Freedom Boatworks is the result of the shared
vision of its three principals....To build custom Carolina
sportfishing yachts that combine the very best of Carolina
boatbuilding tradition, the revolutionary advantages of today’s
building methods and propulsion systems, state of the art
design, and commitment to quality in both process and execution.
Freedom Boatworks is the only custom builder concentrating
exclusively on the new pod propulsion systems. Convinced that
they produce overwhelming advantages in operating efficiencies,
space utilization, and maneuverability, Freedom’s senior
management, all highly experienced fishing and boating
enthusiast intimately familiar with custom boatbuilding, have
conceived a company designed from the ground up to take
advantage of this extraordinary technology.
Unusual in the industry, all designs are conceived specifically
for the pod drives, rather than modified after the fact, to
maximize performance, rough water handling, and interior
features.
It’s first design, a beautiful 56 foot sportfishing yacht,
features an exciting 4 stateroom / 3 head layout with walk
around queen berths in both the master and vip staterooms....in
other words, a yacht with all the features and capabilities of a
70 footer, at approximately half the upfront cost, twice the
operating efficiency, and far lower ongoing dockage, insurance,
and maintenance costs...truly revolutionary.
Freedom Boatworks strives to make the boatbuilding experience as
exciting and trouble free as the yacht it delivers. Freedom’s
extraordinary yacht building experience, financial strength,
strict adherence to financial and quality control, and a
management team that has proven itself in many industries
protect you, our valued client.
Jim Polatty, a twenty three year veteran of Carolina
sportfishing yacht construction is Freedom’s General Manager,
with Dennis Deans, its Chief Financial Officer, and Brad Waitzer,
its Director of Product Development. The experience each member
of this extraordinary team is described below.
JIM POLATTY
Jim Polatty is one of the few boatbuilders to combine hands on
construction experience, a technical engineering background, and
expertise in process engineering as well, all necessary
characteristics to build today's technologically advanced
sportfishing yachts. In a fourteen year career with Davis
Boatworks of Wanchese, North Carolina, Polatty rose from
carpenter to Vice President of Operations, spending time as
Manager of Engineering, Warranty Manager, Electrician, Plant
Manager, and Mechanic all along the way. He has literally
performed each and every function that goes into producing
yachts personally, in addition to managing the process for
approximately 75 vessels up to 78 feet at Davis.
Over the last eight years, he has been General Manager and Chief
Operating Officer of Sculley Boatbuilders of Wanchese, North
Carolina, and directed its start-up. During that time, it grew
to 120 employees, completing 12 boats up to 64 feet, with three
more up to 77 feet that are nearly complete, and three others in
various states of construction. Those vessels have received
widespread acclaim for their craftsmanship, performance, and
attention to detail. Additionally, he managed an active repair
yard during that period. He has worked extensively with the
industry's leading design professionals, including Donald Blount
and Associates of Chesapeake, Virginia and Applied Concepts of
Stuart, Florida. He also has extensive engineering and
construction experience with high-tech laminates, as well as
more traditional construction methods. Well known in the
industry, Polatty is highly respected by designers, vendors, and
customers alike.
A 1982 Graduate of Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of
Engineering, Polatty spent the first three years of his
extensive career as Design Engineer for American GFM, a
multi-national manufacturer of machine tools.
Dennis R. Deans
Dennis Deans was a practicing public accountant for over
thirty-one years. For much of that time, he served as managing
partner of the firm he co-founded, now known as McPhillips,
Roberts and Deans, a large regional firm. During that time, he was
intimately involved with major shipyards and several yacht
builders. He used the expertise he developed in the management
of a service business in his personal investments. Most notably,
in 1985, he acquired a Raleigh, North Carolina based food
services company and expanding with a janitorial company that
served hospitals, office buildings and high-tech manufacturing
facilities. Additionally, he began a chain of Hallmark Gift
Shops. In total, his companies performed janitorial services for
11 million square feet of facilities and operated 16 Hallmark
Gift Shops and 38 restaurants. The enterprise spanned 17 states,
with total revenues exceeding $25 million when he negotiated its
sale in 1996.
In 1999, Deans formed an alliance with Brad Waltzer to develop
apartment communities and acquire and operate businesses under
the umbrella of D & B Investments. Today D & B has an extensive
investment portfolio of investment real estate, car dealerships,
an advertising agency, a commercial tour boat business, and
flooring contractor.
During most of his adult life, Deans has been an avid
sportfishing enthusiast and tournament participant along the
eastern United States. After owning many production boats, Deans
decided to commission his first custom vessel, a 37 foot
Gamefisherman. That lead to a 45 foot Gamefisherman, and most
recently, a 61 foot Garlington. With both Gamefisherman, Deans
worked extensively with the design and construction
professionals to produce exceptionally practical and attractive
vessels that have both been featured in major national magazines
and served as the basis for future Gamefisherman. They were
completely dedicated to offshore gamefishing with a small crew.
While the Garlington was partially completed when he became
involved, he was able to include many custom features to improve
its aesthetics and functionality.
BRADLEY J. WAITZER
Waitzer has extensive experience in real estate development and
management, private equity investments, construction, and
project management. He began his career in 1987 with one of the
nation's largest land developers. Since starting his own
business in 1990, Waltzer has developed over 3,000 housing
units, primarily large apartment communities, along with
shopping centers, offices, warehouses, and subdivisions.
In 1999, he formed an affiliation with Dennis Deans to acquire
equity interests in operating companies and apartment
communities under the umbrella of D & B Investments.
He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1983 with Bachelor
of Arts Degrees in Economics and Psychology. In 1987, he
received Masters of Business Administration and Juris Doctorate
Degrees from the University of Virginia.
Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, Waitzer is a lifelong boater
and avid sportfisherman. Having owned boats since age 8, some 25
at last count, Waitzer is intimately familiar with both custom
and production boat building. In 1997, he built a 52' custom
express sportfisherman with Davis Boatworks in Wanchese, North
Carolina with an innovative layout that is still being built as
a production model. There, he met Jim Polatty, and observed that
Polatty was the most knowledgeable and capable member of the
Davis team. After purchasing a production sportfishing yacht in
2002, Waitzer began to explore another custom project, a mid-70'
sportfishing yacht, with a megayacht-quality interior. He
commissioned Applied Concepts of Stuart, Florida to begin
preliminary designs, based on general layouts he conceived.
After interviewing most qualified builders on the east coast,
the choice was easy....his old friend Jim Polatty, then General
Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Sculley Boatbuilders of
Wanchese. He worked closely with Polatty and Applied Concepts,
utilizing Polatty's proven bottom geometry, while modifying the
hull above the waterline and superstructure to make the vessel
even more sleek than earlier vessels built by Polatty. They also
incorporated the interior and exterior layouts he conceived to
produce a sportfishing vessel that has been referred to as the
world's best.
