CAB Yachts

One of the first things visitors to Splinter Creek notice is the sense of calm and quiet that envelops the property. The three pristine lakes add to the peacefulness, attracting birds that land gracefully on the water, and turtles that swim to the surface to say hello.

And while the lakes exist for recreation as well, Splinter Creek’s owners wanted to make sure the waters remained serene, even while residents enjoy boating and fishing.

To help achieve that goal, Splinter Creek turned to Charles A. Bodree Jr., owner of custom-boat outfitter CAB Yachts. Before getting into the boat business, Bodree, who is based in Pensacola, Florida, was an architect for more than 20 years. He grew up on the Gulf Coast with a deep love of the water, and although he didn’t launch CAB Yachts until 2011, it wasn’t a new concept to him.

“I’ve been designing and building boats all my life. I come from a French-Acadian family in New Orleans,” Bodree says. “You don’t have to dig back very far to find boat builders in my family. I built boats with my father when I was a kid.”

He spent about two years designing and perfecting his line of custom wooden skiffs, racers, and yachts. Bodree’s boats are between 12 and 41 feet and are traditional yet enhanced, solid plank-on-frame construction, best for cruising, adventuring, and fishing.

“People who know about and appreciate wooden boats know that they provide a smooth, quiet, soft ride,” Bodree says. “It’s vastly different [from fiberglass or composite construction]. The enhanced methods we incorporate greatly improve the performance and maintainability.”

His skiffs are designed with the sportsman in mind. “One of the things that we noticed early on in looking at kayaks is that they’re so lightweight and that it only takes a slight breeze to blow them around,” he says. “We intentionally designed these boats to deal with the cons that we saw in typical contemporary kayak construction.”

The beam of his skiffs are wide enough to allow the user to stand up to fly fish, making them ideal for the navigating the calm waters and coves of Splinter Creek lakes. “They’re so quiet in the water, it’s really very easy to sneak up on fish,” Bodree says.

CAB Yachts is offering a complimentary custom color palate to Splinter Creek residents, as well as free boat delivery to Splinter Creek. For more information, visit CAB Yachts.