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Fishing
Rhyde, Sally, Rhyde
Working the bridges will bring good results
At a glance
Keys fishing tournaments
Florida Keys tide table
Rhyde, Sally, Rhyde
I've been hustled by more than a few boat salesmen: “This boat does it all! Floats in 3 inches of water! Can handle a 3- to 4-foot chop! Stealthy quiet on the flats! Ultra-light and easy to pole! Can jump up on plane in a foot of water with only a 70 horsepower engine! Oh, and catches fish like crazy!” Every savvy boat buyer knows there are always tradeoffs. If the boat handles rough water well, then you will probably lose some draft on the flats. If the boat is ultra-quiet on the flats, that means it is usually a rough and wet ride running over open water. If the boat floats in 7 inches of water, then watch out if it blows more than 15 knots because you will pay for it on the ride home. Well, I think I've found the boat that not only claims that it does it all, but backs it up with unconventional looks. It's the Rhyde and it is produced by the Seminole Boat Co. Her dimensions: 23 feet long; 60 inches beam mid-ship, 40 inches at the transom; 70-horsepower max rated; cruising speed 24 to 28 knots (top speed at 40 mph); and a dry weight with no engine of 650 pounds. The Rhyde's draft at rest is 3.5 inches with two anglers aboard. The draft while running at cruising speed is 7 inches required to clear the skeg. She jumps on plane at less than 5 mph and, with trim tabs down, needs no more than 10 inches of water depth to do so.
For those captains who have the dangerous beginning fly-fishing clientele, how about 20 feet separating the guide from his client while stalking bonefish? Sure would cut down on the diving down and trying not to get nailed by a wild fly cast. “I take two clients fly fishing and with the proper positioning of the boat, two anglers can fly fish at once,” Gorton says.
“The forward casting table, what I call my fatigue fighter, is built out of 1 1/4-inch polished anodized aluminum with a fiberglass deck with a carpet top all built by myself. It also has a flush-mount receiver to hold a chair for the angler who has bad wheels or no wheels at all. “I also have a sissy-bar/leaning post which can be added to brace an angler to help take a little stress off of them for standing all day, especially in rough conditions. All of this is removable for those purists who just want to stand on a bare deck. Everything mentioned weighs just 9 pounds total.”
“I think skiff guides should think about adding a second station to their skiff. If two anglers are on board, you normally have them standing on a cooler or the back bench and they get in the way. Some captains ask for the second angler to sit and stay out of the way, which isn't much fun at all for that guy. My skiff is a natural for everyone to get involved.” Fully rigged, ready to go with center console steering, 70-hp engine and a trailer, the Rhyde lists for $38,000, making it comparable to most other technical poling skiffs. Gorton sells his custom-built casting platforms and can be reached at 304-0906. The contact info for the Seminole Boat Co. is (954) 249-6288. Cal Sutphin hosts ‘Reelin' in the Keys' from 7 to 10 a.m. weekdays on radio station WFFG 1300-AM. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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