Bayliss Boatworks’ largest build to date, Hull No. 19, the 90-foot Singularis. Right: Ricky Scarborough Jr. with nephew Sonny Albarty in April 2014. Sonny spent an entire year in The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia hooked to a ventilator waiting for a lung transplant. He and his uncle Ricky love duck hunting and were discussing duck calls. This photo was taken one week before Sonny received new lungs. He then spent all winter hunting. One of O’Neal’s protégés, Buddy Davis, is also credited for putting Roanoke Island–made Carolina boats on the worldwide map, in part because of sheer numbers of boat sales. The late Davis opened Davis Boatworks in 1973 in Manteo and moved the operation to Wanchese in 1974. As the demand for luxury sportfishing boats escalated between the 1980s and early 2000s, Davis was in the right place at the right time with his willingness to go big, to innovate and to do what it took to sell boats. He was the first island builder to experiment with fiberglass-molded, semi-custom techniques, which allowed him to build boats more quickly. In all, he built more than 300 boats ranging from 28 to 80 feet, introducing the Carolina-style flare to fishermen around the world. One of the most solid, well-respected Dare County builders is Scarborough Boatworks in Wanchese. With four boats in production, a 57, a 62 and two 63s, Scarborough Boatworks is the longest continuously operating boat builder in the state. Ricky Scarborough built his first boat in 1977, and his son, Ricky Jr., followed in his footsteps by joining the business in 1993. Ricky Jr. says his father, like a lot of other early builders, got into boat building out of necessity. “He was a commercial fisherman and a crabber and he needed a larger boat,” Scarborough says. “He couldn’t afford one so he decided to build his own.” Ricky Sr. had worked with Omie Tillett in his boat yard for six months one winter and learned a good bit, but his son says, “My dad is his own person. He took what he learned and turned it into his own.” It was such a nice boat that someone wanted to buy it, so he sold it and built another one. And then another and another. To date, Scarborough Boatworks has built more than 85 custom boats. Ricky Scarborough Sr. is now retired. Ricky Jr. says sport fishermen who were going to Florida to buy boats began to take notice of North Carolina-made boats because they were seaworthy and unique. And as the local builders improved their finish work and carpentry, the boats were able to compete with those made in Florida. As in any business, the processes have morphed over time and things have changed greatly from one generation to the next. “My Dad certainly never did anything on CAD or the com-puter,” he says. “There was more of a personal touch with how he did it. Now everything is computer designed. Each has its own advantages. There’s not a right or wrong.” Ricky Jr. says he didn’t have a choice about entering the fam-ily business. “I like to create things. I love boats and being on the water,” he says. “I grew up watching him. I apprenticed under him for 20 years.” In addition to crediting their forefathers, Dare County boat-builders share a mutual respect for each other’s work and work ethic. Their willingness to work together can be seen in the collectively formed Dare County Boat Builders Foundation that provides college scholarships for local students. “I think there is collective spirit of pride amongst the local builders that we’ve been able to come so far in such a short period of time,” Bayliss says. “I don’t think anyone would’ve dreamed that we’d be building the boats that are as large and as detailed as today’s sportfishermen have become. But it’s a testa-ment to the dedication and the culture that has always been part of being a boatbuilder in North Carolina.” 52 WBM may 2015 PHOTO COURTESY OF SCARBOROUGH BOATWORKS PHOTO COURTESY OF BAYLISS BOATWORKS
Wrightsville Beach Magazine May 2015
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