SPORT BOATS
Boat builder focuses on
shallow-water craft
Company involves customer during boat construction
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TREASURE COAST BOATING
PHOTOS PROVIDED
A kayak designer for years, Dragonfly Boatworks co-owner Jimbo Meador enjoys a sunset moment on his Osceola stand-up paddleboard. The folding boat,
below, is great for someone who wants a bigger boat and stilll be able to keep it in the garage.
BY GREG GARDNER Dragonfly Boatworks has carved its own niche in
the shallow-watercraft market with its custom
flats boats and stand-up paddleboards designed
for fishermen.
Just a long home run from the practice fields of
Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Dragonfly builds custom boats to
order from 14 feet to 17 feet, involving the customer in almost
every step of the process. “Our theory is the customer becomes
part of the operation,” said owner Mark Castlow, who
has been building surfboards and boats since the 1970s. “It’s
like getting a fine suit custom made for you. We measure you
for the height of the console. It’s like a custom-made house
built to your wants and needs for fishing. We get buyers as
involved as we can. You can’t smell the resin over the Internet,
but you can see the progress on your boat. Large companies
don’t have that relationship with their customers.”
Dragonfly paddleboards are designed for fishing, with
fixtures to bolt down a cooler that also works as a seat. An >>