FVS ice cream boat brings treats to you

On a hot day on Rehoboth Bay, Rick Shoaff is exactly who you want to see pull up beside you in his ice cream boat.

“This all started because my charter fishing boat is painted all fluorescent neon colors,” he said. “You can see me across the bay, and that was the idea. People came up to me thinking it was an ice cream boat.”

In the spring, Rick bought a used pontoon boat solely for the motor.

“It ran fine, and I thought, this boat’s not in bad shape,” he said. “So I got a business license, threw a couple freezers on it and decided to sell some ice cream.”

Rick, wife Donna and daughter Faith, 10, set out Memorial Day weekend for an inaugural run. Rick and Faith drive and serve ice cream, Donna scouts for customers on the bay’s sandbars and islands, and Faith collects tips. 

“That Saturday, we sold out 80 percent of our ice cream and had no change one hour into the day,” Rick said. “We were so successful over the weekend, I thought, we really have to get our crap together.”

Freezers are stocked with all the favorites: Snickers ice cream bars, Italian ice, popsicles, strawberry shortcake, choco tacos, fruit bars. Best sellers are Mrs. Field’s chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches and the Big Dipper, a chocolate ice cream cone with chocolate sprinkles.

To meet customer requests, they now carry sugar-free ice cream for diabetics and vanilla ice cream cups for dogs.

When asked which treat is her favorite, Faith replies with a smile, “All of them!”

The business, FVS, is named after Faith, business owner and rising fifth-grader at Long Neck Elementary. Faith is determined to be the youngest female licensed captain, a fitting ambition for a girl who lived on a boat in Florida for years.

“She learned to walk on a boat,” Rick said. “She had to gain land legs!”

FVS can be found anchored to an island or sandbar most Thursdays through Sundays. Find them on facebook @FVSicecream.