5 Coolest Custom Projects of 2024

Maybe the best part of working in project management at Boat Outfitters is getting to see customers’ visions for their boats transformed into reality. Boat owners call us with ideas — sometimes meticulously thought out, sometimes barely formed — and our project managers partner with them to design and build the custom parts that bring those ideas to life. It’s always fun, but some projects really stand out. We asked our project managers for their favorites from the past year in order to come up with the list of the coolest projects of 2024.

This customer had barely taken delivery of his new Robalo R250 center console when he reached out to Boat Outfitters to discuss designing a custom tackle center to fit under the aluminum leaning post. An avid salmon angler, he needed lots of room for downrigger balls, flashers, rigging supplies, lures, and more.

At 25’3” long with a 9’2” beam, the R250 is a spacious, comfortable, capable boat, but salmon trolling is a gear-intensive pursuit and additional dedicated tackle storage was urgently needed.

We first worked with the boat owner to design the main tackle unit, which comprises four drawers, slots for four 3730-size and 10 3700-size Plano tackle trays, four knife slots, and a top rigging surface that lifts to reveal three large bulk-storage cubbies

But there was still unused volume under the leaning post forward of the new tackle cabinet, so we also built a free-standing shelf unit with two 36” x 13” shelves accessible from the front. And, in case more tool storage was needed, we designed a rail-mount tool holder for the back of the leaning post backrest with four pliers/shears slots, two knife slots, two drink holders, and numerous lure/hook holders.

Tuna tubes hold large, fast-swimming live baits like small tuna vertically with a constant stream of oxygenated water over their gills. Conventional tuna tubes, though, are costly, take up a lot of room, and typically require an involved, custom installation process. Bait Socks, from BigLiveBait.com, serve much the same purpose but are significantly less expensive and can be used inside many existing bait wells with minimal customization.

The customer for this project, an avid offshore and nearshore angler from Texas, wanted to be able to use Bait Socks to keep large baits alive when fishing offshore but also wanted to be able to use his large, oval bait well for smaller baits for nearshore trips. The solution was a removable “rack” machined from Starboard with holes to accommodate four of the conical, plastic Bait Socks.

When installed, the rack holds the four Bait Socks vertically against the aft wall of the bait well. When the Bait Socks aren’t needed, a V-Lock mounting system allows removal in seconds, leaving the bait well unobstructed for a load of croakers or bullet. Better yet, the V-Lock base is attached to the wall of the well with a SeaSucker vacuum mount, removing the need for any fastener penetrations through the bait tank wall.

These customers loved their World Cat 295CC but thought they could improve on the open bin storage under the gunwales in the cockpit, which were essentially junk collectors, filling up with a jumble of tackle trays, chum baskets, rags, tools, lures, etc. The catamaran’s sides, they found upon measuring, were just deep enough to accommodate 3600-size Plano-style tackle trays. So they called Boat Outfitters to discuss designing a tackle storage unit to replace the port-side bin.

The direct-replacement solution features a dozen tackle trays hidden behind three sealed doors, plus a deep drawer for larger items. All compartments are lockable, so tackle can be left on board between trips. Installation was as simple as unscrewing and removing the old open bin insert and screwing the new insert into place.

You don’t have to wait until it’s time for a refit to design a completely custom dash panel. This customer, for example, ordered his 2024 Contender 25T with a completely blank dash except for a row of push-button switches at the bottom so that he could custom-design it exactly the way he wanted it.

For him, that meant a black acrylic panel with hidden fasteners, a 16” Garmin display to port balanced by a same-size glove box to starboard, a 9” Garmin for engine and fuel information, a VHF, and a Fusion stereo head unit.  The final product was delivered with a precision wooden template that made it easy to cut the openings and drill the fastener holes.

Maverick’s 17, 18, and 21-foot Master Angler flats boats — built from the 1980s through the 2000s — are legendary for their ride and fishability. Like many flats boats and poling skiffs of the era, though, they were often delivered with carpet under the gunwales to protect rod and reels stored in the under-gunwale racks. The carpet served its intended purpose but tended not to age well, fading, fraying, and often growing mold and mildew.

Self-adhesive closed cell foam decking is a popular material to replace aging under-gunwale carpet, but this customer wanted to take it a step farther on his 2000 Master Angler 18, so he reached out to Boat Outfitters about custom-cutting a pad featuring the iconic Maverick logo plus a pair of stylized redfish tails. With a detailed sketch of the required shape, we designed a one-piece replacement panel complete with a CNC-cut Maverick logo and laser-engraved redfish tails, representing not only a functional upgrade but a major aesthetic improvement over the old carpet.