Jones Brothers Marine, the Outer Banks Builder Guides Swear By

A retail counter that turned into a factory

Rob and Donnie Jones learned what local anglers needed by selling them boats. Their Morehead City shop moved plenty of aluminum jon boats, and customers liked the broad, flat platform for chasing speckled trout, flounder and reds. What the brothers did not like was how quickly those metal hulls broke down in the choppy sounds behind Cape Lookout and the southern Outer Banks. Their solution, introduced in 1989, was a molded fiberglass flat-bottom they called the Bateau, borrowing the name of the Louisiana workboat.

Rob's key contribution was a short skeg along the centerline, which lets the flat hull carve a turn instead of skidding across the water. The skeg is still on every Bateau, now offered in 17, 20, 23 and 25-foot lengths, and the boats work for duck hunters, oyster harvesters and families on lakes as well as for anglers. A flat bottom also needs modest power, which keeps running costs low.

Into V-hulls with help from the guides

Soon after the Bateau, the company added a second line for the rougher water beyond the inlets. The Cape Fisherman series uses a sharp-entry V that flattens toward the stern, a compromise that rides better than a skiff in a short chop yet stays stable for anglers casting from the gunwales. Local saltwater guides tested early boats and pushed for changes, and that feedback loop is still part of the brand's identity. Sizes today run through the 18, 1910, 20, 23 and 26.

Our Cape Fisherman 23 review covers the model guides most often choose in this line, a roomy boat for a charter party that can still slip into skinny water. Its hull geometry, power rating, tankage, standard and optional equipment, and price history are all detailed there.

Construction, dealers and reputation

Around 2008 to 2010 the brothers retooled the plant to take wood out of their hulls, and the factory now describes its boats as fully hand-laid and composite, with injected foam flotation. Options are fishing-driven, such as poling platforms, T-tops, casting decks and livewell lean posts, and power is Yamaha across the board. The company keeps distribution deliberately small, with a handful of dealers along the East Coast; past and present names include Burleson Marine at home in Morehead City, Suffolk Marine Center on Long Island and Monahan's Marine south of Boston.

The reputation is that of a workboat that happens to be pleasant to own. Guides run them hard for years, buyers from the Carolinas to Massachusetts know the name, and clean used boats tend to sell quickly. The one big caution concerns age.

• Establish whether a hull was built before or after the move to all-composite construction
• On older boats, moisture-test the transom and stringer system
• Look for stress cracks on gunwales and the bow from years of charter work
• Check the mounting points of T-tops and poling platforms
• Give the trailer a full inspection, since most of these boats live on one