Contractor Creates Catamaran

Marc Dillard, vice president of operations for Kinco Constructors LLC’s northwest division, is as innovative a fisherman as they come.

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He prefers to fish on Arkansas’ streams and rivers for smallmouth bass, and fishes with lures and spin-casting rather than fly-fishing.

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“Mostly we fish with soft plastics and brush hogs and lukes and tube gigs,” he said. “Any color works fine so long as it’s green.”

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But Dillard found a single canoe and other river-specific boats lacking his needs. One time he and his brother wanted to ford a river because the other side looked promising for duck hunting. The space looked too treacherous for a single canoe, so they got to discussing ways to lash their two vessels together.

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A sort of hillbilly catamaran was the first result. But it worked and the two have since perfected and built a boat that Dillard now hauls on a trailer, fully assembled. The boat is complete with four chairs and a trolling motor.

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“It’s just evolved,” he said.

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His rig’s so efficient, he can have it hooked up and be moving toward water within 30 minutes, he said.

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When asked if he uses the outfit to occasionally entertain clients, he said, “Absolutely!”

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But at the end of the day, it’s more about getting to know someone, he said of his fishing trips. “I’ve not made a million dollars sitting in that blue chair,” Dillard said, “but I have developed good lasting relationships.

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“I’m not a fishing guide, but I love to take people,” he said.

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