The Tillet family tradition began when Timothy Tillet became an employee at Ben Daniels’ Boatworks and later became Daniel’s son-in-law. One of his first and most prolific boats was Wanda, a shadboat made for one of his 13 children.
“Belove Tillett from Manns Harbor (1920s and 1930s) began building charter boats based on shad boats but those which were round-chine, dead rise with a sweeping sheer, straight stem and round stern, also a cabin, removable chairs and other amenities not found on other shad boats” (Conoley et al. 39). Another prolific Tillet was Captain Omie Tillet (b.1929) who built Sportsman, a 42-foot charter boat, with Warren O’Neal (Conoley et al. 39). This boat took inspiration from styles found in Florida Sport Fishing boat, which he encountered when he chartered to Florida during North Carolina’s winter off-season (Conoley et al. 165). Omie stopped building after developing a severe allergic reaction to epoxies and resins but remains a prolific boat builders who is consulted by modern builders (Gray and Gray 2017:62)
By Alexander Owens