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BALLIE WHO III – THE BOAT
The Ballie Who III is a 46′ Custom Carolina Convertible Sportfish and was built by Warren O’Neal, the “Father of the Modern Day ‘Carolina Boat’ with assistance from the one and only Omie Tillet. The boats built in the Outer Banks were a reflection of the men who built them. The remote nature of Roanoke in the 1950s and 1960s created a strong bond between the charter captains, many of who built boats in the winter, and their unique environment. The captains built boats that were designed to surf Oregon Inlet, take the headseas on the way offshore, and come home as economically as possible.
O’Neal’s Boat Works was located in Manteo and the boats featured 20 degrees of deadrise in the bow and tapered down to an almost flat stern, giving a combination of big sea ability with a good speed-to-fuel economy ratio. Buddy Davis, no small player on the Carolina boat-building scene himself, credits O’Neal as the father of the Carolina sport fishing boats.
“You’d be wrong to say it didn’t all begin with Warren,” Davis said. The flared bow was taken from some boats being built at Harkers Island, but Warren developed the sharp entry and the flat stern section.”
The Ballie Who III is one of 20 boats built by the infamous Warren O’Neal. The boat held the record for the first 1000lb + Blue Marlin in NC waters. Many tournaments wins, including the 2002 BBC, were recorded on this boat from the Pacific to the waters of OBX. The previous and current owner of this boat both caught marlins on their first trip out in their new boat.
The 46′ Ballie Who III has been updated and upgraded continuously with a very recent major lift. She was repowered with Cat C9’s and cruises at 25 knots. The interior has a nice air conditioned salon with large sofas, flat screen TV forward and a full galley. It is a proven sea boat and fish raiser.
CREDIT IS GIVEN TO OBX Boat Builder Legacy, The Carolina Flare and Yacht Broker for excerpts of the history of this boat.
Book NowCAPTAIN MIKE
Captain Mike looks forward to the opportunity to share with you the joys of fishing in the Florida Keys aboard the Ballie Who.
A WORD FROM CAPTAIN MIKE
Fishing and generally being on the water has always been a huge part of my life. I grew up in the small town of Ponce Inlet, Florida, where inshore and offshore fishing and surfing were the main emphasis of everyday life.
I was Captain of Hard To Find out of Ponce Inlet, Florida. Captain of Brittany out of Boca Raton, Florida, and Ocean Reef Sporting Club, Key Largo, Florida, and Captain of Post One, Tethered to Dorthea (149’ mother ship). Homeport Bikini.
I have fished, both offshore and inshore from New York through the Florida Keys, the Bahamas and the Caribbean as a Captain and as a Mate.
CAPTAIN MIKE’S QUALIFICATIONS
Master 100 Ton Captain’s License
Towing Endorsement Assist
Radar Endorsement
Enrolled in the Maritime Consortium
It is customary to tip the crew a minimum of 20% to show your gratitude for a job well done. Thank you.
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