A STEP BEYOND: A CONSUMATE CRAFSTMAN DESIGNS HIS OWN.

What do you do when you’re a boat builder and restorer of renown? You take it to the next level and learn the art and science of navel architecture to design and build your own masterpiece. Kevin Fitzke, a 40-something Minnesota-based Riva restorer and master craftsman - also built the jaw-dropping gentleman’s racer, Bugbite. And now, he’s designing and building his own series of built-to-order gentleman’s racers: Miss Moonshine. But let’s step back a couple of years to tell you how Kevin arrived here.

While Bugbite was a modification of a historical Ventnor design, Miss Moonshine has been designed by Fitzke from the keel up. To do that, Kevin mentored under renowned naval architect, Michel Berryer, who designed 25 years of stunning crafts for Van Dam. Michel is easing toward retirement and is generously passing the torch onto a new generation of builders like Kevin. Fitzke apprenticed for over two years, learning the fundamentals of hull design, hydrodynamics, and specialized CAD design. As the renderings reveal, the overall hull design was inspired by the iconic designs of John Hacker and George Crouch. Classic and timeless in every detail but built with more modern techniques in ways that matter.

Each Moonshine series hull has an overall length of 23-feet, a 6-foot-one-inch beam, and a 19-foot five-inch running surface. Moonshine hits the sweet spot in size, proportion and with comfortable seating for two . It’s powered by a modified GM 350 with approximately 320 horsepower that is assembled by Fitzke. Frame construction is cold-molded Honduras mahogany that is hand laminated into each curve that creates the signature torpedo hull shape. Each frame is hand-beveled and the bottom portion is cut using hand-held cnc technology. The sides and deck are double-planked in Honduras mahogany and Spanish Cedar, with the bottom triple planked in Okoume mahogany.

So, how do you make all that mahogany planking fit perfectly into the complex curves of that torpedo shape? Fitzke built a perfect ¼ scale model, nearly six feet long, as CAD drawings can only go so far in terms of determining plank sizes and profiles. This scale model was instrumental is determining the plank sizes, dual-compound tapering and beveling in which each dimension is multiplied by four from the scale model to the full size.

But the wood is only part of the story. As Fitzke demonstrated on Bug Bite, the hardware, upholstery, and gauges are the crowning jewelry. Inspired by vintage watches and the dashboards in pre-war Grand Prix cars, Kevin has meticulously designed all the gauges and hardware himself. All the hardware is machined out of stainless steel and aluminum before polishing. Fitzke has also spent the last two years honing his upholstery skills and investing in vintage sewing machines. So, he also fabricates the classic tuck and roll upholstery and canvas cover.

The result is one very special craft… and singular experience. A moving piece of artwork, like virtually nothing else on the water. And the name? Well, if it isn’t obvious, like the spirit, Miss Moonshine can bring a lot of pleasure, but she’ll also be capable of delivering quite a kick.

Fitzke Boatworks is an A.B.Y.C. and U.S. Coast Guard approved boat manufacturer.

Only two hulls are built-to-order for each model year, with al-la-carte options for interiors, paint, wood stain, etc.

Please write for more information and to secure your reservation for model year 2026.