Around Palm Beach County, Florida, few if any boats have attained the legendary status of the Beehive, a boat created when local attorney B.F. Paty Jr.’s son sank the family’s 22-foot AquaSport coming home from the Bahamas. So Paty set out to create a similar, yet better new boat.
By Neilson Paty, B.F. Paty Jr.’s grandson.
There’s something about a boat that carries more than fuel and gear, it also carries time. The Beehive is one of those boats. Built sometime between 1978 and the early 80s in Riviera Beach, Florida, the Beehive wasn’t just manufactured… it was willed into existence.
My grandfather, B.F. Paty Jr., along with a tight group of locals, including a local boat builder named Whistler Schmidt, pieced it together the way things used to get built down here… with a dream, some cash, some favors, some “IOUs.” and a few stories that probably still haven’t been told. About 40 of them were made. Somehow, a lot of them are still out there. Jupiter. West Palm Beach. The Abaco Islands. And if you know, you know. The Beehive isn’t flashy, it’s honest.
It’s 24 feet long with an 8.5-foot beam and a massive, free-flowing baitwell (no pump) that still does its job like it did on day one. I remember opening that baitwell as a kid and seeing it packed with a 15-pound grouper and a sea of yellowtail, not as trophies, just as part of the day. Later that night, my dad would magically turn them into delicious fried fish before falling asleep out at Wells Bay. Simple.
We still fish with George DeBay rods. No overthinking it. Just what has always worked. Today, sure, we’ve added a few upgrades like a depth finder, a GPS, even a bilge pump, but the soul of the boat hasn’t changed. Truth is, we still find our way through the Bahamas the same old way, chart in hand and eyes on the islands. And then there’s the part that still makes no sense to me: The hull. Somehow, this boat has around a dozen holes in the bottom and still floats perfectly. It’s self-draining, balanced, steady. Did I mention the baitwell is free-flowing? That’s how. As a kid, I didn’t understand it. As an adult, I still don’t. But it works. It always worked.
The side dive platform is another one of those quiet genius details, easy in, easy out, and not near the engine. I’d like to think that was intentional. Knowing my grandfather, it probably was. I’m pretty sure the Beehive was built with one goal in mind: Get to the Bahamas and make it back. Self-sufficient. Fewer things to break. Still one of the best philosophies for crossing over.
Walker’s Cay. Yellowtail. Grouper. Long days that didn’t feel long enough.
Now it’s Peanut Island most weekends. My kids. My wife. Friends. Snook in the inlet. Dolphin offshore. Kingfish and sailfish when they show up. Same boat. Different chapter. Now, if you’re reading this and it’s summer, there’s a good chance the Beehive is over in the Bahamas, most likely tied up at the T-dock in Fox Town or sitting easy at one of the docks in Grand Cay. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s made that crossing, well over a hundred, but one thing’s for sure, she’s got plenty more runs left in her.
The name “Beehive” came from the Bs. B.F. Paty Jr., his wife Nancy “B,” and their four boys, Bruce, Bill, Bob, and Bo. Today, my Uncle Bo and father (Bill) co-own it. My kids are the fourth generation of Patys fishing on it. My cousin’s kids are fourth generation enjoying it too. Four generations on the same 24-foot boat. Brother uses it. My sister loves it. We all do. It’s not owned; it’s shared. It’s understood. A family boat in every sense of the word. And every time we pull up somewhere, Peanut Island, the sandbar, the dock, someone smiles, waves, or asks: “Which Paty are you?” Or “What kind of boat is that?” And the best part? It looks like it could have been built yesterday. It’s only 48 years old. Some boats are built to last.
An eyewitness account on the birth of the Beehive.
By Dan Dortch, owner of Fiberglass 1 Inc., in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
B.F. Paty Jr., a friend of the family and customer of mine, had a 22-foot AquaSport that he loved and we kept alive for many years. His boats were always named “Bee Hive” because his name was “B” and all his kid’s names started with B. In the 1970’s I lived just inside the Lake Worth inlet and we had a VHF in the living room. So early one morning the VHF starts calling and it’s B’s son asking if my beach is clear. He was on his way to West End and the old girl busted. He was sinking and wanted to land her on the beach. Well, he did! And when he hit the beach a tidal wave of empty rum bottles, cooking oil, dive gear, pots and pans and everything else you’d take on an island trip, came flying forward and over the bow. The bottom had opened up and was way more to fix than she was worth.
It just so happened I was being sued at the time and B was my attorney. The case was so absurd that no court would hear it. When it was over I owed B $13,000 for my defense. He needed a new boat and couldn’t find what he wanted. He told me that if I could find him a mold similar to the old AquaSport, he would waive the fee. A couple friends of mine had flipped an old 222, added the broken shear line and a little vee aft, and pulled a mold from it. They made two boats and lost interest. So I procured the mold for almost nothing (it was not in great shape hence the rolled gel coat exterior finish) and we took it to “Whistler” Schmidt in Riviera Beach. He was a long-time boat builder and friend of B’s. I got out of my debt to B’s law firm, B got a boat, and BeeHive Boats were born!
