Dragonfly Boatworks LLC. - Emerger 16
Opening their doors July 2007, Dragonfly Boatworks LLC made a big wave in the custom skiff market. Carving that wave is the driving force behind Dragonfly Boatworks LLC, Mark Castlow. Mark is no stranger to water. As a Florida native and surfer Mark started his business venture as a surf shop owner and builder of Atlantis surfboards. His love for shallow water was fostered as a previous co-owner of Maverick, Hewes and Pathfinder Boats. Spearheading the Shallow Water Fishing Expo filled his time after MHP.
Dragonfly Boatworks LLC is driven by the ideal “Building one of a kind, one at a time”. Their lineup of skiffs includes the Silvershadow 17, Dragonfly 17, Grandslam 17 and Emerger 16. These skiffs share common design cues and attention to details. The crew at Dragonfly incorporates classic curves and lines that pay tribute a bygone era of sportfishing yachts. But don’t let the eye candy fool you; these are not just beauty queens. Each skiff is built to handle the day in and day out riggers of professional use.
I contacted Mark early in the am. I had a last minute opening in my schedule and wanted to see if I could check out the Emerger 16. Mark was more than accommodating in what would turn out to be the ‘wettest’ wet test to date.
I arrived at the rigging shop just after lunch. Mark graciously gave me a grand tour. He had two Emergers in the shop, one with a tiller deck cap and one with a center console deck cap. Each Emerger, like the rest of their skiffs, is built exactly to customer specification. Each skiff is assigned a webcam to follow it through the rigging process. Mark believes that ownership of a skiff starts before delivery.
The Emerger shares a lot of innovative features with the rest of the Dragonfly Boatworks line, which I have never seen on another small skiff. First is the drawer system for hatch storage. The drawers are built on two 250lb rated stainless steal ball bearing tracks. The drawers are sealed against water intrusion and have spring loaded locking latches. On the tiller model the port hatch has the battery and switch panel. To service the panel just open the drawer and remove the water proof cover.
Serviceability was a paramount to the crew. How many times have we spent weekends doing contortions like an Olympic Gymnast just to replace a fuse? Dragonfly Boatworks addressed this with easy to access accessories like the bilge pump assembly. Remove two screws and the entire assembly comes to you.
I have always loved the look of teak. Maintaining it, however, is another story. I was a bit concerned about how much teak I saw on the Emerger and their other skiffs. Well, the maintenance problem has been solved. There is very little to no real teak used on the skiff. In its place the crew has many of the stainless steel trim pieces sent out and dipped. The dipping process is very similar to the process used to put camouflage patterns on hunting rifle stocks. First, a film pattern is floated in a dip tank. Then a chemical activator is sprayed onto the film. The product is dipped into the pattern then set up to dry. Finally, a protective coating is applied.
After the tour and a chat to get a better idea of the company’s philosophy and build process, it was time to get out on the Emerger 16. Mark had his demo skiff in the water ready to go. The skiff is stable and roomy. The Etec 40 makes short work of planning out the Emerger and feels very well matched to the performance envelope of the skiff.
Mark navigated us to a nice little flat to test out the skiffs’ poling abilities. I offered to take up my office at the stern. Mark was all too gracious to fish instead of taking up poling duties. The platform is nice and large. There is plenty of room to move about without fear of taking an unscheduled bath. The stability is well matched to the size of the skiff. I found it pivots exceptionally well right at its centerline.
Even with a good breeze, generated by a wicked thunder cell, pushing on the starboard side the skiff tracked well. There was a bit of crabbing with the wind but little to no hull slap. It wasn’t till the fish saw our mugs did they spook off.
Turning into the wind I did a bit of power poling into the wind. Mark claimed he saw a tailing redfish… over that way. I still think it was tailing convicts (sheepheads) I was pushing us towards. The Emerger poled well and sent very little chop reverberations back into the water.
Unfortunately a bit of bad weather set in and we had to make a run back for the safety of land. It was a wicked downpour that soaked us all the way down to the core. Making this the ‘wettest’ wet test I have done.
I want to thank Mark and the entire crew at Dragonfly Boatworks LLC for their time, especially on such short notice. The Emerger 16 is a solid contender in the small skiff market that is designed to reflect a time less serious but more fun.
Cheers,
Capt. Jan
DRAGONFLY BOATWORKS LLC.
4574 North US1 Suite 11
Vero Beach, Florida 32967
phone: 772.567.8835
fax: 772.567.8836
web site: dragonflyboatworksllc.com
email: dragonflyboats@bellsouth.net
SPECIFICATIONS AS SUPPLIED BY MANUFACTURER
Specs:
LOA: 16'0"
Max Top Deck Beam:69"
At waterline Beam:58"
Draft:2 anglers w/40 ETEC 5”
Weight:Tiller w/40 ETEC 600lbs.
Fuel Capacity:Tiller 18 Gallons
Max Horsepower: 50
Standard Features:
Trim tabs
navigation lights
platform with padded backrest
push pole holders
bilge pumps
switch panel on drawer front
acrylic rod racks
MSRP: $24,000
Hull w/standard features, 40 Etec & Float On Aluminum trailer
AS TESTED: $26,000
