Charles "Charlie" E. Hankins (1925-2003) grew up along the Jersey Shore, where he began working in his father's boatyard at an early age - he built his first complete boat when he was about 15 years old. Charlie, his father, and his brother made Sea Bright skiffs - a type of wooden boat first built in the 1830s that can be launched directly off the beach into pounding surf. Over time, the boat became so admired and so associated with the town where it was created that it took the Sea Bright name.

The Sea Bright skiff's flat bottom with curved rocker and rounded sides let it skid over the sand and turn easily instead of upsetting. It took Charlie about two weeks to make a boat.

Outside of a three year stint in the Coast Guard during WWII, Charlie spent his life building boats. Over the years, he continued the tradition of making small modifications in the design of the Sea Bright skiff. Once used for fishing and even rum-running during Prohibition, today the Sea Bright skiff is used almost exclusively by lifeguards, primarily on the Jersey Shore and Long Island.

Charlie's modifications were designed to meet the specific needs of the lifeguards. His boats were 18 feet long, about a foot longer than the lifeguard boats his father had made. This gave the boat more "glide" in lifeguard tournaments. He also designed a special "competition" oarlock. However, the basic features of the Sea Bright skiff remained unchanged. In 1993, Charles Hankins was the first boat builder to be awarded a National Heritage Fellowship by the National Endowment for the Arts.