WEST HEAD-BUILT
Carlyle Brannen and West Head ’ s Andrew Newell grew up playing hockey together , and their grandfathers fished side by side for their whole lives . As a family who likes to keep their business close to heart , the Brannens knew that West Head Boatbuilders was the natural choice when it came to fulfilling their boat building needs .
The Brannen crew consists of Carlyle and his brother , Scott , along with their father , Shurben , who oversees the maintenance and bookkeeping for the business and crew . Carlyle likes to think of it as he and Scott take care of the fishing part while their dad takes care of the business part . Keeping the business close , the Brannens sell their catch to one of Carlyle and Scott ’ s childhood friends , who is the owner of Long Point Lobster & Seafood Ltd .
Carlyle is at least a fifth-generation fisherman . He ’ s proud to have never had a land job in his life ; he ’ s always worked on the water . Carlyle is a lobster fisherman by trade , but over the years , he ’ s also fished sea urchins and halibut in the summertime .
Carlyle went fishing for the first time at 12 years old when his grandfather took him out to catch cod and haddock . It wasn ’ t until he was 15 that Carlyle took up lobstering . He fished alongside his grandfather , father , and others for many years , learning the ropes inside and out .
Some Hull
After years of making do with the family vessel , the crew decided to step it up with the purchase of a new boat . When Shurben first approached West Head Boatbuilders , he was planning to simply overhaul the family ’ s old boat . However , after speaking with Andrew , he realized they could design and build a new , bigger , reliable , custom-made boat that would be a more cost efficient and sensible investment .
And so , Brody & Girls came into the works . The boat — named after Shurben ’ s grandson and four granddaughters — boasts the first 23-footwide SeaDuck hull ever made .
Photo Credit to Brandon Blades
The first SeaDuck hull manufactured measured 38 ’ by 14 ’. West Head took on the challenge of enlarging this model for the Brody & Girls project to 39 ’ 4 ” by 23 ’. This is the first time a SeaDuck hull this large had been produced , and it was a proud accomplishment for the West Head team . This project was particularly special because one of West Head ’ s shipwrights had a hand in designing and producing the famous original SeaDuck hull .
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