GEORGIA GIRL Craftsmanship Earns Grand Prize, Cabinetry Awards in Prestigious Design Competition

Our Georgia Girl won the Cabinetry category and grand prize in the seventh annual Veneer Tech Craftsman’s Challenge™, one of the most highly respected and well-known craftsmanship competitions in woodworking. Besting over 60 entries, the 81-foot Paul Mann features hand selected plain-sliced cherry veneer accented with figured cherry throughout the cabins and saloon, pronounced to be an “elegant yet lightweight solution in a marine project where weight is a significant consideration,” by Bill Esler, associate publisher for Vance Publishing/Woodworking Network, and publisher of Wood and Wood Productsand Custom Woodworking Business, one of three judges for the 2011 competition.

“The quality of the work was remarkable,” said Keith Yow, also a judge for this year’s competition that rewards excellence in natural veneer and wood product applications. “The craftsmanship was exceptional, especially in the case of fitting cabinets with so many radiuses into the cabin of a yacht.” Yow is department chair of the Career Technical Education Program at Cedar Ridge High School, Hillsborough, NC, and a nationally known woodworking educator.

Along with Esler and Yow, the 2011 panel included Robert Lang, executive editor, Popular Woodworking, and well-known woodworker in his own right.

“We are thrilled! All of us are pleased and proud that this distinguished panel of judges recognizes the superior quality of our work,” states Robin Mann of Paul Mann Custom Boats. “It’s nice to go up against the best woodworkers in the country and come out on top. But while the recognition and prize money are nice, we remember that our goal is simple-to provide our customers with the finest Carolina-style custom sportfishing boats in the world.”