Business View Magazine
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manufacturer built the first fiberglass one.
“Today, we’ve evolved from that little homemade ply-
wood scooter into what we have now: a specially de-
signed technical boat that skims across eight to ten
inches of water. Our top of the line 25-foot boat with
nine-foot beam sells anywhere from $75,000, all the
way to $120,000, depending on how you equip it. It
rides like a dream; it goes shallow; it’s dry; it has all
the bells and whistles you could ever want on a boat.
So, we’ve gone from the scooter to this sophisticated
fishing machine and everything in between. We sell
shallow water flats boats, specifically made for the
Texas Gulf Coast. The majority of our market is sports
fishermen.”
Today, The Sportsman sells three different lines of
shallow water boats, all of which are manufactured
regionally on the Gulf Coast. A fully equipped 18’ flats
rig starts at under $35,000 and can fish up to four
fishermen. The dealership’s main supplier is Shal-
low Sport Boats, a 32 year old boat manufacturer run
by another 3rd generation owner, Wes Hudson, and
located a mere 35 miles from San Benito. Shallow
Sports unique “quadrahedral” hull displaces water un-
der the boat rather than outward. Because of its dis-
tinctive hull design the Shallow Sport far outperforms
other boats in terms of shallow water hole shots, sta-
bility, and smooth and dry ride. The two 3rd genera-
tion owners joined forces in early 2000, with shared
philosophies that have served them well. “That’s key
– to bring two highly respected companies together
though branding,” says Youker. “It’s a very powerful
market tool that brings significance and exposure to
both companies.”
