Founded in 2000 by a partnership between boatbuilding legend Buddy Cannady and charter boat captain/builder Billy Maxwell, BB Boats quickly found a market for its traditionally built, Carolina-styled hulls.

During a career spanning 30 years, Cannady has built boats ranging in size from 16-foot skiffs to 58-foot sport-fishers while all of the BB Boats launched thus far have been between 55 and 59 feet.

 

In the tradition of the Carolina builders, we loft our boats ourselves, and we use the experience of actually fishing these boats in some of the roughest conditions, combined with the many, many hulls under our belts, to achieve a smooth, dry, efficient ride.

Using the same building techniques that have proven effective for Carolina builders since the mid-1900’s, BB Boats are double stick-framed, juniper-and-plywood planked. While we build boats the same way pioneers such as Warren O'Neal did, advances in technology are always welcome in our shop. We use high-tech materials such as Gougeon Bros. epoxy, AB fir plywood and Knytex 1708 bi-axil fiberglass cloth. The technology and new materials continue to offer positive changes, but the main goal of the BB Boats team is to stick with materials that have proven themselves in terms of both performance and cost.

The balance between power and the overall weight of the boat is critical to a boat’s efficiency. Our boats are known for their seaworthiness; the compromise lies in the weight of the engines versus the amount of deadrise engineered into the design. By building with the “architect” of over 100 hulls BB Boats clients are ensured quality, comfort, economy and performance.

 

Our situation is unique to the Carolina Builders, in that everyone who works at BB Boats are also active captains or mates at the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center, running fishing charters from April through at least November. Therefore our boats must be made available to the owner in one winter’s time. This time-restraint contributes to the overall lower cost of our boats.

While seven months may seem a short amount of time to build a custom Carolina sportfish, an honest rapport with our clients makes customization simple. In our timeframe we have built all the finer attributes that Carolina yachts are known for; just not all on one boat. Delivery date, in our case, is a top priority and in order to have a Carolina sportfish within a year we work closely with our clients to determine which upgrades are paramount to their enjoyment and in keeping with their budget.

 

Cannady and Maxwell strive to uphold the long tradition of the Outer Banks boatbuilders and build boats that not only look good, but are built to last. “We provide a good price, on time delivery and classic Carolina-styling on a boat that's built to last for many years to come” states Cannady. Our goal is to work closely with our buyers to map out what they want on their boat, versus what they can really use (and maintain) -- as well as the affordability in terms of fuel efficiency”.