It was a turning point for Rybovich & Sons Boat Works of West Palm Beach, and for modem sportfishing.

Rybovich & Sons Boat Works was founded by John "Pop" Rybovich Sr. and his wife, Anna, who came to the United States in 1902 from what was later to become Yugoslavia. In 1912, Pop Rybovich — a carpenter and cabinetmaker — settled in Henry Flagler's Palm Beach. There, the years were punctuated by a three-month "season" during which wealthy visitors from the North traveled to Florida's southeastern coast to enjoy the sun, sand and Gulf Stream breezes.

In order to insure the serenity of the area, Flagler decreed that there was to be no construction—no unseemly hammering and the like—during the season, meaning that craftsmen such as Rybovich could not work during the winter months.

"I thought I'd try commercial fishing in those off months, so I bought a boat with a three-horsepower engine and practically no bottom," John Rybovich Sr., told a Saturday Evening Post reporter in 1958. "I was a carpenter, so I built a new bottom," said the then 76.year-old Rybovich.

John Rybovich Jr. was born in 1913. Six years later, Pop Rybovich bought his first parcel of land, fronting on Lake Worth in West Palm Beach. He began fishing commercially and repairing boats for other commercial fishermen.

"I honestly believe my father would rather have been a farmer, but he made do for us by fishing." —John Rybovich Jr.

In 1918, Pop Rybovich built his first brand-new boat — a sea skiff.

Tommy Rybovich was born in 1919, and by the early 192Os, Pop had found a new trade as a serious sea skiff builder. A third son, Robert "Emil" Rybovich, was born in 1921.

The young Johnny Rybovich's first job was to keep mosquitoes away from his dad by throwing coconut husks on a fire.

In the 192Os, rum-running was a popular enterprise along the Florida coast, and the smugglers found Rybovich skiffs to their liking. They were sturdy in rough seas and they were fast. Commercial fishermen also wanted Rybovich boats and came to Pop Rybovich for their repairs. But the bubble burst in the mid-'20s and the hurricane of 1928 wiped out the Rybovich holdings, including the family home. The Florida bank failures of 1929 followed.

Undaunted, Pop Rybovich built a new house and a new boatyard. Johnny Rybovich, at his father's request, quit high school in his senior year to help out with the business.

Family members recall that Pop Rybovich kept busy during the 193Os, managing to hire additional workers in order to help as many as possible. While other builders were getting $300 to $400 for their skiffs, "I could sell mine for $1,000," Pop Rybovich recalled.

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