One Big, Bad BoatThoroughbred Speed, Cat-like Agility, and Linebacker Brawn Define this Jersey-built Battlewagon.The seas off windy Riviera Beach, Florida, were set in a three- to four-foot steep chop. The twin and optional ($550,000) 2,400-hp MTU diesels sitting on steel-frame engine beds (which are secured to fore and aft bulkheads below decks) roared at their
How often does the builder of a sportfisherman have to qualify a recorded top end of 43 knots?American Custom Yachts (ACY), known for building some of the world’s fastest battlewagons, did just that, explaining that while it recorded that number, it was still fine-tuning the props on its new 68 to eke out even more speed. Indeed, ACY says it
Recently, I’ve had a string of bad luck with South Florida weather. The past few times I’ve been on the water there, the skies have opened up, the seas turned snotty, and I’ve been subsequently drenched by quarter-size raindrops. Although this doesn’t bother me so much—moderate chop’s good for a sea trial—I prefer not to be in a constant state of panic about keeping our plethora of
When the first sailfish hit, we were running along the eastern edge of the Gulf Stream. The day was perfect, with the wind northerly, seas averaging six feet or more, and the sun bearing down just hard enough to ease the midmorning January chill. "Right kite," yelled Albemarle company captain Jamie Brandon from the cockpit of our Albemarle 290XF (Express Fisherman).I'd been daydreamin'
Singer Island, Florida's Sailfish Marina restaurant was in aprs-fish mode when I arrived around 6 p.m. At its outdoor tables and bar, salty types—mixed among snowbirds and coeds—sported Guy Harvey T-shirts and deep tans as they unwound after a day of chasing a reported hot sailfish bite. From a dock hard by the restaurant's entrance, a father and son tossed bread to a school of jacks
Let’s be frank. Notwithstanding an attractive, nicely appointed interior, there’s nothing frou-frou about the Albemarle 360 XF (Express Fisherman). Everything about her is solid, functional, and bred for fishing. But that is not to say she’s unattractive. On the contrary, in just the few minutes it took to fuel up at the Sea Isle Marina during the 2006 Miami International Boat Show, several
Who among us has not, after boarding dozens of boats and talking to dozens of salespeople, wished we could just design and build our next boat ourselves so she would be exactly the way we want her? Well, that's precisely the position Frank Scortino found himself in some eight years ago. An experienced boater and successful businessman from Montreal, he was looking for a 50-something-foot
Back in 1989, Monterey Marine, which became American Custom Yachts (ACY), launched a vessel named Renegade. At 80 feet LOA, her displacement was a mere 120,000 pounds, even with twin 7,000-hp MTU diesels that each weighed nearly seven tons. She reportedly reached a top speed of 55.9 mph (48.6 knots), and claimed the title of world’s fastest sportfisherman.Now ACY is at it again.
Rendering Courtesy of Bayliss BoatworksBayliss B16 84-foot OrionEstablished in 2002, Bayliss Boatworks is a relative new-comer to the rugged world of Outer Banks boatbuilding. But the company’s somewhat brief history hasn’t stopped it from turning out quality boats that can compete with the best of them and look
When I was a kid, I always heard the name Bertram mentioned among boaters. The conversation usually involved someone wanting to buy the now-legendary 31-footer or someone else who had just purchased one. That vessel was—and to many diehards still is—the ultimate in solid-fiberglass, deep-V fishing boats. Aside from the dock talk, I remember the picture of Moppie, the first 31 that was
A Blast from the PastBertram's new battlewagon is suffused with the spirit of her ancestors.Nothin' else like it in the world," I yelled as our Bertram 511 prototype swung a broad, gracefully banked, highly exhilarating turn. I snatched a couple of anticipatory breaths, tweaked the width of my stance, stabilized my butt against one of two, optional, high-gloss
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? The Bertram 540 is a modern-day version of the much-loved original Bertram 54 and retains the 54’s famously sharp bow, long waterline, and deep-V hull, which combine to make the boat handle well in open water.
It's always dicey messing with a classic, especially one as widely revered as the Bertram 54. But Bertram's parent company, the Ferretti Group, is out to establish its own legend, by innovating and defying the norms. And so the classic 54 is being reborn as the Bertram 540. Make no mistake: This is no mere facelift, with a nip and tuck to update styling. The 540 is the result of a fundamental
Hey Jose, can you get this kite over some?” Josh Brown calls up to Capt. Jose Mullian on the bridge. Down in the cockpit Brown’s eyes are glued to the lone kite flying 100 yards astern. The port engine kicks ahead, the wash bubbles out, and the big boat swings a bit to starboard. “Yeah, that’s it,” I hear Brown whisper to himself. “Fly the other one,” he says to Joe Lambert, our other deck
You don't have to have the windows.That may be the most important message I can convey to hardcore anglers interested in the Bertram 700. I know a bunch of you are this very moment looking at the running shots of our test boat and thinking, "Phew! No real fisherman would have those on his boat."So all you hypertestosteronics can relax. While the master stateroom hull-side
Wicked ToughFast and supremely seaworthy, this 80-foot battlewagon is the biggest, baddest Bertram ever.The day was certainly getting off to a serene start. The canal behind Bertram’s Fort Lauderdale office was glass-flat, with nary a riffle, thanks to lots of wind protection from all the nearby buildings. And our test boat, the new 800, seemed rather tranquil
She didn't look like a cat, but I quickly concluded that her ability to jump, run, and land on her feet were signs of a nimble and acrobatic feline. No, I didn't come across a predatory panther on the African plains, but I did take a ride on Black Pearl Marine's 46 sportfish catamaran that made this monohull diehard reconsider his position on fishing platforms.I spooled up the 46's
“Fishing stories told here,” read the sign over the counter of Dave and Mary Beth Tillman’s Siskiwit Bay Tackle Store in Cornucopia, Wisconsin. Outside, over the entranceway, unlit strings of Christmas lights still festooned the eave, and photographer Jim Raycroft saw a photo op. “Hey Dave, any chance of flicking on those lights?” he asked Tillman. “Sure,” Tillman said, still a bit distracted by
Boston Whaler 285 ConquestAs much as any other manufacturer in the boatbuilding game, Boston Whaler has staked its reputation on building rugged and seakindly boats. In particular, the company sets itself apart with the bold proclamation that their boats are “unsinkable.” That’s a lofty title to uphold but one which the company’s new 285 Conquest
If there's such a thing as an old hippie hideout, it's Santa Cruz, California. A port town surfing the edge of Monterey Bay, a few miles south of 'Frisco, Santa Cruz seems loaded with folks of a certain age—my age, actually—sporting hairstyles, clothes, and vocabularies that hark back, sometimes subtly, sometimes strikingly, to the Bad Old Days. Or at least that was my take as I
The moment was bordering on silly fun. I took over the wheel of the Cabo 38 Flybridge (Hull No. 1) and with minimal input from the ZF electronic controls made her spin like a top. As I throttled the optional 800-mhp MAN diesels, she whipped around to port in a perfect circle while the 27x33 four-blade nibral wheels ate up the cobalt water off Port Everglades inlet. Thus this pocket battlewagon
Triple ThreatThis 44-foot hardtop-equipped express is equally at home chasing billfish, dayboating, or cruising.Three out of four live ballyhoo-rigged circle hooks went down as three sailfish took to dancing across the waters just offshore of Key Largo, Florida’s Ocean Reef Club. Shortly after the hookup, I developed a strong appreciation for the agility of Cabo’s
I’m going to take her from the tower, okay?” I enthusiastically inquired with Cabo Yachts’ international sales manager Steve Boerma. I’m a certified tuna-tower nut, although I don’t entirely know why. Perhaps it’s because I grew up with one on my dad’s boat, run my own boat from her tower, or just enjoy the solitude up top. Maybe it’s all of the above. I do know that when I saw the optional
Laid up in the desert, this boat is built for serious ocean travels.The new Cabo Yachts 52 Flybridge (FB) and last year’s Cabo 52 Express may share the same Divinycell-cored hull and 1,675-hp Caterpillar C32s in their engine rooms, but that’s about it. From her Pipewelder’s tower to her saloon, the 52 FB is both a new and
Illustration: Bruce AldersonCalyber Boatworks 35 ExpressThe biggest news about this petite sportfisherman is not her size, layout, or design, but rather her propulsion system. She’s one of the first sportfishing yachts designed expressly to utilize Volvo Penta’s innovative IPS 500. With its
Cavileer Boatworks is named after 18th-century boatbuilder John Cavileer, whose boats—built in Lower Bank, New Jersey, the current home of Cavileer Boatworks—were integral players in America’s fight for independence. George Washington, then a young general, was purportedly so impressed with the stout construction and seafaring abilities of Cavileer’s boats that he used them to send