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She first appeared as a dot on the radar. But in an instant, 63 feet of sparkling, metallic orange streaked up behind my tournament team's boat like a rapidly rising sun. This sun was hot, too, with more than 3,650 hp at her core. And just as quickly as she had risen from the horizon behind me, the blazingly fast battlewagon blew by me and disappeared into the horizon. I knew I had to get this boat on my test list.
It took me several months, but I eventually caught up with the sleekster dubbed Southern Exposure, a custom-built Jarrett Bay, at the builder's yard in Beaufort, North Carolina. She looked just as hot dockside. Her glittering hull was lit up by the equally orange late-afternoon fall sun, and the trademark Jarrett Bay bow flare, massive cambered foredeck, and tapering lines aft blended together, forming curvaceous yet muscular lines.
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Her exterior lines are supported by a tank-tested hull shape that carries a slightly more convex form in the forward two-thirds than past Jarrett Bays typically have. The design was modified to offer a softer ride overall, while maintaining Jarrett Bay's traditional knifelike, head-sea-splitting entry.
Supporting the hull is Jarrett Bay's cold-molded construction, which starts with fir frames and three layers of marine-grade fir plywood for the bottom. Three layers of diagonally planked okume plywood is used for the hull sides, and fiberglass, in the form of 34-ounce and 18-ounce cloth, is added to the bottom and sides, respectively, along with WEST SYSTEM epoxy. The resin-saturated glass helps provide a lightweight yet solid structure. The 63 still comes in at a healthy 80,000 pounds, but several similar-size and -powered fiberglass sportfishermen I've been on have averaged about 5,000 to 10,000 pounds more. That weight savings directly translates into performance.
Even with a dirty bottom, which prevented her engines from turning their full-rated 2300 rpm, the 63 managed to effortlessly cruise along the lake-flat ICW at 42.2 mph at 2000 rpm and top out at 48.2 mph at 2236 rpm (see specifications for complete test numbers). I would expect another half knot or so with a clean bottom under similar test conditions. With this kind of speed, it's no wonder she passed my team's boat like we were sitting still.
Speed is nice, but I was curious to see how she ran in open water. So Jarrett Bay's Capt. Joey Johnston pointed the 63 towards the Atlantic, where the calm ICW gave way to a steep three-foot chop driven by winds in the 20-mph-plus range. The quick chop gave me an opportunity to see how well her entry (with trim tabs fully engaged at first) dismissed the sea state and enabled the 63 to maintain a 40-mph cruise speed without a bang or slap.
I took over wheel duty at the centerline helm and ran her at cruise speed cross-sea, upsea, quartering, and downsea, and the 63 was as easy to drive as a center console. Credit here goes to power-assisted SeaStar hydraulic steering. I did notice that when she was tabbed all the way down into the chop, some spray got past the umbrella effect offered by the boat's flare. If I dialed the tabs back to half, however, my test boat provided a bone-dry ride. U-turns at cruise speeds took a couple of boat lengths; her moderate heel to inboard was confidence-inspiring.
Some of the cool custom features of this flying-bridge helm layout include the pop-out plotter and the five barrel chairs for guests. The chairs offer a different aesthetic from the standard benchseat. They're angled so when the 63 is running, most people face forward. There's one to starboard that favors the cockpit view, which offers an extra set of eyes on trolled teasers and baits. And even though they're barrel chairs, there's an abundance of stowage beneath for the owner's numerous (and wickedly large) flying gaffs.
The 63 is first and foremost a fishing boat, and that gaff stowage just hints at how hardcore this owner is about his sportfishing. There's also the autopilot in the teaser-reel compartment over the helmsman's head that allows the owner to back down on a fish while he's facing aft and use the autopilot to maneuver.
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