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[[Image:Boats 018.jpg|thumb|Bill Farley building a speedboat at Farley and Son, Boat Builders]]▼
[[Image:Farley family photos 058.jpg|thumb|Farley and Son, Boat Builders]] ▼
'''Farley Boats''' set the standard along the [[Gulf Coast]] for fishing and sport from 1915 to the mid-1970s. Three generations of the Farley family designed and built the Farley Boat in the back of their home in [[Port Aransas]], [[Texas]].
==Background==
In the early 1900s, [[tarpon]] fishing had begun to attract anglers from all across America to [[Port Aransas]], [[Texas]]. However, because of the choppy waters, access to the [[Gulf Coast]] was severely restricted. The boats of the day were not designed or built to handle the rough Gulf Coast waters and storms in the early 1900s wiped out the existing charter fleet. The local guides and fishermen were desperate for boats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bexarfly.com/articles/profiles/article_2/default.html |title=Farley Boats And Tarpon: The Farley Family Boatbuilders |accessdate=
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Charles Frederick ("Fred") Farley, a master craftsman, was living in [[Birmingham, Alabama]], when he learned from his brother that the guides of Port Aransas needed boats to satisfy the great demand for tarpon fishing. Fred traveled to the Gulf Coast with his three brothers where they designed and built utility boats, [[lighthouses]], and ornate bars. Eventually, Fred settled down in Port Aransas, with his son and began designing and building boats. They established Farley and Son, Boat Builders, in 1915.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002033022/http://www.portasouthjetty.com/news/2007
Fred's earliest fishing boat design was an 18-footer built to meet the needs of local fishing guides. It was designed with low-sides and a high [[Bow (ship)|bow]] to fight the [[choppy waves]]. At that time, the only boats available to local anglers and guides were flat bottomed with high sides so they were not well equipped for the Gulf Coast chop. The Farley boat, on the other hand, was designed to fish the local waters and could handle the choppy water.
The earliest Farley Boats were 18 to 22 footers that carried two people. Later, the Farleys designed and built larger boats to accommodate more people and larger engines. The Farley Boats were known for a high [[Chine (boating)|chine]] that did not touch the water until well aft of the bow and a hatch in front of the windshield that opened. The Farley Boats were also designed with low cabins that allowed fishing in every direction.
Originally, Farley Boats were built with {{convert|5/8|in|mm|adj=mid|-thick}} planks of top-grade [[cypress]]. They were light and very durable. After [[World War II]], cypress became scarce and the Farley's switched to Honduran and Philippine [[mahogany]].
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Fred Farley's sons, Fred Farley Jr. and Jim Farley grew up building boats with their father and continued with the family business after Fred's death. After World War II, the boat works was moved to Mercer Street in Port Aransas, where it remained until around 1968 then moved to Avenue C. The Farley family designed and built Farley Boats until 1975.
[[Image:ROOSEFish.jpg|thumb|left|[[Franklin Delano Roosevelt|President Roosevelt]] catching a tarpon on a Farley Boat. [[Barney Farley]] is holding the tarpon.]] ▼
Farley Boats were high quality boats and built to last. However, because of high frequency of [[hurricane]]s and the fact that no new models have been built in 40 years, there are very few remaining Farley Boats. Historians, anglers and boat builders are always on the lookout for Farley Boats.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.portasouthjetty.com/news/2007/0607/island_life/054.html |title=TINA COMES HOME FARLEY BOAT, PERHAPS 70 YEARS OLD, RETURNS TO PORT ARANSAS AFTER YEARS AND MILES |date=2007-06-07 |accessdate=28 September 2007 |work= }}</ref>
==FDR and the Farley Boat==
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In 1936, President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] visited Port Aransas, and was introduced to tarpon fishing. He enjoyed tarpon fishing so much that in 1937, while Congress was debating his [[Judiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937]], he traveled to Port Aransas specifically to catch tarpon.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,757815,00.html |title=Off Port Aransas |accessdate= 3 October 2007 |work= Time | date=1937-05-17}}</ref> He hired [[Barney Farley]], the famous fishing guide and brother of Fred Farley.
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