Bailey Custom Boats are Turning Heads

There’s a new manufacturer on the pontoon scene and they are making quite a splash in the industry. It’s not hard to imagine why if you’ve ever laid eyes on their unique and beautiful pontoon boats. Built from 150-year-old cypress trees, these pontoons demand attention and admiration.

At the helm of the operation is David Bailey, a 21-year-old entrepreneur with a passion for boating and the outdoors. PDB magazine recently had the opportunity to sit down with David and get the full scoop on Bailey Custom Boats.

The First Boat
David, with the help of his father Bill Bailey, has had Bailey Custom Boats up and running for about a year and a half now, but David shared that it really started for them around 18 years ago when they built their first custom cypress boat. It began as a project just for their family and they weren’t planning on turning it into a business.

“My dad owns a fabrication shop and he’s always liked building things,” shared David. “So we had a lot of that cypress wood lying around and figured it would be pretty cool to make a boat out of it.”

Bill and his family got to work on their custom boat, throwing the pontoons together and putting it on the water. It took a few tries because all the wood causes the vessel to be quite a bit heavier, so it didn’t really mesh with the regular pontoon hull design.

“It almost sank—it was almost at the bottom of the lake,” admitted David, “so we kept going back and forth to the shop and tweaking it until we finally got to the one we have now.”

Now the pontoons that David and his team build perform superbly on the water. David and his family took their original pontoon model out boating to different lakes in Georgia and they were always met with similar reactions from people. Often people would come up to them wanting to know where they got their beautiful boat and where they could get one themselves. Obviously they were disappointed when they learned it was a family project and that they wouldn’t be able to find something similar on the market—until now.

Cultivating A Passion
David grew up in a small town in what he described as “the middle of nowhere.” But he was surrounded by woods, helping him to cultivate his love for the outdoors. He’s always known he wanted to work outside and on something marine-related since he loves being outside so much and going to the lake. With the family's first boat when he was growing up, they stayed at the lake pretty much all summer long on Lake Laconia.

“I fell in love with it,” shared David. “I love anything that has water in it. I was a big fisherman and I love being outdoors and riding boats. It’s very calming and peaceful to me. It’s somewhere I can go and relax and not have to worry about anything. Just spending the day on the water—there’s something special about it, I reckon.”

Starting The Business
When David got a bit older, he told his dad that he wanted to go into the marine industry and build boats similar to the one his family originally built because people loved it so much. As a hands-on sort of guy, he felt confident in his capabilities to be a successful boat builder.

Bill told David that if he sold one once he turned 20, then he’d help him try to start up the business. Well, David turned 20 back in 2021 and he ended up selling one. From there, he and one other guy single-handedly built the boat together.

“It took forever to build with just us two,” laughed David. “We got it sold and ever since then we’ve been trying to get this business going.”

Drop-Dead Gorgeous
Calling these boats unique seems a bit of an understatement, and the beauty of the wood draws people in effortlessly. At boat shows many people fall in love with them and can’t believe what they’re seeing.

“They come up and say they’ve never seen anything like it,” described David. “They ask, ‘Is that real wood?’ They think it’s really beautiful and unique, but some people are also afraid it might be slow because of the wood.”

This is a valid concern since these pontoon boats weigh about a thousand pounds more than your average pontoon boat. However, David is confident that his boats will outrun any of them with their incredible performance.

Built To Perform
When it comes to performance, David has had boat dealers and other people with extensive boating experience test out his boats, and they all say that they’re one of the best rides they’ve ever been on. This is due to their boats’ design and structure.

The hull design gives the boat greater capacity for more horsepower with less drag and friction, making it so you achieve a faster speed no matter what motor you have on the back. The hull design is also responsible for the smoother ride you get from Bailey Custom Boats.

It’s nice and solid in the water, and it feels like you’re riding on air, slicing through the waves with ease. It also offers superior maneuverability, allowing you to turn on a dime with minimal speed loss.

“Sure it looks pretty, but the ride is what really sells it,” explained David. “People that ride in it are just amazed—it’s not your average pontoon boat.”

Classic & Horizon
As of right now, Bailey Custom Boats offers two models: the Classic and the Horizon. The Classic is like the one his family originally built with more of an outdoorsy, fishing and camping appeal. The Horizon is the newer, more luxurious model they now offer. This is the model David usually brings to boat shows since it's got a higher-end feel with all the bells and whistles. However, whichever model you go with, each one is highly customizable, making so you really can’t go wrong when choosing your model

Currently, David’s goal is to sell a hundred boats a year. Bailey Custom Boats also just recently acquired a new plant in a little town called Dublin, Ga., and he plans to expand his building crew to about 50 which will make the building process go a lot faster than when he and just one other guy built the first boat he sold. The goal is to try and put out one a day once sales start rising.

Bailey Custom Boats is already off to a good start, having sold more than 50 boats last year, and their company has gained momentum and attention at boat shows since people often can’t believe how beautiful and unique the wooden cypress pontoon boats are.

When you see one it’s hard not to be blown away by the intricate craftsmanship and stunning performance. There’s no doubt that Bailey Custom Boats will continue to dazzle boaters for years and years to come.

www.baileycustomboats.com