Dream Boats, Bermuda Run

Some call it suicidal, others call it proof.On April 30, 2007, two Tampa Bay men, Ralph Brown and Patrick McMunn will depart the coast of North Carolina in a 21 ft flats boat, headed for Bermuda, and then to New York Harbor, 1,400 miles of perilous ocean to prove the seaworthiness of this unique boat that is also comfortable operating in less than six inches of extremely shallow water, and by God's Grace hopefully set a new world record for unescorted oceanic crossing in a flats boat.

Thanksgiving weekend seven years ago, Ralph and his two boys were boating with Larry Strong and his kids. They hit a rock and broke the lower unit of the motor. A few months later, Ralph’s wife Anne was in a car wreck and had to have extensive hospitalization. His income went down considerably as he had to take many days off work, taking her to doctors. His best friends became bill collectors. Ralph found himself hiding from his problems in a boat design. He gradually became consumed with the concept of making boats that would be able to go over the rocks in shallow water without damage and still be very seaworthy.

After two and a half years, his wife had all she could take. You could not talk to Ralph about anything else. She demanded that he either do it or “shut up.” She thought he was going to shut up. Little, did she know? That night he incorporated as Dream Boats, Inc. He was broke, actually closer to bankrupt, with nothing more than a dream, and by God's Grace a boat load of sheer determination. His first plans did not work well.

He spent four and a half years chasing investors, developing, testing, and rebuilding boats. Over one million dollars later, the finished product is unbelievable; a small extremely seaworthy boat with a simply magical ride. Proving that it runs in shallow water is easy, just ride in it. People who have never ridden in it find it hard to believe how seaworthy this boat is. Now he is putting his life where his mouth is and taking one to Bermuda and back. Some call it suicidal; Ralph calls it proof.