Florida's Forgotten Coast
He guided the Keys for 7,500 days.
Then he started building the boat he wished he'd had.
Harry Spear has been building technical poling skiffs since 1978. He shaped the plug for every hull he sells, by hand, before a mold ever came off it. Light, quiet, dry, and nothing on board that can break.
- 7,500+
- days guiding the Florida Keys
- 40+
- major tournament wins
- 1978
- year he built his first skiff
- 47
- years refining the same hull philosophy
Why people buy one
It is a tool. That is the entire idea.
There's nothing to break
No vacuum bagging, no resin infusion, no systems you cannot see. Every skin is laid up by hand while somebody is looking right at it, so you know it was done right. It is a tool, not a show boat.
“The simplicity of his boat is what calls me to them, because there's nothing to break. It's a tool instead of just something fancy that you're buying and putting in the water. It's actually something that's going to work.”
Tom, on why he bought
He designed it himself. With his hands.
The other builders hired naval architects. Harry built the plug for every hull he sells, upside down on a strong back, starting with the transom, then the keel and the stem, then the bottom, faired out by hand until it was right. Then he pulled a mold off it. Most companies in this business copied someone else's hull and changed a couple of things.
“That is one reason why I went towards yours. You were the one that did it. You didn't hire somebody to design this thing. You made that boat for a purpose.”
Tom, on why he bought
Whatever meets the water is the boat
The rest of it is decoration. Where the surfaces intertwine with each other determines what a boat is going to do, period. Plenty of skiffs out there look spectacular and ride wet and chattery because the bottom is wrong. You cannot see that at a boat show.
He'll talk you out of the wrong boat
Harry designs niche-specific. Each hull is built for a kind of water and a way of fishing. If what you want is not what he builds, he will tell you so and lose the sale.
“I've had three or four people call me up and say I want one of these, and I go, that's not going to work for what you want. I'd rather not sell you a boat than sell you something you aren't going to be happy with.”
Harry Spear
The boats
Five hulls. One philosophy.
Jireh 17'
Newest designThe lightest skiff Harry has ever built.
- length
- 17'
- beam
- 55"
- weight
- Under 200 lbs
- draft
- 6"
The Evergladez
Canoe shallow, and dry in a chop.
- length
- 17'8"
- beam
- 70"
- weight
- 350 lbs
- draft
- 6"
The Evergladez Guide
NewerThe one built to carry two grown men and not complain.
- length
- 18'
- beam
- 76"
- weight
- 450 lbs
- draft
- 7"
The Gold Cup
The stable one. More boat under two people.
- length
- 17'
- beam
- 74"
- weight
- 400 lbs
- draft
- 9"
The Legend
Sixteen feet, 250 pounds, six inches of water.
- length
- 16'
- beam
- 68"
- weight
- 250 lbs
- draft
- 6"
Or something that doesn't exist yet.
Harry has built one-offs since 1978, and not all of them are poling skiffs. He is known for 17 and 18 footers, but he has built as big as 25 feet. If what you need sits outside the range above, that is a conversation, not a dead end.
See a 25-footer he builtFrom the people who work off them
“If I were describing my Evergladez skiff to a friend, I would tell them that she's dry and stable and with a touch of the trim tabs she cuts thru the chop smoothly. Once we start fishing, you'll find her quiet and shallow and very nimble.”
Evergladez owner
“If I had to sum up my experience with the skiff you built for me in one word, the word is grateful. Why grateful? Because there really isn't anywhere to go to have a fishing tool as powerful as this built. The production companies do build some great boats, but over the years they have added more and more bulk to their builds, getting away from their roots. In spite of all the claims of space age, lightweight materials, the result is heavy boats that won't get as shallow or pole as easily and effortlessly. My Spear is a mind blower. It does all of those things so much better, all while running fast and keeping me and my anglers dry and comfortable. That's why I'm having you build me a second skiff! The word is grateful. Thank you, Harry, for the unique opportunity to own a skiff that has opened up so many new experiences for me and my clients.”
Spear owner, ordered a second
“When I got my captain's license in 1995, there were only a few great poling skiffs on the market. Over the years, I've been able to own and guide out of five amazing poling skiffs made by five different boat manufacturers. As hull design and construction materials changed, each skiff excelled in some aspect, but there were some things I didn't like. Two years ago, I searched again for the perfect poling skiff for my home waters. I needed ultra shallow draft, quiet and effortless poling, stability, the ability to fish two clients, have a soft/safe ride and have top speed over 35 mph. That sounds like an impossible list, but I can honestly say that the Evergladez model custom made for me by Harry Spear does all those things extremely well, in one package. The man knows how to build an amazing fishing skiff! It doesn't have a bunch of fancy hatches, but it is the BEST poling and fishing skiff I have ever owned. I've had three other seasoned fly fishing guides pole and fish out of my Evergladez and they all were amazed with the effortless poling, crazy shallow draft and fishability. Check one out and you decide.”
Evergladez owner, licensed since 1995
The queue
Fifteen to twenty boats a year. On purpose.
Every hull is laid up by hand, two boats on the floor at a time, by Harry and a couple of buddies. He keeps the queue short deliberately, because a builder who owes you a date and cannot give you one is no good to anybody.
He is currently booking into spring 2027.
Start a build conversationHarry walks you through all of it on the phone first, and no money moves until you have both talked and you are sure.
Not ready to call?
Leave an email. You'll hear when Harry has room, when a new hull comes out of the mold, and not much else. Harry is not a marketer.