Fish Brothers Marine Service - Enduring Value

 

Thirty-four years ago Pete Fish started on his quest for enduring value in building boats. From a boat shop in Alabama to a thriving business in Queensbury, New York, Pete Fish has always had one quest. He says, "I wanted to know." He wanted to know how a boat was built, how it ran, and what made it endure.

 

Today, Pete and his two brothers, Bill and Dan, operate Fish Brothers Marine Service, a boat building and restoration service near Lake George, New York. His business has been at the same location since he began in 1996. He had worked earlier for Hacker Craft in Lake George, as did Bill and Dan. When Pete was at Hacker, he saw the likes of Sister Syn and Baby Bootlegger. Around 1982, Hacker began to build reproduction boats and Pete was hooked on building reproduction boats, not just restoring wooden boats.

The first boat that Pete built when he started on his own shop was a 16 foot racing runabout called "38 Special". The boat was so popular, he immediately received orders for 4 more of the same type. Fish Brothers Marine Service continues to build custom boats according to the purchaser's desires. While Pete says that some builders think it is heresy to deviate from a predetermined set of plans, he is willing to customize as much as the owner's desires and pocketbook allow.

How do they do that? Pete says, "I've done everything there is that goes into a boat." Since he was 19 years old, being around boats is all he's ever wanted to do. His first job around boats was with a garden hose and steel wool scrubbing a bottom. He has taken every piece of a boat apart, replaced every part in a boat, restored boats and built boats. His philosophy is to pay attention to the details. Quality workmanship and first-class materials are part of every project. However, Pete states, "Excellent materials are not a substitute for workmanship." The years of experience that he and his brothers posses, and their attention to the details, differentiate them from other shops.

Pete enjoys working with his family members. Not only do his brothers work in the shop, but his wife, Connie Fish, provides the back office support. "Working with family, you have a synergy of talents," according to Connie. When the brothers first started the boat shop, beginning in their garage, Connie was running a day care center out of their home. It was important that everyone respected everyone else's needs and trusted their judgments. "When you work out of your home, trust is an important component in the business," says Connie.

 

Fitting in with this model is Pete's approach to a new project. "We build a boat with your money, not our money, not the last guy's money or the next guy's money," says Pete. Based on my own experience with the hull I commissioned for "Compulsion", Pete got the project done on budget and ahead of schedule. Pete says he knows how to plan a project so that the schedule is maintained. After building as many boats as he has, he can accurately estimate the cost of the project as well.

 

In addition, once a boat is built, he doesn't just deliver the boat and drive off. He makes sure the owner becomes familiar with the operation of the boat by taking the owner for a test ride. Then, if there is anything that does not meet the owner's satisfaction, it can be immediately dealt with and resolved. "There's a difference between workers who build boats as a hobby and a professional boat builder," as stated by Pete. Pete believes this is how he has built his reputation and allowed him to remain in business when many other boat builders no longer operate.

 

Pete has seen how boat building and selling has changed on Lake George over the years. While Lake George has seen many original boats remain in the area, Pete says this appears to be changing. Today, he believes that there are only 3 of the historic 30 foot Hacker Craft boats that remain on Lake George. The others have either been sold to purchasers in other parts of the country or they no longer exist. If you ask Pete, he can name every detail on any Hacker that was built while he worked at Hacker Craft. He is a fountain of knowledge on the subject.

According to Lou Rauh of the Antique Boat Center, reproduction boats that are well built and perform well, will retain their value over the years. Lou should know as is a dealer for  the Fish Brothers boats, west of the Mississippi. Pete says that some of the boats he has built have actually increased in value with each sale.

 

Last year, Pete built a 26 foot gentleman's race boat for himself. He started by going to the Adirondacks Museum to look at the original El Lagarto. The original boat was designed and built by John Hacker in 1922 as a V-bottom semi-displacement craft named Miss Mary. After a change in Gold Cup racing rules, the owner George Reis shingled the bottom and renamed it El Lagarto - The Lizard. He chose the Spanish name because of his affinity to the Southwest where he spent his winters. It was the Hacker boat that won the most races. Pete chose this later version upon which to base his reproduction. Today, the Fish Brothers El Legarto bears the Gold Cup number G-18 and stands ready and proud to run. It is a beautiful reproduction that stays true to the original with star rivets and half inch mahogany planking over 4 mm Acume mahogany. Pete had Clausen Instruments craft the dials and instruments to look just like the originals. The pale gold colored bottom is a stunning touch.

Whether it is restoring an original 1929 Hacker designed boat called Roaring Twenties or building a reproduction race boat from scratch, Pete Fish and his brothers not only get the job done on time and on budget, but they do it with enduring elegance.

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