1972 Hatteras 58 Yachtfish "Sweet Melissa" For Sale!

[SKYCHENEY]

Check YachtWorld. There are several fiberglass Browards listed.

All typos. Brokers' secretaries filling out the form.

 

[Sparky1]

Then they've been making typos on Browards for years. As for my personally having been on one, I really can't say. I've been on a couple of Browards at the shows, but never asked about their construction.

I always thought they were pretty and remember them being showcased on the "Miami Vice" series in the 80's. With that in mind, I've glanced at them in brokerage listings over the years.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Like I said, I could be wrong, but it just doesn't make sense. They had one small building and they were all geared up to build aluminum. Why would they occasionally build a fiberglass boat? That would take different craftsman, different tools and equipment, and it would be very expensive if you were accustomed to working with metal. I guess I need proof.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

A little more history for you:

"Broward Yachts has been building high quality vessels since 1948 and in March of 2005 was purchased by Florida businessman Tom Lewis. Lewis purchased the 10-acre Broward Yachts yard from Glenn Straub for an undisclosed sum of money. Broward Yacht is one of the first builders of mega-yachts in the United States. The company was established in 1948 by Frank and Gertrude Denison who established and built the business to manufacture wooden minesweepers for the government. In the 1950's Broward Yacht built it first 95' yacht and since then Broward Marine has produced over 200 more Broward Yachts. The Broward Marine yard, in addition to building Broward Yachts is also adding yacht maintenance, repair and refit services. The early history of Broward Yachts started with contracts with the U.S. and Dutch Navies and this created the foundation for the first "Broward Yachts". From that point on, the shipyard developed a reputation for quality and value. Broward Yachts have always been considered "little ships". "ALISA V" was one of the first yachts built and, at 95 feet, she was considered a megayacht for the 1950's. "ALISA V" caught the attention of Yachtsmen worldwide and put Broward Yachts on the top of the list of custom yacht builders. As the orders flowed in there were inquiries for a new material, which was stronger, and required less maintenance than wood. Aluminum was chosen for it's strength to weight ratio and the first aluminum Broward Yachts appeared in the early 1970's. Since that time, aluminum construction has proven to be the right choice by many. In the past 25 years Broward Yachts has built over 200 yachts in aluminum and found it to have several advantages over other construction materials. Aluminum is easy to work with and it is strong and offers weight advantages. Broward Yacht owners enjoy the benefits of more interior space, increased fuel capacities, better fuel economy, greater cruising speed, and longer range."

 

[Sparky1]

Like I said, I could be wrong, but it just doesn't make sense. They had one small building and they were all geared up to build aluminum. Why would they occasionally build a fiberglass boat? That would take different craftsman, different tools and equipment, and it would be very expensive if you were accustomed to working with metal. I guess I need proof.

Hey, if I'm wrong, I'm wrong. They wouldn't be the first builder to use wood, fiberglass, and aluminum. Chris Craft springs to mind, but they never built anything on the scale of a Broward.

Maybe I should call up and make an offer on one of those glass boats on YachtWorld.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Don't forget steel. Chris Craft made steel Roamers as well as aluminum.

 

[Sparky1]

I didn't forget steel Chris Crafts. Steel just wasn't mentioned with Broward's history and my thinking they built glass boats as well.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I didn't forget steel Chris Crafts. Steel just wasn't mentioned with Broward's history and my thinking they built glass boats as well.

I knew what you were saying. I was just trying to change the subject. You know, considering you were wrong and all .


Moral of the story is: Never trust yachtworld.

Here is a Marinette listed as fiberglass as well. They only built out of aluminum (and maybe steel).

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/198...-Convertable-1944792/Dubuque/IA/United-States

 

[Sparky1]

Nah, YachtWorld had nothing to do with anything other than my doing a search for 80's aluminum Browards after mentioning my thinking they built them in the 80's and 90's. As for Marinette's, they were all aluminum.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Nah, YachtWorld had nothing to do with anything other than my doing a search for 80's aluminum Browards after mentioning my thinking they built them in the 80's and 90's. As for Marinette's, they were all aluminum.

The pleasure boats were aluminum but they have a large commercial yard in Menominee, Wisconsin. They build quite a few ferries and military boats. Many of those are steel.

 

[ThirdHatt]

Where's the popcorn? LOL!

Browards are all aluminum, except for the early ones that were made of wood. Don't believe everything you read on the internet.

 

[Fanfare]

I stored Fanfare at Broward Marine in Ft. Lauderdale from approximately 1975 to 1985 or so. It was a nice yard and the Dennison family always treated me well. At that time they were building exclusively in aluminum. All the engines I recall were DDs. There were a few old wooden Browards stored there. I always remember the "Dorisam," which was a woodie about 90 ft. Her personal ensign was a swallowtail with a white poodle standing next to a red fire hydrant.

Browards were good semi-custom boats, built to a price point. Not a PJ or a Burger, but not priced there either. They probably built about 15 a year in Ft L. As each was comissioned the yard would throw a party for the families of the owners and the employees. I remember one had a Mexican theme, with margueritas, Mex food and Mariachi band. If we were in town we were included. Everyone would tour the ship. Most of the owners seemed to have little boating experience, relying on professional crew. After a year or so I would see the boats listed for sale in magazines. Often seemed they had barely had time to break them in.

The only problems with these boats seemed to be that the carpet layers would drill holes in the interior aluminum decks not realizing that what was deck on top was fuel tank below. Made the bilge pumps work a lot.

My favorite Broward's name was "Business." I can just visualize the owner's secretary telling clients the owner was "out of town on Business."

 

[Sparky1]

The pleasure boats were aluminum but they have a large commercial yard in Menominee, Wisconsin. They build quite a few ferries and military boats. Many of those are steel.

Never saw anything but pleasure boats. There are tons of Marinettes around here on the river. Lots of people love them, but I never understood the attraction short of them being light and fast with smaller power. They're good river boats (like Sea Rays), but I'd hate to have one offshore in any kind of seas.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Never saw anything but pleasure boats. There are tons of Marinettes around here on the river. Lots of people love them, but I never understood the attraction short of them being light and fast with smaller power. They're good river boats (like Sea Rays), but I'd hate to have one offshore in any kind of seas.

Huh, I always assumed that Marinettes were built in the twin citys of Menominee and Marinette Wisconsin. There are huge shipyards there and thats the place that I was referencing as building the ferries and navy ships. Turns out the Marinette pleasure boats were built in Kentucky which explains why you see so many on the rivers. I guess I lernt somethin new.

 

[Sparky1]

Google is a wonderful thang huh?

I must admit, you had me scratching my head when you mentioned them being built in Wisconsin. I remember when my next door neighbor bought a brand new 28' Marinette back in the late 60's. He kept it in a boathouse behind his house, and every time he pulled it out of there, it looked HUGE.

He passed away several years ago, and long story made short, some guy bought it and totally restored it. It's now sitting in the marina across from my 41 and looks like a toy. Funny how perceptions change over the years.

Did you happen to run across this?

"The history of Marinette boats goes back to the mid 1950s when George Garcia, the owner of an aircraft repair business near Louisville, Kentucky, decided to build an aluminum boat for his own use. Garcia employed a workforce that was skilled in the use of aluminum alloys, and he reasoned that if the material was good enough for the aircraft industry, why not use it in the construction of boats as well? By 1960, just as the marine industry was switching from wood to fiberglass, Aluminum Cruisers, Inc., was volume producing the Marinette 30 Express and selling it primarily to midwest customers.The company grew steadily during the 1970s and 1980s and as the Marinette line expanded, thousands were sold in the fresh-water lakes and rivers of the U.S. By the early 1990s, however, with the boating industry in a sales decline across the board and all manufacturers were experiencing problems, Aluminum Cruisers ceased production. The remaining Marinette molds were then acquired by Boating Corp. of America, the Tennessee-based builder of Harbor Master houseboats. Efforts to revive the Marinette nameplate were unsuccessful, however, and production of the last Marinette models ended in 1994."

LOL Talking about bad info on the Internet, I just noticed they talked about a 30 Express. They never built a 30 footer as far as I remember. Here's your chance Sky, prove me wrong again. We need to break this tie.

 

[SeaEric]

You guys sure have a talent for taking a thread off topic. All the way from a 58 Hatt YF to a freaking Marinette. Yikes!

 

[Deckhand]

I'll have to agree with the thread derailment,Sparky sure does have a SPECIAL talent.

 

[Sparky1]

Hey, Sky brought up the Marinette thing, but Byron sent me a PM and asked that I start posting on this thread to keep it at the top of the page until he got his deal closed.

I almost hate to tell him that the guy who's made an offer is a phony who I set up a few days ago when he posted his boat for sale. Paybacks are hell.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Who you callin' a phony?

 

[Sparky1]

Careful Sky, deckhand's gonna fuss at us again.