HULL PRO: 5 MPH FASTER AND OYSTER PROTECTION ON AN EAST CAPE EVO 17 CARBON EDITION

October 7, 2025

HOMOSASSA, FL

FISH RESPONDERS CHARTERS

Captain Rich Doherty of Fish Responders Charters runs his East Cape Evo 17 Carbon — the Green Monster — across some of Florida's most demanding water. Fresh, salt, brackish, oyster bars, grass flats, and everything in between. After teaming up with Armus and applying Hull Pro to every surface below the waterline, the results came fast: 5 miles per hour gained on top end, measurable fuel savings, and a new layer of protection between the hull and the oysters that skiff captains lose sleep over.

APPLICATION: LESS PRODUCT THAN YOU'D EXPECT

A 17-foot skiff. Fourteen to sixteen ounces of product. That's it.

On the Spot Detailing applied Hull Pro to every surface below the waterline on the East Cape Evo 17 — hull bottom, skeg, and keel. Captain Rich believes this was one of the first Hull Pro installs to include a dedicated keel guard application, coating the most vulnerable point of contact on any shallow-water skiff.

The application required just 14 to 16 ounces of product for the entire 17-foot vessel. For skiff owners who have priced out bottom paint jobs and multi-day haul-outs, that number is worth sitting with. Small application. Big results.

FROM 37 TO 42: SPEED GAINS ON A FLATS BOAT THAT WAS ALREADY DIALED IN

Hull Pro didn't just protect the East Cape — it elevated it.

Before the install, the Evo 17 was booked at 37 miles per hour. After Hull Pro, Captain Rich was immediately running in the high 42s. That's a 5-mile-per-hour gain on a boat that was already optimized for performance — not a project boat, not a rebuild, not a new engine. The same boat, the same motor, the same captain. Just a different hull surface.

Beyond raw speed, the character of the ride changed. The boat flattened out on plane — no chatter, no hunting across the bow. Sharp, abrupt turns that would push a skiff sideways held firm. Captain Rich describes it simply: it performs flawlessly. On a flats boat where confidence and control are everything, that matters as much as the top-end number.

WATCH CAPTAIN RICH DOHERTY'S FULL HULL PRO REVIEW

Real numbers, real conditions, real Florida skiff fishing — in his own words.

Captain Rich Doherty of Fish Responders Charters and the Reels and Responders Foundation breaks down his Hull Pro results firsthand. Speed gains, fuel savings, ride quality, and the oyster protection that matters most to anyone running shallow water in Florida. Watch the full review above before diving into the details below.

FUEL SAVINGS THAT ADD UP OVER A SEASON

Six to eight more miles per 10 gallons — in real fishing conditions.

Captain Rich doesn't run full tanks. He runs lean, the way most working skiff captains do. On an average of 10 gallons, he's seeing 6 to 8 additional miles of range since the Hull Pro install. That's not a controlled test — that's real fishing, real conditions, across fresh, saltwater, and brackish water throughout the Florida coast.

Over a season, that compounds. Fewer fill-ups, more time on the water, and a coating that doesn't need to be reapplied every season to hold those gains.

THE OYSTER PROTECTION EVERY SKIFF CAPTAIN ACTUALLY NEEDS

Hull Pro sits between your hull and everything the bottom throws at it.

For Captain Rich, the performance numbers were immediate and impressive. But the benefit he keeps coming back to is protection — specifically, what Hull Pro puts between the fiberglass and the oyster bars, grass edges, and shell bottom that define inshore fishing in Florida.

Skiff captains know oyster rash. Hull Pro adds a protective layer to the hull, skeg, and keel that absorbs contact before the fiberglass does. It also repels the foam scum and surface buildup that comes with frequent boat ramp use — a small thing that makes every post-trip cleanup faster and easier.

HULL PRO FOR SKIFFS, FLATS BOATS, AND MIXED-USE FLORIDA FISHING

Fresh, salt, or brackish — Hull Pro works where you fish.

Captain Rich fishes all of it. Homosassa Springs to the Gulf Coast, inshore flats to backwater creeks, saltwater to fresh and everything brackish in between. Hull Pro holds up across all of it — a clear, non-ablative protective coating that bonds to fiberglass and performs wherever the hull meets water.

If you run a skiff, a flats boat, or any shallow-draft vessel across mixed Florida water, Hull Pro is worth a serious look. The numbers Captain Rich is putting up aren't projections. They're documented, on the water, over more than a month of real fishing.

GET IT DONE WITH ON THE SPOT DETAILING AND FISH RESPONDERS CHARTERS

Professional Hull Pro application in Florida — book your install with mike from On the Spot Detailing, or ask Capt. Rich any questions you might have about his Hull Pro-coated skiff.

On the Spot Detailing handled this install with the care and precision a boat like the East Cape Evo 17 Carbon demands. If you're in Florida and ready to protect your hull, gain back lost speed, and stop paying for bottom paint that works against you, reach out to On the Spot Detailing to schedule your Hull Pro application.

If you have questions about Hull Pro on skiffs and flats boats specifically, Captain Rich Doherty is your guy. Reach out to him directly through Fish Responders Charters — he's fished this coating across fresh, salt, and brackish water and will tell you exactly what to expect.