 Heine took the skiff to Ed Hoppen, the Gig Harbor boat builder who was the original builder of the popular Thunderbird sailboats.After cutting out about two feet and reshaping the hull, Dole and Hoppen used the old Minto skiff as the plug for the first fiberglass Minto mold.Initially the objective was to only build five boats for themselves, Bob Schoen, and some friends.