Project Dreamboat - DNC 23

Father and son duo Scott and Sean Dunnuck of Stuart were looking for a one-of-a-kind project, and that's exactly what they got. "We figured it'd be the perfect project for Sean and I to work on together," said Scott. While down at a friend's warehouse in Miami, Scott stumbled upon a shell of a boat that seemed to have promise. "My friend had brought the boat back from Casa Vieja Lodge in Guatemala, but the boat was originally built in San Jose, Costa Rica, under the 'DNC' name. Come to fine out, there were only two of them ever built." After working a deal almost a year later, the boat was brought home and the project had begun.

Built in 1984, the all-wood construction of the boat required some serious attention. The deck was completely rotted, and needed to be redone, on top of many other things. The hull had been painted by the previous owner; the rest of the work was left in their hands. Once the new deck was laid and glassed in, along came the daunting task of fairing the boat. "We probably went through two gallons of Awlfair, taking us almost three months to finish," said Scott.

Once done with that step, Jr. and Sr. painted everything inside. After checking out a 23 Albury with an ice blue deck, they opted to go this route, giving it a "Bahamian feel," stated Sean. There was no console when the boat was purchased, so the Dunnucks found one at their local marine surplus store. Shooting for a clean, no-frills fishing boat, the helm layout was all business. The T-top idea was dismissed, as Sean wanted to keep with the sleek looks, and also to get under the local train bridge when it is down.

The boat originally had transom wells and was powered by twin 70-hp outboards. When the Dunnucks got the boat, the transom had been enclosed. They wanted to add a motor bracket, but with a rounded transom, a standard bracket wouldn't fit. A custom-fit fiberglass bracket was made, paired with a 150-hp four stroke Suzuki outboard. This combination allowed for increased performance and fuel economy the Dunnucks were looking for. Scott has recently acquired Gamefisherman Custom Sportfish Boats, and Sean plans on lending a helping hand, following in his father's footsteps.