Step-hull center console, walk-around cuddy, traditional deep-vee center console: Dusky does it all. (Puddle is from a South Florida deluge that arrived an hour before our visit!)
June 04, 2025
By Jeff Weakley
For this installment of BoatWorks, our occasional series on boatbuilding, Florida Sportsman staff visited the Dusky factory in Dania Beach, Florida. We rounded up with company president Mike Brown for an exclusive interview and factory tour. A family business since 1966, Dusky is a factory-direct boatbuilder, which means you, the buyer, select the hull you like and the options you want.
Hardtop or stringless soft top? Pull-up cleats or hawse pipes? Outlets for electric reels? Custom livewell? Outriggers? Washdowns? Scuba racks? Anything a Florida angler or diver could envision, there’s a near-certainty the Dusky team has seen it and knows how to install it for maximum utility.
Dusky boats are three-piece construction, which has a lot of benefits. It means the hull, deck and top cap (flat surface above the sides of the boat) are built as separate pieces and bonded together. This offers a solid ride with minimal flexing of the hull. It also enables maximum use of deck space, as the liner is pushed directly against the hull. In a two-piece design, the deck, liner and top cap are molded as one piece, dropped into the hull and secured to the hull with screws and/or adhesive. Two-piece construction, done right, can yield good performance and longevity, but the three-piece system is time-honored, highly desired on the re-sale market, and yields many advantages.
The ultimate “garage” boat? Classic Dusky 17 Open Fisherman, at home on bays and backwaters. The Dusky three-piece design allows for usable space under the top cap around the boat; even on relatively small boats, you can store rods or gaffs against the insides of the boat safely out of the way. You can also walk confidently around the boat and lean into the gunnels without compromising your stability. The cap makes for convenient, trouble-free installation of rodholders—and the rodholders drain onto the deck, not into the bilge compartments or flimsy drain tubes.
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All the modern Dusky boats are wood-free, built with full composite stringers, bulkheads and transoms. Dusky builds a wide array of boats, from the Dusky 17 Open Fisherman, the iconic “garage kept” saltwater center console, to the Dusky 33, a high-performance step-hull offshore platform rigged to the gills in the XFT Tournament edition.
The 33 is now offered with an updated top cap that debuted at the Miami International Boat Show in February, with nonskid surfacing around the cap and a landing pad for a bow-mount trolling motor. In between are inshore platforms like the Dusky 218 Bay, hybrid-class boats like the 242, and even classic walk-around cuddies, like the Dusky 278 FAC (Fish Around Cruiser). The company also builds commercial workboats and oceanic research vessels.
Touching up top cap on a 278 Open Fisherman being built as a dive boat for Boy Scouts of America. BoatWorks: Dusky Distinctive Florida Sportsman staff tours the Dusky Boats factory in Dania Beach, Florida. Company president Mike Brown shows how these smooth-riding, dependable boats are built and outfitted to anglers’ specifications.
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What’s neat is all this stuff—lamination, plumbing, wiring, finish work, repair work—goes on not in some remote backwoods facility but basically right in the heart of Broward County, minutes from Fort Lauderdale International Airport. The factory is as accessible as the consoles and compartments of the boats they build.
Dusky Sport Center, the shop next to the factory, is a “Florida waypoint,” a place to visit, not only to learn about the boats and begin an order, but as an excellent fishing tackle and marine supply retailer in its own right. Sure, you can outfit a brand-new Dusky here, but you can also outfit whatever boat you currently own.
Dusky 33 Tournament fishing boat. Dusky Sport Center is a Suzuki and Yamaha repower specialist and sells parts for Suzuki, Yamaha and Evinrude engines.
Check out the full Dusky specs, pricing and Build a Boat options online at www.dusky.com. To learn more about Dusky Sport Center, visit duskyonline.com . Or just drop in at 110 N. Bryan Rd., Dania Beach, during open hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.
Dusky president Mike Brown with Chowder. Over the years, numerous Dusky models were featured on Florida Sportsman Best Boat TV; episodes can be viewed through floridasportsman.com or on MyOutdoorTV (myoutdoortv.com ).
This article was featured in the May 2025 issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe
