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1981 Hewes WildCat


wildcat

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I bought this boat about 3 months ago, i am in the process of redoing the vessel. I contacted joel and he told me the story about these boats.

I was hoping that anyone had any pics or knew where i can get some of similar boats. As far as i know there are only two left around. I have not been able to find anything other than what joel told me about the boat. So please if you have any helpful info p*** it on!!

thanks and god bless!

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this might give you some insight on the history of your truly rare machine....it's a quote from the bob hewes boats site.

' In the 1920s Bob Hewes father was a Packard dealer in Waukegan Illinois, but his p***ion was boat design and boat racing. After the 29 stock market crash the senior Hewes lost his automobile business then became a Johnson parts distributor and moved his family to Miami for year around boating. He opened a small boat and outboard shop at 841 1/2 Biscayne Boulevard, and a few years later moved to the Miami River. After the war the Hewes family became a Chris Craft and Mercury outboard dealer. When Bob Hewes got out of the Navy in 1945 he went back to work for his father running the shop and the parts department. In 1955 Mercury wanted more Dade County representation so the family opened the current location in North Miami and Bob ran the 7th Avenue store. It was here in North Miami Bob Hewes met a world champion fly fisherman named Lefty Kreh. Lefty invited Bob to go Bone fishing and in those days there were no flats boats. Lefty fished with a 13' Boston Whaler. It was after this experience Bob thought that there needs to be a better way to get bone fish.

At that time Bob manufactured two fibergl*** boat models, one was called the Tarpon and the other was a Wildcat. Most boats were made of wood and the trend toward fibergl*** was just beginning. It was from the Wildcat and the Tarpon that Bob invented the first true flats boat. There is a Hewes Tarpon and a Hewes Wildcat in the boat yard to this day as a part of Bob's collection. The original Hewes boats were designed for skiing since Bob's daughter was a national champion skier and skied at Cypress Gardens. The first Bonefisher had a 14" draft but after some modifications Bob got the draft down to nine inches. That was back in the 60s and of course many changes have taken place since that time.

One of the guides that fished the Hewes Bonefisher was captain Bill Curtis who is still around today giving fishing seminars at Outdoor World in Broward County. It was Bill Curtis that went to Bob Hewes and suggested that he build something to get up and see the fish and to be able to pole from and it was then the poling tower was invented by Bob with input from captain Curtis. A few years ago Bob Hewes sold his Hialeah manufacturing plant to the Maverick Boat Company which continues to modify and improve upon what Bob Hewes invented and built thanks to a fishing trip with Lefty Kreh. Other boat companies have come and gone since the sport has become so popular, but the Hewes is still the boat all others are measured by.

Bob Hewes can be seen at the major South Florida boat shows and is a wealth of knowledge about the boat industry throughout the years, in fact it was Bob Hewes, his dad, and some of his fellow dealers that got together and invented this thing called the Miami Boat Show. Bob is retired now and the store is run by his son in law Jim Wiborg and Lorrie Hewes Wiborg. Jim came to the company right out of college and bought it from Bob in 1988.

The company sells three of four times as many boats as it did in the 80's and is one of the leading boat retailers in the entire USA carrying such lines as Hewes, Maverick, Pathfinder, Angler,Twin Vee and ROBALO. The boat lines are for inshore and offshore fishing for the novice as well as the experienced boaters. The sales staff is experienced and will not high pressure the buyers into any boat that is not right for them. The mechanics and riggers are the best in the business!'

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thanks guys for the info, as of now the boat is all apart, i am in the process of repainting the topside and redoing the interior. when i bought the boat it had a walmart back to back bucket and piece of junk captains chair. I just purchased custom cushions for the rear(making a nice bench seat) and two white and grey captains chairs. I have new white and grey gauges white toggle switches and a white powder coated steering wheel. Since the boat is made for skiing i am going along the donzi sweet 16 lines for it. Since the bottom is painted i am repainting it green with a white boot stripe to go along with the graphics (hewes) and interior. Everywhere i take it people come up and ask me about it. I will keep everyone updated on progress!!! thanks again everyone for your input, its greatly appreciated!!!

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  • 1 year later...
  • 2 weeks later...

********BOAT IS NOW TORN DOWN, REMOVING MOTOR AND REGL***ING TRANSON THIS WEEKEND, WE DECIDED TO DO THE TOP DECK WHITE, LIKE THE ONE THEY HAVE AT THEIR BOAT YARD. WE ARE PUTTING A GREEN STRIPE DOWN THE MIDDLE TO MATCH HULL COLOR. I WILL POST MORE PICS AFTER THIS WEEKEND!!!*****

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  • 4 months later...
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