The History of the Rumrunner

Rumrunner’s hull is a 1949 design by John Hacker. While the original plans were for a triple-cockpit runabout, the boat’s design was modified by naval architect Charlie Jannace to that of a commuter. Rumrunner was built by Hugh Saint, Inc., Custom Boats in Cape Coral, Florida, for Will Stout. She was cold molded using West System epoxy and Honduras mahogany.

With seating for 20 people, the boat has a very versatile design that can be used as a day boat or a pocket cruiser.

The Rumrunner is a 37-foot Commuter, powered by twin Crusader 8.1 HO 8-cylinder engines rated at 425-hp each.

The Restaurant that bears the name of Rumrunners is proud to bring you the bestwaterfront dining experience you can have.

Col. Hugh Saint

Col. Hugh Saint flew 141 Vietnam combat missions in F4 Phantoms.  Col. Saint joined the Air Force in 1956 and retired in 1980.  At one time he had over 1200 service men and women serving under him. 

Col. Saint has a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering from Georgia Tech.  He is a graduate of the Naval War College.  He has a Master’s in International Affairs from George Washington University. 

Hugh paid his way through Georgia Tech building Lafitte (pronounced La Feet) Skiffs and shrimping the waters off Louisiana.  Hugh and his father perfected wooden boat building using techniques years ahead of their time.  “When you build a boat that has to work day in day out every day of the year, you learn the value of quality and design.” 

After his retirement from the Air Force, the Colonel founded Hugh Saint Inc. in 1981 in Cape Coral.  He’s lost count of how many custom boats he has built but the number is over 40 and he has done many restorations.