Boat building has been a Knight family tradition for
more than 100 years. Capt. Johns Knight Jr. said he
has read in local history books that his forefathers’
boats were being used in Charlotte Harbor as far
back as the 1880s.
In 1946, Knight’s father, Johns Sr., along with
brothers Harold and Francis, continued the family
tradition by building custom tarpon boats for the
local anglers.
Moonraker and Moonraker II were once two of the
island’s more famous traditional Pass fishing boats,
and were once owned by the Knight family. Casuarina
and Faithful II, two more recognizable Knight Brothers
boats, also still work the Pass and are operated by
Capt. Charlie Coleman (previously owned by his dad,
Capt. Dickie Coleman), and Capt. Matt Coleman.
The name Moonraker has nothing to do with the
James Bond movie as many people think. The client
who financed the building of the boat in 1965 was
reading about salvage efforts in the Keys at the time
of construction. Since most groundings take place at
night by the light of the moon, the salvagers became
known as moonrakers. The financier asked that the
boat be named Moonraker.
The Morgan fleet:
Some of the more popular tarpon boats used in
the pass are Morgans. Many of the hulls were
created in Naples, and then outfitted there and
elsewhere to suit the needs of the initial buyer.
48GASPARILLA ISLAND July/August 2018
The Boca Blue is a 24-foot Morgan that was
brought to Boca Grande by former island
deputy Rich Caccavale. He and wife Toni gave
the boat its current name, as they said, “because
we liked the way it sounded.”
The Caccavales eventually sold the Boca Blue
to island resident Mark Spurgeon, who then sold
it to Capt. Billy Hathcock who, about 18 years
ago, sold the boat to Capt. Sandy Melvin, its
current owner.
“Over time it’s proven to be one of the best
boats you can have for the Pass,” said Melvin. “It’s
maneuverable, lays well in rough water and it’s
economical. It’s just a very fishable boat.”
Another 24-foot Morgan with a long history
in the Pass is Native, currently owned and operated
by Capt. Frank Davis. The first owners were
Capt. Billy Hathcock (aka “Capt. Dad”) and Elsie
Bracken. They named the boat the “Bonnie &
Clyde.” Capt. Dad ran it a few seasons before
selling it to a vertically-challenged Zephyrhills
Chevy dealer, Buddy Foster, who then re-named
it “Little Car Man.” Foster later sold the boat to
islander Tom Harrington, who renamed it again
after his wife Laura before selling it to Davis.
Once again it was renamed when Capt. Frank,
with some help from islander Danny Campo,
came up with the name “Native.”
Why? Capt. Davis refuses to elaborate. “Let’s
just say it’s an inside joke and leave it at that,” he
said.