Owning a boat is undoubtedly expensive and that last check you sign before driving your new boat home is just the tip of the iceberg. Budgets are in the eye of the beholder as operating costs can vary greatly depending on how many days, weeks or months the boat will be in use and also how extensive your travel or tournament participation will be.
Photo courtesy Will Drost
By Ric Burnley
When I was young, my father gave me some great advice: “Let the tool do the work.” I was probably yanking on a hook with my pliers or trying to hack up bait with scissors when Dad gripped my wrist, looked in my eyes, and told me to stop fighting my tools. Since then, I’ve been a tool geek.
Bayliss Boatworks recently announced the completion of Wave Paver, the latest 75’ custom sportfishing yacht to hit the water. Now that the builder’s work on the project is finished, Bayliss is looking back with pride to just over two years ago when they were approached by her owners to discuss their second build. It is an honor to build each and every hull, but it is an exceptional privilege when customers choose us for a second time. Wave Paver will be joining a long-standing and very successful fishing program on the tournament circuit, with the original Wave Paver 77’.
Purchasing a 2008 boat in need of updates has its advantages. During a 10-month search to find such a boat was exactly what Michael Yocco and his father Joe accomplished.
“Our approach was to find a boat within a certain budget which included the purchase price and any upgrades we wanted. Then ask ourselves if the cost of refitting a boat is worth it based on the value post-refit,” Yocco says.
By Dale Wills
Anytime I hear someone ask, “How big was the fish?” I’m often reminded of my father and his classic dad joke. Taking his hands from about 12 inches apart and slowly moving them to almost full arms width apart, he would gaze at you with a serious face and say, “It was about that far from the boat and weighed six pounds.”
Some vessels were fortunate during Harvey, others less so.
By Captain Scott “Fraz” Murie
Years ago, back in the ‘80s, there was an old captain who used to tell me “it’s all in the preparation.” That is still true today. It took me a while to understand, but I learned there is a lot of wisdom in those words when it comes to our line of work. There are things to be prepared for in every aspect of our job.
I seem to talk a lot about safety, but preparation for the unthinkable is so important. It is not about if you have a life raft, life jacket or survival kit or E.P.I.R.B., it’s about how accessible they are in the event you need them. If your safety gear is stowed in an area that is not immediately accessible, you could be in trouble. When I do a long crossing and there are four of us on the boat, I have four life jackets out, along with safety lights and provisions for everyone onboard. The provisions, such as water and crackers, are stowed in a small cooler sealed with duct tape or a ditch bag. Everything is together for immediate access. I don’t want to be crawling through a hatch or a hole to find them.
The Crawgator team with their first place 492.6-pound blue marlin.
Top Captain Landon Bell and Top Mate Connor McLeod, Southern Charm.
Photo courtesy Brian Spence
The Islands of the Bahamas, June 16, 2022—Effective Sunday 19th June 2022 The Bahamas Travel Health Visa (BTHV) will no longer be required to travel to The Bahamas. However, all present COVID-19 Testing, and Vaccination Protocols will remain in effect and will need to be presented at check-in.
MGCBC
A pantry has been converted to rod storage on the 68-foot Viking, Whirlwind.
By Dale Wills
Adequate rod and reel tackle storage on a modern sportfishing boat is generally not the highest priority. Naturally, most soon-to-be boat owners look at other attributes such as engines, number of staterooms, salon layout, bridge configuration and cockpit space when deciding if a boat is right for them. But once a boat is delivered and a captain and/or crew is hired then all kinds of stuff begins to get loaded and stowed, including the all-important tackle.
