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Maybe
I have some bad karma to work off or something, because on my recent test
of the Egg Harbor 42 Sportyacht out of Jackson’s Marina in Hampton
Bays, New York, I was greeted by gale-force-plus winds compliments of
hurricane Gustav. It was mid-September, and as the anemometer approached
40 knots, I knew this test was going to be a doozy.
Laurance
and Lee Green, brothers and owners of Stalker Outfitters, a sportfishing
tackle company, were kind enough to let me test their recently acquired
Stalker IV on this less-than-ideal day. Prior to setting out into the
maelstrom, I asked the brothers Green what brought them to the Egg Harbor
42.
“We
had given up on [looking for] boats,” Lee said, referring to the
time leading up to seeing the 42 at last year’s Atlantic City Boat
Show. The Greens, who owned a 41 Hatteras prior to the 42’s purchase,
had searched high and low for a new sportfisherman that could troll for
giants and fly kites for sailfish. Unable to find exactly what they wanted,
they were actually considering repowering the Hatteras. “We wanted
speed and maneuverability. We didn’t want anything too big—we’re
owner-operators,” Lee explained.
The
brothers wanted a two-stateroom, one-head layout, which the Egg has, as
I learned during a lengthy examination (I was in no rush to check out
Gustav) of the below-decks area. The forward master has a queen-size berth
with cedar-lined stowage. The backlit, etched-glass headboard in the master
even displays Stalker’s billfish logo, which Laurance was keen to
point out. Both the master and the guest stateroom, aft to starboard with
a berth for two, contain Sharp flat-screen TVs for when the bite’s
off and the game is on.
The
Greens also wanted an attractive yet low-maintenance interior, and the
teak adorning the staterooms’ doors and trim and head to port is
just that, as well as truly well done. It’s prepared using a system
called “isolante,” explains Egg Harbor’s chief operating
officer Bob Weidhaas. To get the finish, Egg Harbor first seals the grain
of the teak and then uses a polyester filler to even the surface. Finally,
polyurethane varnish is applied, sanded, and buffed. The varnish is repeated
until the woodwork has about 16 coats, says Weidhaas, adding that the
whole system takes about 600 man-hours. I, like the Green brothers, appreciate
this high-gloss, low-maintenance finish because I love to fish and hate
to clean, and you can maintain the finish by simply wiping the woodwork
with almost any glass cleaner. In addition, the surface is scratch-resistant,
ensuring a like-new look for a long time. The black granite sole in the
galley, up and to port, and head forward and to port is also attractive
and low-maintenance. (Are you sensing a theme here?)
The
Greens prefer a clean look, and they got it. Slowly working my way to
the saloon and edging closer to the elements that waited like a lion stalking
its prey, I noted that the saloon and galley cabinets were flush, with
no hinges or latches visible, and were easily opened by a finger flip.
Because the teak is dark, 17 overhead lights, large frameless windows
to both sides, and a cockpit-facing window maintain a sense of space.
The
galley, which contains a large Sharp carousel convection/microwave, two-burner
Princess electric cooktop, and optional Sub-Zero drawer-type refrigerator
and freezer (a single, standup unit is standard), has everything you’ll
need to prepare a tuna steak dinner at sea. And I’m sure more than
one yellowfin or “penguin” (a long-fin tuna) will see that
cooktop. After all, the Greens do own a tackle company.
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