At McKee Craft, we're constantly striving to make the most practical, fishable boat on the water. Why? Because our customers make smart decisions, demanding rugged, well appointed, easily serviced boats that include the safety features and unsinkable construction built into every McKee Craft. That's why McKee Craft customers keep their boat an average of 15 years.

What is the McKee Craft Difference? 

100% Unsinkable Construction

Premium Canvas

Sturdy T-Tops

Stainless Steel Hardware

Durable Vinyl

McKee Quality Assurance

Premium Gelcoats

Premium Resins

Lamination

Reinforcements/Hull & Deck Joint

Rugged Double Hull Construction

Pressure Bonding System (PBS)

100% Composite Construction

Fuel Tank Installation

Wiring

Livewells

100% Unsinkable Construction: Safety is the reason why each and every McKee Craft boat features our unsinkable construction. McKee takes that requirement to the next level: our boats will not only float, but also remain upright in calm water, even if the boat is cut in half.

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Premium Canvas: We use only Sunbrella® marine fabric in Bimini and T-tops. Seams are double-stitched using cotton-encased nylon thread, which adds strength and locks out moisture. Bimini top frames are constructed with 7/8” aluminum tubing and 316 stainless steel fittings for greater strength and resistance to harsh saltwater conditions.

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T-Tops: All factory installed T-Tops are anodized aluminum with sturdy welds and are through bolted into the deck with stainless steel bolts and ½” 6061 aluminum backing plates. The strength of our decks does not require backing plates, but we add them for an extra measure of security.  

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Stainless Steel Hardware: McKee uses all stainless steel hardware, prized for its superior resistance to salt water corrosion. You will find stainless steel in our bow eyes, cleats, bow rails, nuts, bolts, and fasteners. For most applications, McKee uses 316 grade stainless, which has a high nickel alloy content, to ensure extra long life.  

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Vinyl:  Only marine grade, 32 ounce, knit-backed style vinyl treated with UV protectants is used to ensure the upholstery is as durable as possible. 

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McKee Quality Assurance: We build quality into every boat, starting with the design process, to selection of components, construction method, to final assembly. All McKee Craft boats come with a 10-year limited warranty. It is just a symbol of our integrity. Our customers keep their boats an average of 15 years, many handing their boats down from generation to generation. That is why McKee Craft is known as the most rugged boat in the industry.  

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Premium Gelcoats: McKee Craft utilizes ISO-NPG gelcoat, which has high flex properties that are resistant to cracking, and Titanium dioxide pigments that are the most UV stable pigments available. These high quality stain and blister resistant gelcoats are used in every McKee Craft hull.  

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Premium Resins: We use premium ISO/DCPD resins which creates a smoother profile (reduces print through) while improving strength. A vinyl ester resin barrier coat is added on the 2800 Freedom and 22 Runaway for even greater resistance to osmosis (blistering). 

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Lamination: The fiberglass/resin ratio is precision machine metered and completely rolled by hand by factory trained craftsmen.  Highly trained lamination technicians hand-roll the fiberglass to create uniform, consistent hull profiles. We hand lay a sheet of 24-ounce woven roving at the waterline and below for high tensile strength and directional stability. Overlapping roving at the keel 4" to 6" adds strength and stiffness for longer life in a critical area. Penske Xtreme Board, the composite transom, is bedded into the wet laminate on the hull. Then the composite transom is encapsulated in fiberglass for added strength. The cockpit deck is cored with a 3/8" syntactic core. This product is a ceramic micro-balloon filled sprayable core. This material is synthetic and is equal in strength to solid oak. This ensures end users that they are able to mount seats, coolers, and accessories safely without consulting our engineering department. Syntactic Core is heavier than most cores, 37 pounds per cubic foot. Some competitors use a material that is 4 pounds per cubic foot. The lightweight products sound good to most buyers, but there is a huge trade off in versatility and strength. Crush a Styrofoam cup in your hand... that's the strength of a 4 pound core! McKee Craft laminates and cores are designed for strength and durability long term, not because of some short lived fad that you might read about in a magazine.   Each McKee Craft hull stays in the mold for a full 48 hours to ensure a full cure for the best dimensional stability and cosmetic finish. Many manufacturers cycle molds twice a day or more. This technique increases production but hampers quality, distorts, and can even twist hulls... NOT AT MCKEE CRAFT!  Every hull and deck cures in our lamination department overnight and the following morning it goes to our Foaming Department for additional coring and reinforcement.  

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Reinforcements/Hull & Deck Joint: Once in the Foaming Department with the hull and liner still in the mold, and while the hull and deck are separate the foam technicians add the keel reinforcement, Penske Xtreme Board. In key areas they bond either PEB board (rigid ½" thick polyethylene equal to aluminum plating holding power), or aluminum plating for factory installed equipment like cleats, rails, consoles, and seats. Copper conduit is run to the bow light. Copper is used because it is the only conduit that will not crush from the heat and pressure of the foaming process. The hull and deck are then bonded together with top-of-the-line ATC B39 bonding putty which ensures a complete rather than spot bond of the hull deck joint. This next step is what makes us different from every other boat manufacturer in the world except two. 

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Rugged Double Hull Construction: Unlike other manufacturers, McKee utilizes a unique method of inserting flotation foam into our boats. But, McKee Craft lamination molds do more.  They are actually pressure vessels designed to contain the heat and intense pressure exerted during the foam expansion process. The joined hull/deck in the molds are heated to 140 degrees in propane fired ovens, to prepare for the pouring of the foam liquid. McKee Craft molds are on average 5 times heavier than industry standard molds.  Our molds are completely encapsulated in a welded steel cage. The hull/deck is held fast with ¾" cast bolts every 16" around the mold. We use a secret formulated polyurethane foam that expands 50 times its original volume in less than a minute. It is carefully weighed and air mixed for a precise number of seconds and then poured into the void between the hull/deck. Pressures rise rapidly to as much as 150,000 pounds on an 18' boat, the chemical reaction creating heat that peaks at 240 degrees. The combination of heat and intense pressure chemically and mechanically bond every square inch of the hull to every square inch of the deck. The two pieces become one integral part. The added rigidity means that the hull is stronger and does not flex and twist in rough water conditions. It is no wonder that McKee Craft boats are handed down from generation to generation.    Whereas this same 18' boat may require 80 lbs of foam to meet US Coast Guard requirements for level flotation, it may take 125 pounds to fill the hull. But we pack it in, under pressure using 200 lbs, more than two and a half times the requirement set by the U.S. Coast Guard. The heat generated during this process has an added benefit. Fiberglass/resin laminates only cure to the highest temperature that it is exposed to. Wintertime-built boats see their first 90 degree day when a customer uses it in the summer. A McKee Craft is post cured to 240 degrees! That's why our dimensional stability is like no other boat on the market. All this makes the boat Unsinkable.  The foamed boat is allowed to cure overnight in the mold. During our 48 hour in-mold construction cycle, boat brand “X” molds have already built as many as 4 boats during the same 48 hours. And the first one built is still post curing……..waiting on summertime to finish the curing process.

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Pressure Bonding System (PBS): Most boat hulls are built with either fiberglass-encased wood, or foam stringer systems that are set into the hull and laminated into place. This traditional method of strengthening the hull works, but if the fiberglass joints weaken, or the stringer system does not fit properly, the stringers can separate from the hull leaving it open to failure. McKee Craft boats do not have stringers. We utilize a totally unique construction method we call "PBS", our Pressure Bonding System. This unique method of construction allows the strength of the deck to combine with the strength of the hull, both complimenting each other, resulting in the most rugged hulls in the industry. 

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100% Composite Construction: If marine grade plywood properly encased in fiberglass it is strong and durable. However, if wood is not properly encased, or the fiberglass does not bond properly, or perhaps optional equipment is added and items are drilled through the fiberglass breaking the seal, water could infiltrate the wood and cause it to weaken. McKee Craft boats are woodless. Not just woodless hulls, but the decks seats and cushions as well. Transoms and keels are cored with Penske Xtreme Board. This is a 24 lb per cubic ft. Polyurethane foam embedded with woven roving fiberglass. Decks are cored with Syntactic foam and key areas with Penske PEB board (rigid ½" thick polyethylene with the holding power of aluminum plating). Seats and cushions are backed with Kinglite Starboard and poly-board. No wood, no potential for rot. 

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Fuel Tank Installation: McKee fuel tanks are high quality welded aluminum tanks with interior baffles to keep the fuel from shifting too quickly which could affect the balance of the boat. All below deck fuel tanks are foamed in place assuring that no shifting will ever take place. The Coast Guard recommends that fuel tanks be checked yearly for any signs of leaking or other damage. We make sure that fuel tanks are easily accessible so that this critical safety inspection can be performed without having to disassemble the deck.  Water tight inspection hatches are located over hose connections so the smart Captain can make routine visual inspections. All tanks are primed in a corrosion resistant Zinc Chromate primer to insure long life. 

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Wiring: At McKee Craft, we use only ABYC approved wiring systems that exceed the E-8 and E-9 standard set forth by the ABYC. Switches are the Carling Contura water resistant rocker switches and wires are color coded per that same standard for ease in locating the proper circuit when needed. All of our butt connections are hermetically sealed adhesive lined and heat shrunk. These are not only waterproof, but in other uses approved for explosive atmospheres. All connectors are solid copper and tin coated for maximum corrosion resistance. Wiring harnesses are either vinyl coated or in vinyl loom for abrasion resistance. It is protected further by being inside   fiberglass, PVC, or copper conduit on long runs. Panels are sealed against the console face with a high grade marine sealant. These items are expensive, but at McKee Craft we believe safety always comes first.  

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Livewells: All McKee Craft livewells are rounded and water is constantly changed to keep expensive bait alive. LED lights are included to assist when night fishing on certain models. We install livewell pumps that have tool free cartridges so changing to a new one is a snap. The bilge pump cartridges are the same so in a pinch, a customer can swap them to keep bait alive or run the bilge if needed, an important feature for tournament anglers. All livewell spray heads are volume adjustable so the fisherman can adjust water flow based upon the type and   quantity of bait being used. Over- flows are protected by a screen that prevents bait from stopping up the overflow and over filling the livewell. McKee Craft livewells vary in size and shape by boat, so please read the specifications on the specific model you are interested in for more information.  

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When you purchase a McKee Craft, you don't just buy a boat, you buy a company. We believe unsurpassed safety and reliability must be the backbone of every boating experience. McKee Craft: A company founded on the highest principals of product integrity, safety and customer care.