Maverick Sportfishing Yachts

After living and fishing in Costa Rica for about 10 years, Richard Lebo, originally from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, decided to start looking for a new boat. Rather than pay the expensive import taxes, he put together a team of craftsmen to construct a traditional sport-fisher. The finished boat came out so well, he decided to build another one, and then another. Thus began Maverick Sportfishing Yachts.

Maverick builds a custom 42-footer with one main consideration in mind — fishing. "Our boats are built for nothing other than fishing," Lebo says. "We designed them to make the fishing experience even better. Our boats offer a big, roomy cockpit and a bigger engine room than other boats the same size. It only takes two seconds to get from the couch in the air-conditioned salon to the rods in the covering board."

The fishing-friendly features include a 500-pound-per-day ice chipper feeding into a 6-foot belowdecks fish box, an oversize belowdecks livewell, Rupp triple-spreader outriggers and a Release Marine fighting chair. And these boats don't use much fuel. A fully loaded 42 weighs just 20,000 pounds and burns 32 gph at a 25-knot cruise.

Based in Costa Rica, Lebo takes advantage of the abundant supply of tropical hardwoods. Maverick uses four layers of quarter-inch laurel blanco for the hull. Laurel blanco grows throughout Central America and makes a strong, lightweight substitute for mahogany. The wood is covered with protective layers of fiberglass and epoxy. The Burma teak deck, covering boards and toe rail add to the Maverick's traditional look.

Interested buyers are encouraged to visit Los Sueños Resort and Marina to fish on one of the three Mavericks available for charter. "Our boats hold up really well and are built specifically for the type of fishing we're doing," Lebo says. "I

At a Glance: • Built in Costa Rica using tropical hardwoods •  Tuna tubes and other standard fishing features •  42-footer weighs 20,000 pounds

launched my first boat, Spanish Fly, four and a half years ago, and it's still in like-new condition. And keep in mind, it's a charter boat that fishes 250 days a year."

The three Mavericks fishing out of Los Sueños have proven to the world that they catch fish. In the five tournaments Spanish Fly has fished, it took first place three times (including the overall title in the Los Sueños Signature Billfish Series), one second and one third.

For more information, contact Maverick Sportfishing Yachts of Costa Rica at 866-888-6426, or visit maverickyachtscostarica.com.

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