Ryan McVinney, host of Boat Trader’s original video series “Stomping Grounds”, shares the details of Brian Kelley’s Florida boating lifestyle, sportfishing yacht and latest music
With Stomping Grounds, Boat Trader, America’s boating marketplace, has launched a new kind of video series for water lovers to enjoy starring real boaters. With the splash of its second episode, Stomping Grounds’ director and host Ryan McVinney transports viewers to Florida’s Panhandle to meet avid fisherman and Country music superstar Brian Kelley of the Diamond-selling duo Florida Georgia Line. Together, they hop aboard Kelley’s boat–the “Brittney Marie” named for his wife — for a song-filled cruise along the Emerald Coast, blasting tracks off his debut solo album Sunshine State of Mind (Warner Music Nashville / Nashville South Records, Inc.). From there, McVinney and crew head east to explore the Big Bend region and learn more about the area’s storied history from a renowned underwater archaeologist.
McVinney, who also oversees all boat reviews for Boat Trader, said, “As Mr. Kelley explained his lifelong love for boats and boating and what spending time on the water has meant to him most recently, our crew captured the gorgeous Gulf views of the Florida Panhandle, and we all quickly clicked as boaters while getting to know the laid-back, Beach Cowboy-side of BK. His new music is personal and hearing his songs carry out over his stomping grounds, the lyrics rang even more authentic and heartfelt.”
Like millions of boaters, Kelley shopped for his boat on Boat Trader, using the Boat Trader app to filter thousands of listings from private owners, boat dealers and brokers, until he found the perfect one. The boat he dreamed of was a capable, turnkey sportfishing vessel which was realized in the form of a custom-built, 56-foot Sunny Briggs. In addition to sharing about his stomping grounds from the Choctawhatchee Bay to Panama City and Apalachicola, he also discusses the inspiration for his new music and “love letter to the beach life” (MusicRow), including the song “Highway On The Water” that highlights Boat Trader in the lyrics.
“Growing up, my parents had a family boat and we’d hit the springs and the river, and whether we were tubing, kneeboarding, fishing, or just cruising around watching for alligators and manatees, boating has always been a ‘highway on the water’ to me,” said Kelley. “Boating is an important part of so many people’s lives. It doesn’t matter what boat you’re on, a jon boat or a big boat, just spending time with the people you love on the water is therapy.”
The “Brittney Marie” is a perfect example of a premium sportfisher design and the episode reveals what Kelley took as a sign that this boat was meant for him. His boat has a two-stateroom layout with two guest bunks and a large main salon that can accommodate even more guests. She has two heads onboard, a huge teak-adorned aft deck with a high-end fighting chair and two control stations – one on the main helm and the other atop the tuna tower.
Later in the episode, McVinney is also welcomed aboard by Shawn Joy who is a maritime project manager for one of the largest maritime archaeology programs in the world. His vital research and fieldwork in the Gulf of Mexico has made him one of the leading ancient archaeologists in the country. Joy has logged hundreds of hours of scientific diving and has documented sites with an extensive library of underwater photography. His photos have been featured in Smithsonian Magazine and Popular Archaeology.
Watch the latest Stomping Grounds episode on Boat Trader’s YouTube channel and subscribe for future content alerts. Fans can look forward to more exciting trips this summer to meet more boaters, their boats, and crew, including a Hollywood director, a banker turned backcountry fishing guide, and a renowned conservationist, to name a few.
To view America’s largest inventory of new and used boats, visit boattrader.com. Follow @BoatTrader on Instagram where Boat Trader posts awesome boats and has introduced new “Highway On The Water” GIFs to bring a bit of fun to stories sharing boating adventures this summer.
About Brian Kelley
Best known as the Florida half of the record-setting superstar duo Florida Georgia Line, Ormond Beach-native Brian Kelley is now embarking on a sandy solo adventure. Making a splash with debut album, SUNSHINE STATE OF MIND, the chill-Country champion is capturing his lifelong connection to the Florida coast. Co-writing and co-producing the project alongside Corey Crowder for an elevated version of his typical party-ready FGL energy, the set matches Kelley’s anything-goes ethos with a new sunshine-Country strut, as a partnership between Warner Music Nashville and Kelley’s Nashville South Records, Inc. It’s the latest piece of a creative empire which has already made Kelley and his FGL partner, Tyler Hubbard, one of the best-selling Country duos in history, and true business moguls. Alongside a chart-topping catalog that includes 2020’s LIFE ROLLS ON (BMLG Records), 18 career #1 hits, and being the only act to achieve two RIAA DIAMOND-certified singles in Country music history (“Cruise” and “Meant to Be” with Bebe Rexha), the pair maintain thriving business initiatives in addition like FGL House, meet + greet, Round Here Records, Tree Vibez Music, Old Camp Whiskey, and Wolf Moon Bourbon (with Jason Aldean), plus a reputation as electrifying, stadium-thrilling headline performers. Diversifying his enterprise, Kelley is also hands-on with projects like upcoming musical and feature film, both titled “MAY WE ALL” with his production company CuzBro Productions; cult-favorite brand Tribe Kelley with wife Brittney; and a partnership with Oyster City Brewing Company.
About Boat Trader
Since 1991, Boat Trader has delivered more boat buyers to dealers, brokers and private party sellers than any other advertising source. Long before the world relied on Google, Boat Trader magazine was the go-to place to sell a boat. In 2008, the magazine successfully shifted its business model from print to digital media, and today Boat Trader reaches more than nine million visitors per month. To experience the marine industry’s leading marketplace, visit www.boattrader.com, and also download the Boat Trader app for the latest way to search for boats on a mobile device.
About Stomping Grounds
Filmmaker and head of content for Boat Trader, Ryan McVinney is the director and host of Stomping Grounds, a regularly-occurring YouTube series on the Boat Trader channel, that tells the celebrated, true stories of people and boating. Every time McVinney steps aboard a boat, a new documentary showcasing cherished traditions and local legends begins.
Media contact: press@boats.com