Gillikin Boats?

[mdsportsman]

Looking for opinions on Gillikin Boats that are built in Harkers Island, NC. Does anyone have any information or experience with this boat?

[anthony]

Good boats! I have never owned one but I am very familiar with them. There are two Gillikin names out there and I am not sure what the relationship is...I am sure they are kin, James and Ricky Gillikin. I believe Ricky may have passed away due to cancer but I am not sure about that so maybe someone on here from that area can set me straight.

[ru4rl]

Good boats! I have never owned one but I am very familiar with them. There are two Gillikin names out there and I am not sure what the relationship is...I am sure they are kin, James and Ricky Gillikin. I believe Ricky may have passed away due to cancer but I am not sure about that so maybe someone on here from that area can set me straight.

You are correct. James and Ricky were brothers. Their Father, Vance Gillikin along with a friend, started East Bay Boat Works many years ago. A few years back Vance retired and James and Ricky decided to split the business in two. James Gillikin, actually my father, went with Gillikin Custom Boats and my Uncle, Ricky, keeping East Bay. In 2004 my Uncle died of cancer and now Ricky's wife runs the business. As for the quality, style, etc of the boats, I'll leave that to someone else to decide since I'm a little bias.

[blackwell50]

Nice rides.I have no experiance with these, but have looked at a few in the past weeks in my quest for a new boat.They appear to be very well built and are very pretty.

[TROPHY SPORTFISHING]

FISHED ON A 55 EASTBAY NICE RIDE PRETTY FAST, COMFORTABLE AND FISHED REAL WELL IN A ROUGH OCEAN. 3 STATEROOM 2 HEADS. WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 99 WITH 12V71 TI'S BOTH BLEW LESS THAN 100 HRS COVINGTON REPLACED THEM WITH 8V2000'S 900 HP. SHE IS A 28 KT CRUISE 32-33 TOP END . THIS BOAT WAS THE SISTERSHIP TO THE SEA MISTRESS. I CAN PROBABLY GET SOME PICS OF HER TOMMORROW.

[blackwell50]

FISHED ON A 55 EASTBAY NICE RIDE PRETTY FAST, COMFORTABLE AND FISHED REAL WELL IN A ROUGH OCEAN. 3 STATEROOM 2 HEADS. WAS ORIGINALLY BUILT IN 99 WITH 12V71 TI'S BOTH BLEW LESS THAN 100 HRS COVINGTON REPLACED THEM WITH 8V2000'S 900 HP. SHE IS A 28 KT CRUISE 32-33 TOP END . THIS BOAT WAS THE SISTERSHIP TO THE SEA MISTRESS. I CAN PROBABLY GET SOME PICS OF HER TOMMORROW.

12v71 blew up?Imagine that.

[TROPHY SPORTFISHING]

YEAH 900'S FIRST ONE THREW A ROD THROUGH THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE BLOCK. THOUGHT IT WAS A MAN FOR A MINUTE.

[blackwell50]

YEAH 900'S FIRST ONE THREW A ROD THROUGH THE OUTBOARD SIDE OF THE BLOCK. THOUGHT IT WAS A MAN FOR A MINUTE.

Sounds like a man grenade.

[Squid]

I used to run the "Showtime" out of the Ocean Isle Fishing Center which is a 34' Gillikin owned by Capt. Brant McMullan. (Hopefully Capt. Jon will also back me up on this one....) My opinion---good boat, well made, but have seen others in its class that were finished off better. Overall though, great looking boat with awesome lines! Personally I loved the teak accents around the bow eventhough they are a pain in the ass to keep looking good. Ride wasn't nearly as good as the 32' Albemarle he also owns however it was mighty quick. In any kind of sea you have to run the tabs to keep it from jarring your teeth. It topped out at 37 kts and cruised at 27-28 at 2300 rpm. We usually ran it around 2000 and 22-24 kts. (This was usually a great cruising speed to where we didn't burn much gas--about a nm/gal--and also was able to use the tabs to keep it riding well.) The boat is extremely wet though! In anything more than about a 2 foot sea, you cannot see out of the front glass. In a 4-5 foot sea, you might as well run by the radar. Very flat in the back and doesn't roll much while on the troll or drift. The boat will flat out raise fish though---ESPECIALLY bluefins! Something about the hum of those Cat's that drive them insane.

Overall though, I really liked the boat and would consider buying one myself if I ever hit the lottery.

I think Jon posted a copy of a flyer in the "For Sale" section where Capt. Brant is trying to sell the Showtime. Don't remember the exact price but somewhere around $219,000 I think.

Hope this has helped----look for Capt. Jon to also chime in here...I know he will and also give his opinion since he still runs this boat sometimes for Brant.

[Washashore]

I was fortunate enough to meet Ricky before his untimely death. He was a helluva guy and one badass boat-builder. The Harkers boys really build them right.