Sport Fish Pros Team Up

To Create A New Line of

Fuel-Efficient Sport Fish Boats

August 31, 2009 – Gainesville, FL – A team of expert sport fishing professionals has been formed to create a new line of fuel-efficient, classically styled sport fish boats. The

all-new Mirage Sport Fish Boats are being built in Gainesville, Florida.

Ken Fickett of Mirage Manufacturing and Trey Rhyne of Over Under Sportfishing have teamed up with naval architect, Lou Codega, to design and build a line of sport fishing boats that addresses today’s most pressing issues in the marine industry:

1) fuel efficiency 2) entry level cost and 3) cost of operation.

The first in the series of Mirage Sport Fish Boats include a 21', 32', and 41' model. The 21-foot center console is now available, the 32-flybridge-dayboat, is in her final stages of tooling, and the 41-foot convertible’s design is being finalized.

Ken Fickett founded Mirage Manufacturing in 1971, and over the years his Gainesville, Florida company has built high-performance MORC sailboats, a line of highly respected, offshore sport fishing boats, and the popular Great Harbour Trawlers. Fickett has also built a number of high performance aircraft for the Experimental market. His company has a reputation in both the marine and aviation industries for its use of advanced, high-tech composites.

Captain Trey Rhyne, who holds a 100-Ton U.S. Coast Guard Masters License as well as a Commercial Single and Multi-Engine Instrument Aircraft License owns and operates OverUnder Sportfishing, one of the largest sport fishing charter operations in the nation. (See www.fishou.com ) With fishing destinations that include the Bahamas, Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas, and the Canyons off New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland, Rhyne has a keen knowledge of what makes an ideal sport fishing boat.

Naval Architect Lou Codega is responsible for many of the industry’s leading sport fish designs including those built by Cabo, Regulator, Carolina Classic, Rybovich, Hines Farley and Mirage. A graduate of Webb Institute and M.I.T., his work also includes designs for the U.S. Navy.

A primary design objective of this new product line is to deliver superior fuel-efficiency, which will allow fishermen and charter captains to operate their boats at a lower cost than that of currently available sport fish boats. Achieving two to three miles-per-gallon at speeds in excess of 25-knots sets MirageSport Fish Boats apart from the competition.

“People have questioned our timing of this new model launch, considering the current state of the boating industry,” says Fickett. “But right now the market needs new, innovative ideas that address these issues of fuel-efficiency and cost of operation. I believe we have what serious fishermen and cruising families are looking for in a new boat.”

Rhyne agrees. “Our active charter operations are the perfect test bed for determining important criteria for a successful sport fish boat. It needs a dry, soft ride that enables it to reach offshore fishing grounds in rough conditions, and it needs to be able to get there and back without burning a lot of fuel. Collaborating with Ken and Lou, we’ve developed what we feel is a line of sport fish boats and family cruisers for the 21 st century.”

The new product line boasts a stylish, timeless design inspired by legendary classics such as the Rybovich 37 and Merritt 43. Each model features a Carolina flare, classic tumblehome and a sweeping Palm Beach sheer. The new Mirage Sport Fish Boats are a tribute to the very best of traditional, tasteful, sport fish design.

For detailed information about the new Mirage 21, 32 and 41, visit www.miragesportfish.com or call Eric Kraft, Sales Manager, at 352-377-4146.