Small Craft Stories: Gringo Boatworks
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We’re on the lookout for stories from every corner of the boating world—small boat builders, fix-it shops, gear makers, and everyone in between. No matter the size of your operation, we’d love to feature you in a piece and share your story with our community. Shoot us an email at tim@smallcraftsales.com and tell us a little about yourself.
Some people learn to fix boats because they love tinkering. Others learn because they put a hole in one and need to make it disappear fast. For Michael Reed, the man behind Gringo Boatworks, it was a little of both. Based south of Houston near Alvin and Friendswood, Gringo Boatworks specializes in bringing tired skiffs back to life. Everything from fiberglass and gelcoat repair to full rewires, custom rigging, electronics installs, and the occasional wild one-off idea. The name itself traces back to teenage misadventures in a Galveston-area boat yard where a couple of “crazy gringo kids” learned how to repair fiberglass the hard way. What used to be a side-hustle built around restoring, refreshing, and rigging skiffs for serious fishing has just turned into a full time gig for Michael. We caught up with him to talk about the origin of the name, growing up figuring boats out the old-fashioned way, and why fixing boats is both incredibly satisfying… and absolutely still work.
Small Craft Sales: Tell us a little about Gringo Boat Works. What do you do, exactly?
Gringo Boat Works: I prefer to work on skiffs over big boats and specialize in restoration and general refreshing. I do everything myself except for the aluminum welding. I'm still working on that skill, but for now I have a couple guys that help me out with the custom platforms and things of that nature. I basically do everything - from small fiberglass repairs, gelcoat touch up, epoxy repair and paint, re-wire, motor rigging and installs, electronics, trolling motor rigging, stereos, to 100% rebuild and custom one off ideas. I work with Castaway Customs Texas (Seadek) for all my marine eva foam flooring.
SCS: First things first—the name. Any backstory there? And judging by the logo at the top of your site, fishing clearly plays a role. Were you ever a guide, or just someone who fishes a lot and decided to get really good at fixing boats?
GBW: Man I was thrown into having to learn how to repair boats at a pretty early stage in life. My Dad got me into fishing and boating. It seemed like we always had some kind of boat, but nothing fancy until later when I talked him into a bad-ass ski boat at a boat show of all places. It was a Malibu Flightcraft which was at the time the best competition barefoot ski boat because of the big Yamaha 200 V-max on the back. That thing would absolutely rip!! I was barely legal to drive when he handed me the keys and said go figure it out!
My buddy’s dad had a house in Bayou Vista (Galveston area) so we would ditch school and grab the boat and a few friends head down to the bay and "figure it out" when the weather was good. We had gotten away with this several times until one day... That’s when I had to learn fiberglass and gel-coat repair fast. My other buddy who I had grown up with since kindergarten was already running offshore snapper trips - yes he, too was only 16. He said he knew a place we could take it, but we’d would have to help the guys since we didn’t have cash and needed it fixed NOW. So the local boat yard foreman taught both my buddy, Travis and I how to make a hole disappear. That is also the segue into Gringo Boatworks cause all the glass techs, and boat yard crew - called us crazy gringos. We were at “the yard” a bunch over the next ten years...
Much the same as that little ski boat being my first go "figure it out boat", true to my Dad's style, he bought his dream boat one day and called me to come "help". I showed up at the dock, which I thought was strange - why am I going to a marina? So I walk down the dock and there is my Dad sitting on a used 46' Hatteras Sportfish. Once again, let’s figure it out! This time he was along for the ride. Fortunately, the guys at the boat yard already knew me - which took some explaining to my Dad later when he heard them say, "hey Chico it’s the crazy gringo kid!" The rest is still unfolding and the name stuck.
A few years ago I was trying to come up with a "catchy" name and I wrote down a bunch to let my family decide. I'll be darned, but they all chose Gringo Boatworks - especially my daughter. So there you have it, that’s the kinda short version of how it came to be my little skiff repair and custom rigging shop.
SCS: You’re based in the Houston area—south of town near Alvin and Friendswood. Are most of the boats you work on local, or do skiffs come to you from all over Texas? The broader Gulf Coast?
GBW: Most of the skiffs are local but I have worked on several from South Texas. I do have a few repeat clients that love buying new old skiffs and bring them to me to refresh everything before they go out and abuse I mean use them. The word is slowly getting out but remember this was just a side hustle until very recently...
SCS: A lot of boat owners like working on boats… right up until it turns into a full-blown project. Plenty of us have probably day-dreamed about doing it for a living. Your skill set runs deep—how did you build it, and what pushed you to make boat repair and customization your actual job?
GBW: I’m not really sure why I enjoy it as much as I do. I guess I’ve always been impatient and wasn’t afraid to mess something up. If it meant I had a chance to get back on the water faster than waiting for someone else to do it. As of writing this several things have changed to allow or push me to make my passion a real job. Everyone always says do something you love and you’ll never work a day of your life… come sand some fiberglass, it’s work!
SCS: Your website lists things like custom rigging, rebuilds, outboard installs, performance tuning, “guide-ready” setups, custom consoles, and above-deck fuel cell work. If that’s the short list, what else is in your wheelhouse?
GBW: I also do a bunch of trailer repair work from lights to full trailer rebuilds. Crazy how many "dry launch trailers" I have to repair due to neglect. It may be dry launch, but your skiff ain't dry when it comes out of the water. Just saying, wash that trailer too.
SCS: Important question: do you own a skiff? If so, what are you running? Any other boats hiding in the background?
GBW: I do own a few skiffs. I have two 1975 Gheenoe's - a 15' and 13'. Both are POS and need to be redone. I have a hull that Harry Spear custom built for me - I built out the rest. It’s a 16' Spear Legend. It took two years for me to convince him to build it. He wasn't building any more of the Legends because his Everglade-Z is far better in his mind, but I wanted that hull with a 3 degree deadrise for a bit smoother ride. I'm still not 100% done with it, but my wife and I have been fishing it for 2 years now. I haven't even finished the paint and there isn't any non-skid yet (step carefully). I also have an original - unmolested, very rough condition, bad ass 2006 Gordon 17.8' Waterman. The hull is a dark forest green/teal with cream topside and cockpit. It too needs a restoration bad. Come to think of it… I should repaint the two Gheenoes and let you try to sell em. I also have a very special project that one day I will start. It is a 1975 23' Mako Classic. That will become our family cruising, and nearshore snapper/tarpon rig. So yeah, I have some skiffs.
SCS: What’s the wildest or most over-the-top modification you’ve ever done to a boat?
GBW: Man… I’ve done some crazy things for people, but the two that come to mind are adding a trolling motor to Ted Juracsik's original Hell's Bay Whipray. That in my opinion should have stayed original and classic. But that owner at the time truly had no intention of selling it. He was an older gentleman that often fished by himself on a local lake for - bass of all things!? The other is when my buddy insisted on me closing in the vented tunnel on his original and very rare Hell’s Bay Waterman. I believe it was built for the Hell's Bay rep back in '01 specifically for the lower Laguna Madre fishery. Cool thing is that’s the boat my friend Jarid - just sold to another friend of mine through my daughter. She works at Galveston Fishing Company, the only fly fishing shop in Galveston, and her manager was looking for a Hell’s Bay and it worked out. It is actually his first boat ever! So cool... and I still get to fish it. He and I took it out for his maiden voyage a couple weeks ago and had an epic day.
SCS:You don’t have to call anyone out—but what’s the one request that comes in and makes you think, “Ah man… not this again”?
GBW: I get a bunch of requests to “touch-up” a spot on the nonskid. I don't like trying to match old nonskid with new. It just doesn’t blend in well. I get it... the cost to redo the deck isn’t cheap but it looks so good when its done.
SCS:To wrap it up: what’s your dream skiff? No budget, no limits—what does it look like?
GBW: My dream skiff? I would have to say it is the one I am drawing up plans for and building from scratch. More to come on that, but for now, my dream skiff is my Gordon Waterman. It really does everything I need to but I am not a huge fan of the sponsons. There are so many great skiffs out there and that’s what’s cool - they all do things a little different in their own way.
GBW: I forgot to mention that Barron and Andy at Gordy & Son’s have been a huge blessing to continue referring people to me. They are responsible for 1/2 of my referrals at least! Such a great shop with great people who make a big difference in this community. And Galveston Fishing Company and Eric Trout has also been a big supporter.
​Contact Michael at Gringo Boatworks
(979) 551-5317
gringoboatworks@gmail.com
@gringo_boatworks