Described as a basic fishing skiff, the 16-foot Dragonfly Emerger from Dragonfly Boatworks in Vero Beach, FL, fills a lot of boat shoes at the same time. It can serve as a tender, family skiff, technical poling skiff, duck-hunting craft, or just about anything else a small-boat user can think of.
The Emerger was designed by Mark Castlow, who grew up in sunny South Florida, and enjoyed the typical pursuits of boating and surfing as a youngster. As a teen, Castlow started working with fiberglass to make his own surfboards—and eventually—boats. Castlow was at one time a co-owner of well-known builder Maverick Boats, but found being at the helm of a big boatbuilding business was not exactly his cup of tea. Missing the challenge and individuality of making custom boats, Castlow sold his interest, and started making the Dragonfly lineup. The company’s motto is “Building one of a kind, one at a time.”
Castlow pointed all of his experience toward the design of the Emerger. Made of vacuum-bagged composites, her hull is lightweight (500 pounds) and economical to power. Her bottom design is unique, with a small planing pad and a pocket that direct a clean flow of water to the prop. And while many small boats go flat at the transom, the Emerger keeps some deadrise all the way back. This lets the Emerger handle chop far more smoothly than many boats in her class and track very well when poling. A sharp bow with a spray rail knock down mist and spray.
Her freeboard and cockpit depth are above-average for a 16-footer, but she still floats shallow. The 16-foot Emerger’s draft (loaded with anglers, gear, and fuel) is in the true five- to six-inch range. By the numbers, the Emerger is 16 feet long with a top deck maximum beam of 69 inches and a maximum waterline beam of 59 inches. Standard fuel capacity is 18 gallons, but you can go larger or smaller to suit your needs. Top-end speed is around 30 mph with a 25- to 30-horsepower outboard. Those who want to run like a scalded dog can strap on a 50 and pull kids in tubes. Published reports show that at 20 mph with standard power, the boat burns only 1.45 gallons per hour, which computes to 13.8 miles per gallon. The Emerger's (light) weight makes her a good choice for those needing a sporty tender.
According to Castlow, “We can match the gelcoat to any Awlgrip color, so your tender can match your yacht! We can use a vacuum-infusion process to save more weight for those who need it, and we have beefed up some Emergers with a towing bridle so they can be hauled behind larger vessels.” Dragonfly Boatworks can copy the look of teak, but without maintenance, through an emersion process similar to that used to make synthetic “wood grain” gun stocks. Of course, real teak is available for trim as well. If you like to hunt, you'll want the lockable decoy and shotgun storage. The quiet hull sneaks up on birds just as well as it does fish. If you like to hunt and fish, you can get the cleats and rigging black powder coated so nothing will reflect the sun and spook your game.
You can get a center console or you can steer with the tiller. If that is not enough, the team at Dragonfly will try its best to make anything you can think of. Standard equipment even includes a magnet laminated under the glass to hold spare hooks and flies. If you’re looking for a tender, flats skiff, hunting boat, or just the best-looking, best-riding small skiff on the market, check out the Dragonfly Emerger, and then watch them build one for you. If you like the quality and innovation but want a slightly smaller craft, the new Marsh Hen is worth a look as well.
by Kendall Osborne