The years just prior to the early 1980s collapse in the Gulf of Mexico oil industry saw the building of a large number of crew boats in the 110-ft. range. While a number of these boats remain in the Gulf, many have found their way to other coasts and other applications. In Charleston, S.C., Stuart Reeves has converted two of the vintage vessels to "head boats" to take groups of sport fishermen out into the Atlantic Ocean for 11-hour trips. The converted boats are certified for up to 154 passengers at distances more than 100 miles offshore. "These boats are well suited to the conversion," Reeves explains, "They are good sea boats with a low centre of gravity and they are already certified for passengers. But the conversion leads to a shift in a vessel's power-to-weight ratio.
