It doesn't seem like to a good time to start a new boat company, but Tuesday saw a giant step for Island Style Custom Yachts and founder Scott Quaintance of Ocean Isle Beach.
Quaintance's first vessel, a 42-foot sportfishing boat, hit the water in Ocean Isle Beach, a first for Quaintance, 36, a custom home builder.
“I've had custom boats built in Florida,” said Quaintance, who has a civil engineering degree from Clemson. “On one trip my wife Heather said ‘why don't you just build one?' ”
So, Quaintance spent the next few years studying the craft of building fishing boats in North Carolina, visiting Wanchese, Harkers Island and Morehead City. He also hired renowned marine architects Donald L. Blount & Associates for design duties.
“My boat has a moderate Carolina Flair [at the bow] and a rolling shearline, “ he said. “It also has a prop pocket [the twin screws are recessed into a tunnel in the hull], and it only drafts 38 inches, which is good for the shallower inlets.”
The express-style boat launched Tuesday is for sale at $950,000.
“Everyone tells me the boat has 70 foot of amenities in a 42-foot boat,” Quaintance said. “I have had people fly in from Florida and the Piedmont [to look at the boat].”
Go to www.islandstyleyachts.com for more information.
