Every fall the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, billed as the world's largest in-water boat show, brings the most admired boats on the water to one set of docks. This year, from October 28 to November 1, we were walking those docks when the boat that stopped us turned up on a laptop screen instead. It was being built right there in Fort Lauderdale by St. James Boatworks, and it is coming to Texas.
The St. James 24 Express, seen from above. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
The boat that stopped us
A young aficionado on our team found it first. While the rest of us walked the docks at FLIBS, he was on his computer, and he came across a St. James online that was being built in Fort Lauderdale. He called us over to his screen. It was the St. James SJ-24 Open. We spend our working lives around fine boats. We knew what we were looking at.
Our first call was to the builder. The man behind St. James is one of the most talented boat builders we have ever met, and everything that stopped us on that screen, the fairing, the joinery, the teak, comes from his hands and his standards. After that conversation, the decision was easy: St. James is coming to Texas.
One of the finest boats we have ever seen, down to the last detail. It caught our eye. It will catch everyone's.
This is not a production boat. Every St. James is built to order and finished by hand, shaped and faired by the people who make it rather than turned out on a line. It is top tier in every detail: the instrument panel rises out of the console at the touch of a switch, and the teak is your choice, genuine or faux. It is built for the owner who wants the best, and wants it to show. Pull up to the dock, or to a restaurant on the water, and it will be the finest boat there.
Detail you can see, and feel
Look closely and the story is told in wood. St. James lays its decks in teak and finishes the helm pod and hand rail in teak to match. Teak is offered two ways: genuine teak, for the owner who enjoys the ritual of caring for it, or faux teak, which keeps the look with less upkeep. On a St. James, the wood is not trim. It is the signature.
Teak decking, shaped around the hatches. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
The helm pod, finished in teak. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
Built like a yacht
Beneath the finish is the engineering. St. James builds each hull, deck and hatch in vacuum-bagged composite, bonds the structure with aerospace-grade adhesive and hand-fairs every surface to yacht quality. Hardware is 316 stainless steel throughout, and the cleats sit flush until you need them. Owners choose from five hull colors: stark white, fighting lady yellow, ice blue, midnight blue and sea foam green.
Plumbing, valves and pumps visible through the clear access hatch. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
It is also built for shallow water. St. James lists drafts of 8 to 10 inches and describes its boats as redefining the sport of shallow-water gamefishing. On the bays and flats of the Texas coast, that matters.
The St. James line
St. James builds in two lengths, 20 and 24 feet, each as an Open center console or an Express. Every one shares the same construction, the same teak and the same finish.
The SJ-24 Open with T-top, seen from above. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
The SJ-24 Open with T-top is the one to see first. The top is finished underneath in teak and shades a helm of teak seating, so the wood carries all the way up. It is also where shade begins: the T-top is the frame for the shade package we will make for it.
The T-top, finished underneath in teak. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
Teak helm seating under the T-top. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
The SJ-24 Open with T-top, at rest. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
The SJ-20 Open. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
The SJ-20 Express helm. Photo courtesy of St. James Boatworks.
| Model | Length | Beam | Draft | Seats | Max hp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJ-20 Open | 20 ft 2 in | 8 ft 4 in | 8 in | 7 | 200 |
| SJ-20 Express | 20 ft 2 in | 8 ft 4 in | 10 in | 4 (6 with optional forward rumble seat) | 200 |
| SJ-24 Open | 24 ft 4 in | 8 ft 5 in | 10 in | 8 | 350 |
| SJ-24 Express | 24 ft 4 in | 8 ft 5 in | 10 in | 8 | 300 |
Specifications as published by St. James Boatworks.
A builder with a purpose
The company takes its name from James, the fisherman who put down his nets to follow a calling. St. James Boatworks carries that story off the water too. Throughout the year it works with non-profit organizations to provide food, shelter, clean water and education for orphans and widows in the Caribbean. It is a builder that measures itself by more than the boat.
Delivered complete
Every St. James we deliver in Texas will come complete, with a cover package and a shade package made by Canvas USA® for that boat and ready to go. It arrives protected, shaded and finished, the way a boat of this caliber should.
Coming to Texas
St. James is coming to Texas, and other sizes will follow soon. We will announce the models, the details and how to order here first. To be among the first to hear, speak with our team.
Photography courtesy of St. James Boatworks, stjamesboats.com.
About Canvas USA®
Canvas USA® designs and manufactures canvas and vinyl products Built For You for life at home and on the water: retractable awnings, drop screens, outdoor cushions, Boat Covers, bimini tops and enclosures, made to measure and delivered to customers across the country.
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