For the Love of Boats, Jim McGowin, Ono Island

Joe LaBue played running back at the University of Alabama from 1970 through 1973. This was during the vaunted Wishbone attack era that Coach Paul Bryant perfected. You may remember his more famous teammate and fellow running back, Johnny Musso, The Italian Stallion. 

According to Joe’s teammate and good friend, Ronny Robertson, he remembers a game at Legion Field against the University of Tennessee, where Tide quarterback Terry Davis went outside, made a perfect pitch to a trailing Joe LaBue, who ran around the end, and scored a 40 plus yard touchdown. “It was the most beautifully executed play I’ve ever seen,” said Robertson.

This was also when famous boat manufacturer, Boston Whaler, designed and introduced the first 21’ Outrage.  In 1970, with a reputation for unsinkable boats, the company produced a center console boat, (a new concept), with six distinctive vertical rib lines molded into the topside hull. The look was easily recognizable and “outrageous,” thus the name.

The 21-foot Outrage helped popularize the center-console layout so prevalent today. With its teak center console and bench seat, bright blue interior cushions, and rub rails, only around 700 were manufactured from April 1970 through mid-1972, with the exposed ribbed hull. Its stability and ability to navigate shallow waters made it a reliable, safe, and sought-after boat.

Boston Whaler continues to manufacture the Outrage in various sizes, but the exposed ribs in the hull were gone after 1972. This vintage model soon became a popular collector’s boat. Often hard to find, my good friend, Jim McGowin, passed one for sale at a consignment boat shop while riding down Cottage Hill Road in Mobile in 1992. He negotiated a deal, purchased the twenty-year-old 21’ Outrage, and has enjoyed it around Orange Beach and Ono Island ever since. 

Fifty-two years after Jim’s boat was first built, he felt it needed a little professional care and reached out to Paul LaBue, Joe’ LaBue’s son, who owns and operates LaBue Restoration, LLC in Foley. Paul and I sat down to talk about boats, his business, and what brought him to the Scenic 98 Coastal area. 

Paul has been involved in boat manufacturing, repairing, doing fiberglass work, and painting his entire adult life. His uncle is the second in command at Regal Boats in Florida, and Paul had an opportunity to work there but chose to do his own thing. He knows boats, and nothing pleases him more than taking a reliable old boat and putting it in like-new condition.

This story is for all those boat owners on the fence about whether they should invest in a boat they have loved for a long time but needs some TLC or bite the bullet and purchase a newer boat. It’s a tough decision. Boat hulls can stand the test of time and, if old enough, become classics, like Jim’s 21’ exposed rib Boston Whaler Outrage.

My friend, Mike Lapeyrouse, bought a 1965 20’ Bertram Moppie that had been completely restored by the late Sonny Middleton at his boat works and dealership on Dog River, at the Mobile Boat Show.

Mike outgrew the 1965 classic, and I purchased it. I couldn’t go anywhere without people stopping me to take a gander. Bertram, now famous for its sportfishing yachts had quit manufacturing the smaller Moppie design years ago, but it was the boat that put the company on the map.

What goes into the decision to renovate an older boat? “A lot,” says Paul. “Start with the integrity of the hull. If it’s in good condition, then a good “eye-ball” estimate will hopefully give you a ballpark of the cost, but you really won’t know until you get into it.”

Rick, Paul’s former boss, and workmate, always told him, in renovation, you never know what you're going to get. “You can price by the foot, but if you have to do surgery, it can add up depending on what you find.” He says, “There are inexpensive ways to cover up flaws, and your boat will look good at first, but if you don’t do the job right, those same flaws will show up within a year, and the owner will be angry.” 

Boat owners who want to bring their boats back to “like-new” condition should expect to find areas that need more attention and work to do the job right. “Gelcoat is only supposed to be so thick,” says Paul. “Too much Gelcoat can result in cracking, and many boat manufacturers use Gelcoat to cover up flaws when the hulls come out of the molds.” How much work will be required to get the Gelcoat off and then apply a primer coat is unknown.

“I try to grind down to the fiberglass and keep all the lines as they were designed. I might need to re-glass some areas, like the transom and other stress areas to ensure the integrity of the hull. I want a finished boat that leaves my shop to last for years to come, without issues, and I believe it will increase in value because they are restored sought-after model designs.”

Another issue Paul discusses is that Gelcoats fade in the sun. It’s difficult to match the original paint code on a repair area and have it look like the rest of the boat. “We just have to eyeball the paint color to match the degree of fade. It’s an inexact science, but I think we do a pretty good job.”

“If you had told me what this project was going to cost, I would have never done it”, Jim said.  “But, it’s done, and I have a “new” boat, no doubt better structurally than the original. Paul’s grinding exposed many flaws in the original fiberglass work and, if you know Paul, he couldn’t let even the most minute imperfection pass.  I think 80% of the boat has new glass on it.”

The finished product is beautiful, but not complete.  “The Whaler has a high bow rail that I intend to reinstall when I find all the pieces.  There was also a stern rail that I chose not to put back, the boat looks too good without it. The mahogany “steps” on the gunwales were put there to hide holes from the original gas tanks that were mounted underneath. New tanks were made to fit under the stern and a local cabinet maker made the mahogany “gate” to hide it all. The bimini top was custom-made by Gary Peaden, Peaden Marine Canvas and Upholstery, in Elberta, AL.  It’s finally coming together.  After a year and a few months and a lot of money, I’m scared to put it in the water!”

The moral of this story is if you are going to restore your boat, do it right. Paul LaBue Restoration has that reputation and won’t do it any other way. If you have a boat you have loved hard over the years, and hate to think about getting rid of it, go see Paul and let him tell you what he thinks.

My friend Jim decided to call Paul after several of his boating friends recommended him. Paul is a straight shooter and is proud to get his customers back on the water in the boat they love. “When Mr. Jim gets his Whaler back it will be in top-notch shape and will increase in value. There just aren’t many exposed rib 21’ Whaler Outrage boats to be found.”

Jim loves his boat and wants to continue enjoying it around the Orange Beach area with his family and grandchildren as he has for the past twenty-plus years. He’s not trying to impress anyone. He just wants the job done right. That’s where Paul comes in.

I can’t wait to see the finished restoration. Maybe Jim will take me for a spin if I offer to buy him lunch. Maybe.

Footnote: Paul LaBue and a partner have purchased molds and are making fiberglass boat parts - hard tops, poling platforms, etc. He is still doing boat repair work and his info can be found on Facebook, Labue Restorations, LLC.