I am excited to announce an ownership transition and exciting changes at Atlas Boatworks. Starting in Spring of 2024 Atlas Boatworks will resume production of the 23F, a 23′ center console fishing boat inspired by the old Flatback fishing boats from the 1960’s. Our focus moving forward will be exclusively on making the 23F the best-built and most practical inshore fishing boat available. If you are up for reading more, here is the long version of the story and an introduction to me (the new owner).
Atlas Boatworks: The unofficial history
Atlas Boatworks was founded in 1986 (That’s right, way back in the 1900’s) and historically built downeast-style boats out of a shop in Cape Coral, Florida. These boats were beautiful and custom-built for each customer. In the almost 40 years that he was building boats, the founder, Tom Gamso, built over 300 boats. In the late 2010’s, recognizing a trend of people spending $50-$100k to restore older flatback-style fishing boats, Tom decided to design and build his own, modernized, version and the 23F was born. After extensive testing and seatrials the 23F was added to his line of downeast-style boats in 2018. In 2023 he decided that he was ready to retire and sold the molds for the downeast-style boats to, quote, “A guy in the Northeast.” (Sidenote- if you are that guy and would like your name or a link here just reach out). That left him with the molds for the 23F and a chance for the fishing gods to shine down on me.
Atlas Boatworks: The next 37 years
In late 2023 (roughly the same time Tom decided to retire), I found myself with the opportunity to totally rethink my career. How many people get a chance to re-decide what they want to do when they grow up? Well, that’s exactly what I got and I knew my next steps would involve fishing and/or boating. I had previously reached out to Tom after I saw the business listed for sale and discovered that it was 45 minutes from where I grew up (Which was cool), but mostly was about the downeast boats which I just wasn’t that interested in (Less cool). A few months later, I reached back out only to discover that all the molds had been sold, EXCEPT for the 23F, which was actually the only one I was interested in. A lot of research, financial modeling (I love a good spreadsheet), wondering if this could be real, and a 31-hour cannonball run-esque drive to get the molds and bring them north led us to where we are now.
I am excited to continue the legacy that Tom started when he opened Atlas Boatworks all those years ago. Offering a customer-first approach combined with the best materials and a great design is what we will continue to stand for. The characteristics of the 23F that make it so beloved in Southwest Florida will undoubtedly benefit fishermen here in North Carolina and everywhere in between. I grew up drooling over this exact style of boat and the thought that I now get to work on them every day is sort of surreal.
Lastly, the Carolinas have their own storied history of boat-building and I am so grateful to those who have advised me along the way. I have owned and worked on boats since my childhood, but making a career of it is a big step. Specifically, the amazing people at Johnson Custom Boats, Carolina Boat Company, Meister Integrated Composites, and the ABYC have been especially helpful.
I look forward to the opportunity to build your perfect fishing boat.
Sincerely,
Jon Davis, Owner
Atlas Boatworks
The mostly official history of Jon Davis
I grew up in Southwest Florida with an absolute love for fishing and boating. My first boat was purchased when I was 12 with lawn-mowing money. I kept it on a canal off the river that ran through our small town and essentially had free rein to come and go as I pleased. Well before I could drive, I was riding a beach-cruiser bicycle with a 6-gallon fuel tank strapped to the cargo rack back and forth from my house to the boat. From Wiggin’s Pass on the south to Big Carlos Pass on the north, Estero Bay was my playground. Through undergrad and grad school at the University of Florida, a move to North Carolina, and a decade-long career in operations, e-commerce, and digital marketing for a national specialty retailer my love for boats never diminished. Through the years, I’ve owned jon boats, flats skiffs, ski boats, canoes, and at one point, over 100 kayaks. Currently, most weekends that aren’t spent shuttling kids to sporting events are spent dragging them around behind our older Mastercraft.
