Catch Boatworks aims to make big splash with innovative vessel engineered for in- and offshore fishing

Catch Boatworks aims to make big splash with innovative vessel engineered for in- and offshore fishing

STUART—A new marine business is expanding in Martin County, having recently opened a 5,600-square-foot facility in Stuart thanks to the assistance of the Business Development Board of Martin County.

Its inaugural product—marked for release later this month—aims to boldly solve the quandary many fishermen face when setting out at sea. If fishing inshore, they need a boat with very specific features. If fishing offshore, they need another boat with equally specific—yet very different—features. That’s where the Jupiter-based Catch Boatworks’ Catch 27 comes along.

At 27-feet, nine-inches-long with an eight-and-a-half-foot beam, the vessel is uniquely designed and engineered to seamlessly toggle between both environments while meeting every expectation the fishermen and crew might encounter. The achievement required engineering solutions to the haul design so the vessel could perform effectively in as little as 12 inches of water while still comfortably navigating choppier waters offshore.

John Slattery, owner of Catch Boatworks and visionary of Catch 27, grew up around boat manufacturing. He learned to drive a boat at 5, started working at a marina at 12, studied marine maintenance in college and attended Mercury Outboard school.

That’s his passion, but professionally, he worked in mortgage banking, investment and venture capital. At 58, he’s retired not once but twice. His love of being on the water and dreams of building a better fishing boat led him to marine design and manufacturing.

Slattery incorporated countless computer simulations on the function of the haul design and pursued precision in every aspect of the creation process.

He plans to make Catch 27 available for purchase this year through direct purchase. The company will also limit production to preserve resale value.

This is an extremely impressive boat you’ve created. What motivated this venture?

We went after an unmet niche in the market. We developed a boat that does in-shore and outshore fishing without comprise.

You must be an experienced fisherman.

Had an entire lifetime of it.

So for the layperson, what are the key distinctions between an in-shore and offshore fishing boat?

Inshore floats shallow, in 12 to 13 inches of water. When you make a boat float shallow, you sacrifice the ride offshore and the sides are too low for offshore. We designed around that and figured out a way for a costume design to make it float outshore. It’s also easier to cast from an in-shore boat but the places to fish from are better on an outshore boat. So, we designed a boat with an offshore fishing platform in the back and nice casting options from the bow.

It looks like it’s outfitted with a trolling motor as well.

Well, trolling motors have become more and more popular even on offshore boats as they serve as anchors. You set the GPS and it secures you in place. But we specifically designed around the trolling motor so you can actually store it away when you’re not using it. That was a feat in itself because it’s 107 inches long.

There must be no wasted space on this boat.

There’s not. I sat down and thought of all the problems I’ve seen with boats in the past. We started with a clean sheet and solved all of them. I listened to everyone I could possibly speak of as well as hired great engineers.

It sounds like your ideal buyer is a boater who wants to do more with less, someone who prioritizes versatility and conveniences over the cost and complications of owning an additional boat.

Yes. I saw this with my parents’ generation. As their businesses got better and better, their boats got bigger and bigger and they just got tired of that. When you have too many toys, it becomes another thing to manage in your life. We also designed the boat to be towed with a full-sized SUV or a half-ton pickup so you don’t have to go out and buy a vehicle to tow. For a real high-end buyer, I think it makes a great yacht tender. You can tow it behind a yacht, but once you get where you’re going, you don’t have any restrictions (with the Catch 27).

You told us about your background in finance and venture capital, but you grew up on the water and worked on a marina and apparently, you never lost that interest.

The whole time I was working as a white-collar guy, while my colleagues where playing golf all weekend, I was getting itchy with fiberglass working on boats. (For Catch Boatworks) I decided to put my business acumen to work with my boat background.

So your first facility is based in Jupiter. What prompted your expansion to Stuart.

There’s a better pool of employees because many live in Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce where the housing is cheaper. Plus, (in Palm Beach County) the commercial real estate is more expensive. Martin County is a hub already and Troy McDonald from the BDB has bent over backwards to help me. I wasn’t getting any of that in Palm Beach County. I was looking there originally, but it’s just so much better for us to come up here.

The Catch 27 is almost ready for market. Do you have any other designs in the works?

For now, I’m just going to stay in my niche. A lot of boat manufacturers make the mistake of never meeting a boater they don’t want to sell a boat to. I’m just going to stay in my lane and do this better than anybody else. We’re making captain’s grade standard—making what a professional captain would want, standard. That includes lithium batteries, fresh- and saltwater- wash down, jack plate, good electronics package, digital controls and switching. The best of the best in the boat world. You pretty much pick your colors, and you’re done.

Learn more about how the Business Development Board of Martin County supports local businesses at www.BDBMC.org