Story
CHAIRMAN OF CRAFTSMANSHIP
“By doing so we were, and are, all playing a significant part in safeguarding a vital part of our history, capturing a moment before it is swept past by changing lifestyles, capturing the outlook of an era when lives were enriched by the limits and strengths of the materials and energies they had to work with: wood instead of plastic, muscle instead of electricity, hand tools guided by knowledge of the craftsman instead of power machinery.” – D.W. Fostle, Speedboat
In the wake of the industrial revolution of the 1920s, there was a brief era when new manufacturing techniques and inspired design combined to create boats that were a work of art, not a victim of bland standardization. At Fitzke Boatworks, the spirit of that era is alive and well through master craftsman and boat designer Kevin Fitzke.
Here the business of building wooden boats is bespoke. Each modern classic is the product of Fitzke’s meticulous research into time-honored elements of construction and style. Along with centuries-old blueprints, back issues of Motor Boating and vintage boat literature, the Fitzke library continues to source a broad study of practical inspiration – from the technical complexities of naval architecture to the hallmarks of pre-war automobiles and airplanes.
Fitzke fortifies his homage to Prohibition era boat-building with modern methods, favoring the latest in cold-molding techniques and handheld CNC technology. Sealed beneath two-part marine finishes and in-house stain formulas, are various kinds of first-class grade mahogany, selected with judiciousness by Fitzke himself.
