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A small Florida charter business has taken on a new project
Travis Anthony reports
GULFPORT, Fla. - Tucked away in the industrial building that overlooks the Trolley Market Square in Gulfport, you will find a place where dreams come true.
Samuel McDole comes from a family that loves being on the water. In fact, his grandfather is behind Hubbard's Marina in John's Pass.
"My family history is rooted around the water," reminisced McDole.
He pursued that history by creating the vessels to travel on our local waterways.
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"It's really cool to be able to build boats," he shared. But he acknowledged that it's not an easy process.
"My first boat was so overwhelming... I'm thinking how my goin' to do this on my own?," he asked, "There was a lot of beard scratchin'."
A diagram from one of Hubbard's boats
He's not alone. His team works together to craft each vessel with precision and attention to detail.
Their second boat was launched in February and is the MV Egmont Key Ferry.
"It's like you achieve this goal that's finally done, so you have to replace it with another goal," he admitted.
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That goal is the production of the third vessel for the fledgling business that manufactures boats right here in our backyard.
"It's going a little smoother each time," he shared with a smile. "We put love into these boats, I'm a perfectionist!"
To experience that craftsmanship on the water, you can take the trip to Egmont Key from Fort DeSoto and find more information by clicking here.