen. He told me he would only build custom after trying a mold. You could use foam but as a core. Stay one build ahead of customers at the most. Dont count your future customers til they throw money at you. Talk is more than cheap!its dangerous good luck and great boat.Oh and since I went back to my former profession and am nearing a pension. I am enjoying fishing a lot more than before. a medium blue fin the past two trips along with yellow fin and wahoo and a freezer full of dolphin. Richard Garlington told me he made more money surveying boats after landeweres took Co. than when he built boats after he went to molds and listened to fast talkers who looked like money but were not giving him any of it.
I sure appreciate the advice. I know what you mean by ALL TALK. I have had a few people call that made it sound like they were going to buy a Freeman and rig it this way and that way, but to never hear from them again. It definitely takes some getting used to. We have sold 4 boats, so I feel like Freeman Boatworks is doing well enough to make it through these tough times. I guess the difference maker is.... the boat works and works really well.
We still may go to a mold, but i think it will be for the hull only. That still keeps the "custom build" wide open as far as cockpit layout goes. You know, I really didnt get into this to make tons of money, I just love building boats. If I make a good living and provide for my wife and children, then so be it.
Good luck I been watching since you posted your first one under construction. That took guts before you launched and trialed it. You deserve all the good write ups you been getting! If you ever get a chance to talk to buddy Gentry of G S boats ask him about th 40 ft diesel inboard cat he built. It would do almost 15 mph in reverse and he turned on plane so tight and never slow down. He had a bunch of big money sport fishing owners sliding into the rear corner like some old bally hoo. They all walked away saying how good it performed, but none bought it.
If I read correctly, you are fiberglassing in biaxial 1708 (or similiar), then immediately spraying with a high build primer like Alexseal? You don't find it necessary to use a finish cloth between the biaxial and primer? If so, I guess the high build is really a "high build".
If I read correctly, you are fiberglassing in biaxial 1708 (or similiar), then immediately spraying with a high build primer like Alexseal? You don't find it necessary to use a finish cloth between the biaxial and primer? If so, I guess the high build is really a "high build".
Chris
We spread a fairing compound over the biaxial, but we use peel ply over the biaxial which allows resing to fill the weave of the cloth and leaves a textured surface ready for more glass after cure without grinding.
I fish quite a bit down in Venice, LA and see both Mike Ellis and Billy Wells boats and have fished next to and run next to them a fair amount and I must say they are some bad a$$ boats, from what I can see you guys do one hell of a job building a boat. I am not very big fan of cat's but I must say if I were to ever own one, you would be the man I want to build it!! Keep up the good work up there and I don't ever see you having a problem selling boats!!!
__________________ Grady White 305 Express
"Southern Hunter"
I fish quite a bit down in Venice, LA and see both Mike Ellis and Billy Wells boats and have fished next to and run next to them a fair amount and I must say they are some bad a$$ boats, from what I can see you guys do one hell of a job building a boat. I am not very big fan of cat's but I must say if I were to ever own one, you would be the man I want to build it!! Keep up the good work up there and I don't ever see you having a problem selling boats!!!
Thanks
They certainly stand out down there. The Capt's say the boats make a difference in the catch because they are at the rigs first before the hoards of other charter boats show up.
Bully - can you post the base price of a 33 with or without power? I understand every boat will be different, but what's the starting point, and what does it include?
Bully - can you post the base price of a 33 with or without power? I understand every boat will be different, but what's the starting point, and what does it include?
Long time no post, been too busy dodging hurricanes(hopefully that's over for this year at least). I always hear people saying they don't like catamarans and I must admit I was once just like that. The first cats I ever saw were ugly and slow and definitely lacked sex appeal! I was eventually won over to the cat design around seven years ago, their ride in the tight chop most common in the Gulf of Mexico is beyond compare. I spent the last three years looking for a larger boat to be able to fish larger parties and to give myself a better ride and there was nothing that even came close to fitting my desires. That's where Billy came into play, not only did he build it like I wanted but he build a boat that got rid of all the negatives of a cat and really brought out the positives. My boat is fast, pretty, has tons of room, and is fuel efficient. What else can you ask for? So to everyone out there saying I don't like cat boats all I can say is I USED to be just like you and now I wouldn't even dream of owning anything other than a catamaran. Give one of Billys boats a try and I'll bet you'll find yourself in my shoes.
Capt. Billy Wells
Got the hulls flipped this time with forklifts instead of a big party. Flipping with people is actually much faster during the process, but the logistics of getting 40+ people together puts a kink in production.
Weve got the bilges on hull #3 glassed and ready for bulkheads and fuel tanks. Steve is going for 350 gallons of fuel in hope of making a few runs to the Bahamas and possibly Isla de Mujeres.
wow, i love this post.
always checking to see updates on progress --- sweet!
a while back someone mentioned stepped hull. is there a way theoretically to see if it makes a signifcant advantage?
also so in the build process i'd imagine it would make it a bit more difficult, but would it be any weaker or stronger?
Re: Freeman 33 hull #3 & #4 
