Just a few of the dozens of letters we have received from satisfied customers.... Well we have had our 23 HT for a year now. We put 220 hour on the new Suzuki 175 this year. Didn't get out as much as we would have liked, but we have to pay the bills. I didn't want to send a report until I really used it. We fished from New Bedford MA to Martha's Vineyard. The boat handles well, and is very forgiving. Had it out in 6-7 ft seas several times and never worried. I love that big bow. My brother is a retired commercial Fishing Captain, and he is just in love with the boat. He Captained 100 ft scallopers and knows a bit about a sea worthy boat. The 175 is perfect for me. Top end speed is about 32 kts. I cruise at 18-20 and it uses hardly any fuel!!! Once a figured out the trim and speed combo for the 3 ft chop we normally have in buzzards bay I was happy with the ride. A bit bumpy in a coming sea. But, the boat just doesn't care in a following sea. I come home from the Islands in 3-4 chop that is following and I do 20 kts the entire time in. That is about a 18 mile ride. I plan on doing some part time chartering this year if my schedule allows it. Capt. Dan Hughes, Cape Cod, MA First off, as an ex-Coastguardsman and professional waterman for decades, we knew what we wanted when we ordered our boat. The boat we got was exactly what we wanted. We work in Lake Superior, and this boat is perfect. It has increased the number of workdays on the lake by at least a third. Secondly, we know you are interested in weather, so here's a couple of pictures of a place where the weather is interesting. Last month we were working about 12 miles off Whitefish Point, where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. About 7 in the morning a storm from the southeast met another one from the northwest. That's why we have one of your boats. Thanks again!" Dave W., Pinconning, MI "It was truly remarkable; we were traveling easterly from Stellwagon Bank to Green Harbor, MA cruising about 28 to 30 knots. The water was laying down after blowing 15-20 knots most of the day. We were talking about Buzzards Bay and all the shallow spots and rocks people hit and all of a sudden, WHAM out of no-where, it felt like landed on a potato. I knew this couldn't be, because last time I checked, rocks don't float and we were in 100+ feet of water. What we did hit was a 4X6" piece of lumber 12' in length laying just beneath the surface. This of course made me worry about what damage I was going to find when I pulled the boat. I lifted the motor and it was fine, no damage. We landed atop of the piece of lumber and broke it in two with the hull if the boat. When I pulled the boat in Green Harbor, I crawled under the boat to inspect the hull, not a scratch. I couldn't even tell where the boat hit the piece lumber. I'm sure if I still had my fiberglass boat, at least a couple of batches of gel coat would have to be mixed up" Michael Perra, Green Harbor, MA "Thanks again for the great boats! Last summer I went out confidently into what was supposed to be just gale force winds, only to get caught in what was later reported to be 70-100 Knot hurricane force gusting winds. Despite the monstrous waves, vicious gusts and air so full of spray and blue water that it was literally tough to breath, the boat performed perfectly. The 12 mile downwind trip ended safely in the Skagway Harbor with the boat no worse for wear. While I don't plan on ever intentionally braving such weather again, it's nice to know that the hull will perform well if I ever should get caught in such an Alaskan maelstrom again" Ned Rozbicki, Alaska "I just wanted you to know how much I appreciate the boat you built for me. Anyone that sees it is amazed, especially other boatbuilders. When I'm pulling the boat down the highway people passing give me the thumbs up as they go by. Its smooth, sleek appearance is only a plus, the handling ability in these Northern Pacific waters is the truly impressive part of owning your boat. I am truly proud of showing this boat to other fishermen. You have been wonderful to do business with and your company is producing a safe and beautiful product." Charlie Bryant, California "We went out about 20 miles today in our boat and ran into some rough seas. They were about 3 feet and were coming in about 10 feet apart. The boat handled them without a problem. I was expecting a rough ride but found that the boat did not come down with the same force as the Grady did. The Grady would come off a 3 foot wave and hit solid. I was surprised when I did not get the same ride with the Pacific. The boat also tended to throw water out to the side eliminating overspray all over the boat. You have one satisfied customer!" Maurice Auxier, Louisiana and Indiana "The boat you built for me is the boat of my dreams! All the options and extras we talked about were added with no miscommunication or regrets of any sort on my part. Ken said that you build the best quality and most functional boat he has ever seen and he has fished the Sound all his life. Thanks for the professional and quality way you completed my boat." Larry Westing, Washington "Just wanted to write and thank all of you for both my great boat and the superb way the buying process was handled. I've owned more than 15 boats in my lifetime - Cabo, Grady, Whaler, etc. and I wanted a boat that would simply let me fish with no headaches, no maintenance but still performing well. Your V23WA allows me to fish 150 days a year in all weather, in all conditions and when I get back to the dock I simply hose it down. I love my boat - I can't imagine going back to glass. Thanks." Bill Garrison, New York Yes, I still love the Pacific Skiff (and the 115 Yamaha 4-stroke). It has been perfect for me. It's safe, functional, fast, reliable, durable, and it looks good. I can take it offshore or I can use it on the shallow flats. Of course, it's also nice to own a boat which usually draws a crowd at the boat ramp. I still haven't seen another one in Florida. Dan Long, Florida (West Coast) Thanks for the great surf (storm) from Washington this past weekend!!! It was a perfect test for the boat. We went out and found the seas running 9-12 feet (no form) with a solid 20 mph wind out of the Northwest. It was a perfect "check-ride". The storm wasn't here yet, but the waves were, and the weather was still very nice before the fron came through. It was 72 degrees and sunny (gotta' love it), but quite windy... The weather folks were saying waves would be near 20 feet, but they didn't materialize where we were running. We were the only recreational boat out past the breakwater, besides the commercial boats (very few), and the local chapter of the Coast Guard was keeping a close eye on us as we went out to sea. The boat handled perfectly; no real difference from how it handled "normal" seas, but had to slow down a little to keep from going completely out of the water. We were running around 30-35 mph depending on the angle of attack we took on the wave sets. The hull of the boat cut through the waves (more like surf) with very little pounding as I would expect under those conditions, and it did an excellent job throwing the water away from the boat no matter how nasty the surf action was. Even with a "no form" type of waves it did an excellent job keeping on track and staying dry. With my past experiences riding on other boats, in lesser conditions, I assumed it would be a miserable ride. This "check ride" further reinforced my confidence in how the boat WILL handle a bad day on the water - the only limitation was my bravery to keep the throttle down and line up the next set. Great boat!!! Richard El Cajon, CA I have a 1925- totally indestructable. Beach it, bang it, whatever. Almost maintenance free. The best part is the sealed deck. Although it leaves you with limited storage, you never have to worry about a bilge pump. Doesn't hurt either to own the coolest looking boat around- I never take it out without drawing a crowd. Chris G. Mandeville, LA I brought my boat home for the winter last week. It got too cold too early so I called it quits. Of course it's been mild ever since, but we had a lot fun, and caught a lot of fish. The boat has worked out great, I'm very pleased. We found it very seaworthy with plenty of room for three big guy's fishing all day. We all would bring our own coolers, tackle/gear, and three or four rods each, always brought a big ice chest for the keepers, and we rarely got in each others way. I put 170 hours on it. I must say we put that boat through all kinds of seas. It really earned it's stripes. We were out there often with the big boy's and sometimes needed to remind ourselves were only a 20 footer. I kept it in Yarmouth and fished Nantucket, Monomoy, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod bay, and around Race Point. We can handle 2-4 seas with no problem but very often 2-4 turns to 3-5, not fishable, but we get through safely. It's a great size to trailer, easy off easy on. Cleans up easily, we run it through a car wash at the end of the weekend fill it with fuel and were ready for our next trip. Ken N. Yarmouth, MA and Rutland, VT Black Lab Marine, Inc. 72 Lafayette Street Yarmouth, Maine, USA 04096 Email: info@blacklabmarine.com Phone: 207-400-7404