Our Story
Long before the sport had sponsors and satellite tags, it had men chasing giants in small boats. The bluefin tuna—relentless, powerful, and unforgiving—pushed boatbuilders to evolve or be left behind. Towers, transom doors, fighting chairs, outriggers—none of it came from a CAD file. It came from necessity. It came from the hunt.
Builders like Rybovich, Merritt, Whiticar, and Jim Smith shaped the early bloodlines of custom sportfishing boats—fast, nimble, purpose-built machines built to take the fight offshore and bring you home again. They ran the Straits to Bimini, crossed the Gulf Stream to Cat Cay—sometimes 100 miles or more just to chase a single bite.
But as the fish moved—so did the sport. From Florida to Isla Mujeres, then down through the Pacific—Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala. And suddenly, the game changed. Fishermen didn’t just need speed and agility—they needed range, comfort, and a hull that could take a pounding and still be ready the next morning.
That’s where we came in. Release Boatworks was born from this tradition. We took the lessons of the legends and built something new: classic sportfishing design with modern performance, engineered for long-range offshore runs and real-world conditions.
Because legacy isn’t about looking back. It’s about building something that lasts.
01. Tradition
At Release Boatworks, we focus on mid-size custom sportfishing boatsbetween 36 and 66 feet for a reason. That’s the range where performance, fishability, and manageability meet. Big enough to handle serious offshore work. Small enough to be owner-operated or run with a tight crew.
These boats are throwbacks in all the right ways—clean lines, smart layouts, no wasted space. They’re a nod to a time when boats were tools, not toys. When you measured a hull by how she rode in a head sea—not how many TVs she had.
We don’t believe bigger is better. We believe better is better. That’s why every Release is built around the mission—putting anglers on fish, safely and in style.
02. Design
At Release, every build starts with input from the ones who know what works—offshore captains, tournament anglers, and our naval architect partner, Erwin Gerards.
We combine their knowledge with years of real-world boatbuilding experience to create sportfishing boats that perform in tough seas, turn heads at the dock, and stay comfortable offshore for days.
Big cockpits. Balanced hulls. Dry rides. Smart layouts. Whether it’s a 46 Walkaround, a 43 Gameboat, or a 55 Flybridge, everything is built with purpose—designed to fish hard and last forever.
