The 1991 Hewes Bonefisher Project

For Sale - 1991 Hewes Bonefisher

Living in the Florida Big Bend area, we're blessed with easy access to great inshore saltwater fishing, more specifically for redfish and speckled sea trout with opportunities to catch cobia and flounder. Grass flats and oyster bars are plentiful and the fishing is less than a 45-minute drive from home. With retirement on the horizon, I began searching for a boat that would allow me to spend time on the water. 

I've owned boats in the past. I've had a 20' Robalo and a 20' Mako, mostly suited for trolling and deeper water. I've also owned a couple of 16' skiffs, but my dream boat has always been a flats boat with a center cockpit, a poling platform, wide gunwales to make it easy to walk around the boat with a fish on, and a generous casting platform on the bow and the stern.  

A few weeks ago, I found a 1991 Hewes Bonefisher flats boat for sale on consignment at a marina on the St. Marks river. Owning a Hewes has always been on my bucket list but their price tag always put them in the not-likely-to-ever-have-one category. But the asking price on this one was better than expected and this was the right time of the year to hunt for a boat - with winter here, a lot fewer people are looking to buy a boat.

 

The Minn Kota Riptide trolling motor

I decided to make the trip down to St. Marks to take a look at the boat. I was suspicious of what its condition would be given what I believed to be a relatively low asking price but after spending a couple of hours looking it over I concluded that it was definitely worth consideration. It was equipped with a 2003 Mercury Saltwater 115HP 2-stroke engine with low hours, a Minn Kota Riptide trolling motor powered by a relatively new Interstate 12V deep cycle battery stored in the bow hatch (with a Minn Kota barttery charger), and a Garmin EchoMao CHIRP 54cv Depth finder/GPS/plotter. The hull was in great shape but the interior had various cosmetic issues. In short, she was no beauty queen but very serviceable as is.

The 115 HP Mercury and the poling platform

Next, I spoke to the mechanics at the marina about the condition of the engine. I learned that the engine had been completely overhauled before the prior owner lost interest in the boat. The poling platform had also been refurbished with a new frame. It all sounded good so I made plans to return and take the boat out for a test run. 

I returned a few days later for the big test - on the water. During the outing, some minor issues were apparent - the GPS/Plotter was mounted in such a way that it interfered with the throttle - I could only push it forward slightly more than half way before it hit the unit. The depth finder feature wasn't working because the transducer wasn't configured right, the anchor light didn't work, and the fuel gauge was stuck on "E". But the engine ran like a champ and I had her going 35MPH in the channel at 3/4 throttle after I took the GPS off the bracket. 

I mentioned the issues to the marina and was told all items would be resolved. I made plans for a return trip and sure enough, on the second voyage, everything worked perfectly. It was now time to haggle. I made an offer on this baby within my meager budget and after a week it was accepted. The Hewes was mine. Now I had to decide whether to just use it as is or take on a new project - the cosmetics. 

The cosmetics in need of TLC

Among other things, the non-skid material on the gunwales were in need of attention, there were various holes all over the console and the hatches, and there were three damaged speakers on the front of the console that served no purpose since there was no radio. The deck floor was stained, the rod racks beneath the gunwales were unusable, and the GPS had to be moved to make way for the throttle. I knew I could do all that was necessary to turn this sow's ear into a silk purse so I decided to undertake the transformation. 

Next up - the work begins....