Common questions, answered.
How the boats are built, who designs them, how we sell, and what owners ask most.
Company
How long has Stuart Boatworks been in business?
We started in 2006, building a 33' outboard center console and a 36' inboard express. Those models are no longer in production. The 27 came next, designed in 2011, the hull plug built and fine-tuned through 2012, and in production by 2013. The 23 followed in 2015.
Do you have dealers that sell your boats?
No. We sell direct only, from our shop in Stuart, Florida, the historic Sportfish boat-building town. We build and outfit every aspect of your boat so you have one source for anything you need. No dealer could run the semi-custom build process the way we do, know the boat the way we do, or be as focused on this one product as we are.
How do you handle warranty issues if my boat isn't near Stuart?
We work one-on-one with the dealer or service center of your choice to resolve it, and we pay their regular retail shop rate, so your boat keeps normal priority in their schedule. Distance doesn't change how we stand behind the build.
Construction
Is there any wood used in the construction?
No. Our boats contain no wood anywhere, so there is nothing to rot, nothing to fail over the life of the boat.
Are your compartments truly insulated?
Most builders call a fishbox "insulated" because there's foam core in the lamination. That's barely enough to keep a bag of ice through half a Florida afternoon, and you often find that out only after you've bought the boat. We laminate with foam core too, then go further: the underside of every fishbox and cooler is wrapped entirely in 1 to 2 inches of foam. It takes longer, costs more, and has to be designed into the boat from the start to leave room for it. You'll notice it every time your ice lasts the day.
Do any hatch gutters or lockers drain into the bilge?
No. The forward fishbox pumps overboard with a diaphragm pump, and the aft in-sole compartment can be plumbed as a second fishbox or used for dry storage. The gutters use a big-boat drainage system, no fittings, no hoses to split, no clamps to rust. Forward gutters drain into a fiberglass track glassed to the underside of the deck, run aft, tie into the aft fishbox gutters and bilge-access gutter, then into custom self-bailing scuppers that drain straight overboard. No water into the bilge. Clean and simple.
What brand of motors do you offer?
We install Yamaha outboards exclusively.
Design
When was the 27 designed, and by whom?
The 27 was designed in Stuart in 2012 by Applied Concepts, a marine design firm known for custom sportfishing boats from 33' to 74'.
When was the 23 designed, and by whom?
The 23 was designed in Stuart in 2015 by OCEAN5, a naval architecture firm that has designed boats and yachts up to 185'.
The Proof
What percentage of your boats get towed by larger boats?
Nearly 50% of the boats we've built are towed behind larger yachts, from 45' to 100'.
Ask the people who build the boats.
If your question isn't here, send it over. You'll talk to someone who knows the boat inside and out, not a call center, not a dealer. Tell us how you fish and where you run, and we'll take it from there.
