"As the dreamer of dreams and a traveling man I have chalked up many a mile"
Jimmy Buffet, 1978, Son of a son of a sailor.

In a previous life, if there is such a thing, I firmly want to believe I was a Viking. My wife Angie insists that the closest I  ever got to being a Viking was when I was in high school. We were the Vikings. My seventeen year old son Joey joins his mother in this rebuke.

Farley Boat Works manager and shop master Darrell Lynn says, "This is Port Aransas, you can be anything you want to be. You want to be a Viking, you’re a Viking."

The 15 foot boat my son Joey, and I are building will retain all of the core features of the Texas skiff style that has been around for 100 years. Along with some of the volunteer boat builders Pat Farley, Jim Johnson, Denny Larkin, James Travis and Bubba Milina we have kept the transom at it’s tallest possible height along with the front stem where later an ornamental object can be attached.

The open gunwales remind me of an earlier time and the custom hand carved front breast plate by Jim gives the boat a decided Viking look. 

Port Aransas Historical Association’s Rick Pratt reconstituted the Farley Boat Works in 2011 to bring boat building back to Mustang Island. Since then 16 other boats have been built. They range from the classic Texas skiff to 20 foot long center consoles. Our boat is number 17. Not all have reached the water yet though.

The original Farley Boat works was established by Fred Farley about 1916 and carried on by his two sons, Jim and Fred where as a youngster Bubba would learn the craft that enabled him to build more than 50 boats of his own. At 95 years old Bubba is still helping and actively building.

First we built then assembled the key pieces of the all mahogany boat. The parts included the plywood transom, the solid stem, and the plywood sides. The transom is reinforced with 4 large solid trim pieces 5 inches wide and 1 ½ inches thick that run from side to side and top to bottom.

After attaching the plywood side board forward and aft the mahogany inner rails each nearly 16 feet long are screwed and glued to the side boards. With the help of a spreader jig we began bending  these magnificent pieces of wood. These chines provide both the side support and the area to which the floor boards will later be attached. To provide additional stability a splash rail is attached in the same manner attaching to the stem and the transom on each side of the boat.

Next with a reciprocating saw the excess stem at the bottom of the bow was trimmed. With a steady hand the shape of the boat is traced out on a 15 foot 8 inch long plywood sheet. Using a circular saw the shape is cut out then screwed and glued to the bottom of the inner rail. The boat now has a keel.

Laying of the keel is a momentous occasion in every boat build. It was fortuitous that on this day Charlie Fisher, the Port Aransas Harbor Master was to launch his Farley boat for the first time. Even if the shop had air conditioning and was the lap of luxury everyone there would still have ventured down to the boat launch to congratulate Charlie on his boat.
The Dragon Fly is as iridescent bright green as anything on earth. The center console fishing boat is both artwork and craftsmanship.

A robust crowd gathered as Charlie eased his creation off it’s trailer into the murky water near the ferry line. A few anxious moments and a surge adrenaline later Charlie was in gear. And so was his build partner Ken Curlee who raced in flip flops to extend his foot just in time so the bow he spent over 100 hours painting would miss connecting with a nearby dock.

A few minutes later the pair headed out into the ship channel and raced back and forth to the delight of the Farley crowd gathered on the harbor jetty. Filled with enthusiasm for our own build we headed back to the tin building that held our dreams.

Remember the boat at this point is upside down to attach the keel so it must be flipped upright. This always provides a few anxious moments. One larger boat required the assistance of the mechanic crew from Nolan’s Marine.
Once flipped two more long rails, the gunwales, must be attached to the outer edge of the boat, the rear transom and the front stem.  These too must be glued, screwed and manhandled into place. They provide structural stability, something to grab onto and the elegance of mahogany. On the floorboard a full length pine plank 6 inches wide is attached to give more stability. Later another matching plank will be bolted through the outer keel to absorb any punishment the local waters might dispense.

Darrell Lynn likes to keep his shop fun in spite of the heat, the cramped. So following lunch one day we all had fried ice cream. While eating our encrusted honey dripped desert Darrell asked. "So who wants to go rowing? I think we need a break."

Back at the shop we loaded row boats onto trailers and set out for the harbor. Joey and James Travis managed to navigate around the yachts, cruisers and fishing boats while Darrell and Jim headed out to the ship channel.

As the week wound down we were anticipating the weekend break. But even though we were off for the next two days the best little boat building crew in Texas met up at some beach dive to hear one of our own take the stage.

Denny Larkin will never be mistaken for Ted Nugent or Willie Nelson but that night playing guitar, singing and wearing a Hawaiian shirt he was the Farley Boat Works version of Jimmy Buffet. In Port Aransas you can be anything you want. "Son of a son, son of a gun, son of a son of a sailor."

Next installment we will begin customizing our Texas skiff.