Pete Markantes and his son Jason built DAWN PATROL for hunting, crabbing, and fishing in the waters of the Pacific Northwest. Their Honker is one of Sam Devlin’s suite of small, hunting-oriented outboard-motor boats. Its broad cockpit and stable garvey-style hull make for a workhorse of a boat, and its straightforward construction allows novice boatbuilders to create a functional, adaptable craft that can accommodate a group of fishers or hunters.When I asked Pete, “Why not just get an aluminum jet sled, like everyone else?”, he smiled. “It’s the customization.” A home-built boat is not at all like a factory-made model, where buyer is stuck with features decided upon by the manufacturer. Even as they were building the boat, Jason put a lot of thought into outfitting it. “I just stared at it in the garage. What if we put a second depthfinder over there, and a rod holder there…?”

The customizations to this Honker keep fishing gear readily accessible and out from underfoot. Just visible to the helmsman's right is an additional cutaway in the aft deck to accommodate a trolling motor.video and photographs by the author

The customizations to this Honker keep fishing gear readily accessible and out from underfoot. Just visible to the helmsman's right is an additional cutaway in the aft deck to accommodate a trolling motor.

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