Carolina Boat Building Legacy Continues With OBX Boatworks
We had the pleasure of having our company recognized on by Coastal Carolina Fisherman Magazine regarding keeping the tradition and legacy alive.
OBX Boatworks and owner Brad Flater have succeeded in combining the best of multiple worlds when it comes to building boats.
While we seem to be living in a world of great focus on the future, we many times place less importance in the value of our past. These values can be found in many areas like the craftsmanship found in furniture once made in the mountains and Piedmont of North Carolina that’s been lost to foreign lands like China. If you look a little closer you’ll find that there are still places where that high level of pride and commitment to great craftsmanship is still alive and well. One of those places is OBX Boatworks in High Point, North Carolina. It may not be located on the Carolina coast in places with names like Manteo or Wanchese but its beginnings and roots are certainly there.
OBX Boatworks and owner Brad Flater have succeeded in combining the best of multiple worlds when it comes to building boats. He’s been able to combine today’s modern boat building technology with the classic designs of a true Carolina boat that was designed by Master Boat Builder Billy Dupree and finished it off with the craftsmanship of the North Carolina furniture makers. The OBX take the best of these worlds and brings it all together with a finished product that any boat owner would love to call his or her own. The boats’ designs feature the signature Carolina flare commonly found in boats from the North Carolina Outer Banks. A designed created to enable the boats to respond to the larger waves of the Carolina Coast. The interior features of the OBX boat is filled with a number of techno features that are standard on an OBX. Items like enhanced lighting systems and navigational packages. Most noticeably, each OBX is a far cry from your basic sport fishing boat with interiors and finishes that are breath taking. This feature was made possible by Flater’s utilization of the local furniture artisans that remained in the area after the furniture industry exodus. Their level of craftsmanship and expertise will compare the OBX boat to a million dollar yacht in most cases.
Flater’s expertise as a Naval Architect brings new processes to the great Billy Dupree Carolina design with the use of infused hulls which are not only stronger, but environmentally friendly. The best thing that Brad brings to the boat building table is his passion and love and respect for quality. Quality of the past and present. He respects the traditions and designs of those boat builders before him and rather than trying to create a new hull design, he’s taken a classic and added beauty and technology. These are all factors that makes the OBX boats sought after by a select group of boat owners. The OBX owners see their boats as an investment and work of art. This boat is designed and built with the boat purest in mind. Each boat is built around the owner’s taste and character. The detail reflects the love and attention of not only Brad, but that of its designer and the talented people that build it. The cost? Far less than you would think for a custom built boat with the features of an OBX.
OBX Boatworks is far more than a boat builder. They represent the continuation of North Carolina’s precious boat building heritage with the help of the state’s furniture craftsman and wholesome amount of technology to make it even better. When you see it you’ll know it by the way it rides proudly on the water with a certain grace and nostalgic look.
