Cortez Boat Shop

I went down to Cortez, FL. yesterday to see what was going on at the Florida Maritime Museum's boat shop. Cortez is a very old fishing village on the West Coast mainland just across from the south end of Anna Maria Island. The museum is housed in the original Cortez school house built in 1912. It was fully restored in 2006 and turned into the museum. In town on one of the shell path lanes there was a working wooden boat building and repair shop. This I found out has just recently been moved east of town just south of Cortez road on the edge of the F.I.S.H. (Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage) preserve. Some activity was going on there but the old shop in town was closed. I took a spin through the museum building which was quite interesting. The whole town is very "Salty" and charming. The locals are still recovering from the net ban law which basically shut off their primary means of livelihood. Fishing still goes on from Cortez but it is primarily offshore hook and line fishing. There are some neat fish restaurants in the village on the waterfront, working boat yards, and lots of vacation rentals. Golf carts are a preferred means of transportation. It's worth a visit to meet some of Florida's active wooden boat builders and enthusiasts. Every now and then the group has a "Mess About" where they get together some of the local craft and "Mess about in boats" for a day on the water.

Village views.

The "Old" boat shop in town.

 

Boat shop projects.

 Local "Art"

A restored 1988  wooden Beetle Cat for sale in front to the museum. Restored in 2009 with new sail.

$ 9500.00 or best offer (941) 545-7109. Very popular on Cape Cod around Osterville, Mass..

On the waterfront.

Monuments to a way of life.

A Culler designed harbor launch being refinished at the "new" museum boat shop.