(Photo/Richard Gibson)
The moon and stars shone brightly in the pre-dawn night as Capt. Eddie Herbert started the engines on the 80-foot Merritt Reel Tight. His destination, the Virgin Islands’ North Drop. Reel Tight owner Jim Lambert Sr. took his passion for fishing seriously. He wanted to be first off the dock so he could catch and release two to three blue marlin before sun-up and the rest of the fleet arrived.
Every boat built by Bayliss Boatworks is a truly custom project. In the case of Overtime, the newest 67’ 6’’ build to hit the water, the sportfisher is the weapon of choice for a Cabo-San-Lucas-based program. With the help of the experienced captain and owner team, Bayliss Boatworks designed a sportfishing yacht unique enough to meet the demands of conquering diverse fisheries.
“If you’d asked me when I was 16 years old if I was going to build a boat, I would have told you you’re crazy,” says Jarrett Bay Founder and President Randy Ramsey when recalling his 30-plus year career in the boat building industry. But to understand how the company has risen to where it is today, you have to go back to the root of it all—hull #1, which stemmed from a simple and pure love of fishing.
In addition to the other products listed below, InTheBite is offering two amazing holiday gift deals: a free gift subscription and a hat, shirt and sticker bundle. Act now before the offer ends on December 24th at midnight!
Supplies Needed: L-Bar, 250 lb mono, 11/0 circle hooks, three-way swivel, deep drop gang rig and sash weight.
We’ve filed our comments to NOAA (the deadline was October 31), but this campaign is far from over. Please continue to help us oppose the looming 10-knot restriction along the Eastern Seaboard being proposed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “It’ll take NOAA a minimum of two months to review the comments—use this time to inform your elected officials about the devastating impact the proposed rule would have on the boating and fishing community,” says Viking Director of Governmental Affairs and Sustainability John DePersenaire, shown above speaking at the Viking press conference on the issue at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. “We must make a strong political pivot and take our message to our elected officials.”
Our industry is filled with a beautiful, wide-ranging swath of style. How a boat looks is critical. She can be the best-running, sweetest-handling and fastest hull in the water. But the recreational boating industry has proven that if she’s not aesthetically pleasing, nobody is interested. To the untrained eye, or someone not too interested in fishing vessels, sportfishing yachts can look alike. I’ve heard it many times—”they’re all the same!” Even some yacht designers have said this to me. I beg to differ.
VETUS will launch its first BOW PRO Boosted units for 400-mm tunnels at METSTRADE 2022.
VETUS has set a new industry standard in DC thruster power with the launch of its first BOW PRO Boosted units for 400-mm tunnels, which will be previewed for the first time at METSTRADE 2022.
Expanding the VETUS line-up of advanced BOW PRO models, the BOW PRO Boosted 385 (BOWB385) and the BOW PRO Boosted 420 (BOWB420) are the most powerful fully proportional brushless thrusters available on the market with 48VDC compatibility.
The latest models bring the unique benefits of VETUS BOW PRO thrusters to owners and operators of larger boats, with installations ideal for vessels from 25m to 40m (82ft to 131ft).
Offering a power output up to 385 kgf (BOWB385) and 420 kgf (BOWB420) at 48V, the two new units feature all the renowned innovations that differentiate the efficient VETUS BOW PRO thrusters from conventional units. Skippers and crew will have precision proportional control and can be confident they can extensively use their thruster system when docking or maneuvering without the fear of overuse or overheating issues.
All BOWB units feature an intelligent motor controller with integrated boost function, charging the bow thruster’s batteries using VETUS’s internal three-stage charging process. This solution enables connection to a 24V power supply to recharge the 48V battery bank to keep the thruster batteries at their optimum level.
The proprietary VETUS motor controller also regulates the maintenance-free brushless induction motors, ensuring the thrusters are very efficient and quiet. Active heat control and a low power consumption give the BOWB thrusters a runtime only limited by the size of the battery pack installed – a unique feature for DC thrusters.
Installation and maintenance of these thrusters is safe, fast, and easy, with the units integrating seamlessly with the proprietary VETUS V-CAN system for plug and play convenience.
Thijs Boegheim, Sales Director EMEA of VETUS-Maxwell, said: “VETUS is proud to expand the BOW PRO family to 24 thrusters with the units for 400-mm tunnels. The launch of the BOWB385 and the BOWB420 will make life easier on board for even more boaters, answering demand for powerful, reliable and efficient bow thrusters that offer built-in safety features and easy integration with 48V platforms. As leading technology specialists in the sector, VETUS can guarantee its thrusters are the best quality solution for almost every boat.”
The BOWB 400 series is compatible with VETUS’s standard proportional control panels—the BPPPA single thruster paddle panel, the BPPJA single thruster joystick panel with hold-to-dock functionality and the DBPPJA 360-degree double thruster joystick panel. As the BOW PRO is V-CAN-controlled with CAN-bus protocol operation, the thrusters also offer the opportunity for interaction with other compatible devices, such as docking systems, for optimal performance.
The launch of the BOWB 400 series follows the introduction of three models in the BOWB 300 series for 300-mm tunnels.
The BOW PRO Boosted 385 (BOWB385) and the BOW PRO Boosted 420 (BOWB420) units are available on request. For further information, visit www.vetus.com.
Founded in 1964, VETUS sets the global standard in the design and manufacturing of complete onboard boat systems—including engines, generators, bow thrusters and control panels—for recreational and small commercial vessels. VETUS prides itself on innovation and engineers the majority of its 4,000+ product lineup in-house. The company’s commitment to quality, reliability and delivering a superior customer experience has earned the trust of boaters, yacht builders and marine training establishments all over the world.
VETUS has its headquarters in the Netherlands, with subsidiaries in 17 other countries and an unparalleled worldwide distribution and service network.
Do you motivate and manage those around you? Do you inspire others to care and take pride in their work? Do you lead by example?
I believe one of my greatest accomplishments and rewards is seeing those that have worked under me move forward and thrive in what is becoming an increasingly competitive industry. I would never take credit for their achievements, but I hope that my leadership and mentorship played a role in their path to success.
With any boat design, there is a tradeoff requiring captains and owners to decide which hull shape is right for their particular operation. Getting to the bite first is growing in importance, but your boat must also raise fish. Every planing hull produces a slightly different wake in relation to its length, beam and power applied, and in an effort to clean up the trolling alleys behind their outboards, captains are experimenting with ways to manipulate the wash.
Compared to a sportfish that features sharp bow entry leading to flatter sections aft, center consoles with deep v hulls have considerable deadrise aft. The Contender 39ST with twin stepped hull has a transom deadrise of 24.5 degrees, while custom convertibles in the 50- to 60-foot range might display around nine degrees of deadrise at the stern. Viking’s 54C has a 15-degree transom deadrise, which is considerable for a sportfish. Among the defining characteristics and limitations of different planing hull shapes, increased transom deadrise demands increased power to reach equivalent speeds. Accordingly, center consoles eclipsing 40 feet are often equipped with triple and quad outboard configurations.
Four propellers turning just below the surface produces pronounced wash in comparison to the two wheels of a sportfish that are much larger in diameter and set much deeper in the water, allowing captains to troll with significantly less rpm. The wider beam and greater displacement of a sportfish also creates a more defined wave pattern behind the boat compared to narrow and lightweight center consoles. For the operators of open fisherman to make a bigger wake they must troll faster, which produces a more distinct wash. When trolling spread and speed work together the sportfish has the clear advantage of cleaner prop wash and larger, more defined wake. However, there are simple adjustments that can be made to clean the trolling alleys of outboard-powered vessels.
Aboard platforms with four outboards, running just the two inside motors is a proven tactic, with some captains even trimming the inactive motors completely out of the water. With only two turning props in the water, the result is significantly less froth behind the boat. Trim tabs should be all the way up, and engine trim of the two engaged outboards should be all the way down. Triple engine boats can similarly trim their center motor out of the water.
Offering wide open cockpits and cavernous storage, catamarans have continued to gain recognition among big game anglers and are like nothing we’ve seen before. With sponsons separated by a few feet, the wake is decidedly smaller on a cat, but the hull throws a cleaner wash than a v hull due to the weight of the boat over two narrower hulls.
“The catamaran that I run a lot is a 40-foot Invincible,” says Capt. Adam Peeples of One Shot Charters. “It has quad 400 hp Mercury Verado outboards, and when we troll with that boat, I turn the two outside motors off. It actually makes a really clean wake. In comparison to my 31-foot Cape Horn, it’s a much narrower wake. I think that’s mainly because it’s such a beamy boat. With just the two inside props turning, even the corner flat lines are in clean water. It works out really nicely. I was concerned how it would do trolling, but it raises fish. We’ve had several blue marlin bites on the short corners.”
Once you’ve dialed down your prop wash, it’s time to position baits, lures and teasers within the spread in relation to your tack and prevalent sea conditions. “It’s really just where the lures are running right,” says Capt. Peeples. “I’m usually around seven to eight knots, normally closer to seven because I like to pull some meat, too. The main difference with a catamaran is that you don’t get the traditional waves behind the boat like a convertible, it’s just flat and clean wash. As far as positioning lures, it’s a little bit different. Still the same principle, just making sure the lures are running true.”
