Dean Stuhlmann

Yacht broker Dean Stuhlmann grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, spending summers boating at the Lake of the Ozarks in southwest Missouri. He bought his first boat at age 13, a 16’ runabout with a 65HP outboard. After graduating from the University of Missouri, Columbia with a bachelor's degree in Finance, Banking, and Real Estate, he moved south, where boating was a year-round event.

In 1985, he settled in Fort Lauderdale, where he worked in commercial real estate for 10 years. He spent almost every weekend at his family’s place in Islamorada in the Florida Keys fishing on his center console. Feeling bored in real estate, in 1993 he started Keys Custom Marine in Tavernier, Florida, with a dealership for Ocean Master semi-custom fishing boats. The boats were delivered to the dealership unfinished. Dean was not only responsible for selling these boats but also for organizing the completion of rigging the boats to the specifications agreed to with the customers. This process, his attention to detail, and his desire to deliver a perfect product earned him many long-lasting relationships with his clients.

While still operating Keys Custom Marine, Dean obtained his Florida Yacht Sales License in 2004. The experience helped him get his feet wet in brokerage selling boats to/for friends and customers. Wanting to work full-time in brokerage, Dean closed Keys Custom Marine in 2014. After working with some local brokerages, he joined Denison Yachting in 2016 as a specialist in the center console, custom/production sportfishing, and motor yacht markets.

Dean has fished around the world, including Cairns, Australia, Los Suenos & Tamarindo, Costa Rica, Iztapa, Guatemala, Hualtuco, Mexico, the Bahamas, the Gulf Coast, U.S. and Southeast, and Florida. He has been avidly saltwater fishing since 1984. Besides his passion for fishing, he also enjoys diving, spearfishing, snow skiing, strength training, and traveling.