Captain Ryan Higgins gives us an in-depth look at one of Valhalla’s double stepped hull designs at Viking’s Service Center.
Check out the Valhalla Boatworks V Series high-series performance consoles running together below. The boats shown are the V-33, V-37 and V-41.
Unleashed from Valhalla Boatworks on Vimeo.
TAMPA, FLA. – October 28, 2019 — Iconic American boat builder Bertram Yachts is delighted to announce today that the company is planning to expand its range of offshore fishing boats to include a comprehensive lineup of outboard powered products.
Mark Paulhus, Bertram CEO, stated that “With the support of Bertram’s parent company, the Gavio Group, who also owns Italian super yacht builders Baglietto and CCN, Bertram plans to spend in excess of $15,000,000 on new product development over the next four years to expand our portfolio of products into premium outboard powered boats starting in the high 20 foot range.” Bertram has also indicated that the company will continue to invest in expanding production capacity at the company’s Tampa Florida facility over the next two years to support the expected increases in volume.
Caption contest time! The best caption for this photo will receive a FREE one-year subscription! The top replies will also be printed in our next issue, good luck!
Crew at work on the Knit Wits, the original fiberglass “convertible” from Hatteras Yachts.
Hatteras Yachts, Knit Wits
Nearly 60 years ago, Hatteras Yachts leapt to the forefront of the big-game sportfishing industry with the introduction of the very first fiberglass boat over 40-feet in length. Named Knit Wits, the 41-foot “convertible” was the brain child of textile magnet Willis Slane of Highpoint, North Carolina. She rolled out of the shed in 1960.
“Slane was a member of the Marlin Club over in Cape Hatteras,” says Joe Cacopardo, Director of Marketing for Hatteras/Cabo Yachts. “He was pretty well off and he and his buddies all had wooden fishing boats. But the seas off Hatteras can be pretty rough much of the year and Slane found himself sitting at the dock waiting out the weather quite a bit. He decided he wanted to build a boat that could take on the heavy seas without breaking and decided to try the new ‘miracle fiber’ called fiberglass. It was real space-age stuff at that time.”
Amazingly enough, Slane encountered a bit of hesitation when he told people he wanted to build a boat out of fiber-glass. People thought the material was actual glass and didn’t think that would make a very strong bottom! Slane eventually talked some investors into taking the gamble and was soon set on building a solid fiberglass boat that could take a beating and keep on fishing.
The Knit Wits splashed.
“That first boat was a convertible,” says Cacopardo, “Which meant that you could have the luxury yacht experience and still get out and fish when you wanted to. That whole seakeeping ability and robustness still represents our core philosophy to this day, in both our sportfishers and motor yachts. We’ve never built wooden boats. Hatteras became very dominant in the 60s and 70s by taking that leap in fiberglass. It was one of the things that reshaped and moved the industry forward to where it is today.”
Cacopardo acknowledges that a Hatteras might be a bit heavier but that the tunnel design, gear ratios and propulsion systems offset any disadvantages of weight, while keeping all the advantages that weight can bring. “Our captains tell us that in 6-footers they can put the hammer down and power through while other boats have to back off or get beat up. Our boats can handle it. Some others might be lighter and have a higher top end in the flat, but when there’s a sea change we can handle it…and handle it well.”
Hatteras continues to build exceptional, yacht-quality sportfishers to this day and is now working with Chris and Laura Jessen on a new 65 Convertible. “The Jessen’s will also be fishing and campaigning the Hatterascal in several Gulf Coast tournaments this summer. The new 65 will represent a new generation for us, at least from a styling and design standpoint. However, it will still contain our core DNA; ruggedly-built boats with meticulous attention to detail,” says Cacopardo. “All those things will stay the same, but the designs will continue to evolve to meet people’s tastes as they change in the future.”
As a testament to how solid a Hatteras is built, you can still go take a ride on the original Knit Wits at the factory in New Bern, North Carolina…and she looks amazing.
The launch of the Knit Wits, nearly 60 years ago, was a newsworthy event, the influence of which can still be felt today.
Fran O’Brien with his son, Shane O’Brien.
One of the best wiremen in the world, Captain Shane O’Brien knows what hard work, a lot of grit and more than a little determination can reel in while out on the water. The Kona, Hawaii resident shared one of his most memorable days fishing when Capt. Bart Miller hooked a 1,656-pound blue marlin in 1984. But Miller didn’t forge ahead alone, he called in O’Brien to wire the beast.
O’Brien retold the story while aboard the Strong Persuader, 43’ Merritt, fishing out of Kona in September of 2019.
By Steve Katz
When it comes to finding the best fishing grounds, some captains seem to have that fifth sense. Such helmsmen can consistently navigate to productive waters using little more than visual observation of the conditions and a chart or two. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some captains won’t leave the dock without the latest in high-tech gadgetry– satellite images, altimetry data and multiple on-board fish finding sonars and the like. For most captains, it is a happy medium that combines local knowledge with the right amount of technology that guides their search for productive water.
Finding productive-looking water is just the first step in the equation. Once there, how do you know that the fish are there? Most of us use a finely tuned echo sounder/fishfinder/ sonar. Others deploy the spread to see what awaits. What if there was something even better, a way to “see” if there are any fish around your boat in real time?
Sonar mounted in the center of the hull with fairing in the opening.
At its most basic level, a fishfinder has a transducer that sends out sound waves in the shape of an inverted (upside down) cone. The transducer then listens for the echo of the waves as they bounce off of an object to determine the target’s distance—whether it be a fish, the bottom, or some other object. The processor and display then convert these echoed sound waves into a useful image. This picture is a historical view of what was below the bottom of the boat as you move along.
There have been a lot of advances in fishfinders. These include CHIRP, wide angle, forward looking transducers—all that include faster and more detailed data processing capabilities. These improvements mean that modern fishfinders—from the most basic and inexpensive to the top of the line– all do a great displaying the bottom structure and fish under the boat.
Fishfinder technology in the sportfishing space has recently been revolutionized by technologies that were once reserved for military and commercial fishing applications. Chief among these advancements are multibeam sonar and scanning sonar. Early adopters of this new sportfishing technology benefit from increased clarity and accuracy of imagery. Some products even provide data in near real-time.
“Marked one…get ready.”
A multibeam sonar has an array of multiple sonar emitters in one fixed transducer. These multiple beams are digital. They are “moved” to scan a wide angle, often 120-degree coverage, using hardware and software. How revolutionary is this 120-degree coverage? A traditional echosounder has a beam as narrow as 4-degrees.
Examples of multibeam sonar used in sportfishing include Garmin Panoptix, Simrad StructureScan® 3D and Furuno DFF-3D. These systems allow you to see a historical view of what your boat passed over. Their wide view allows you to “see” the water column to the sides of boat, helping you learn if you are in an area where there are fish or structure.
Sonar deployed.
A scanning sonar works like your radar underwater– you can think of it kind of like “The Hunt for Red October.” Scanning sonars include a transducer housing that is lowered into the water from a storage tube within the hull of the boat. This transceiver can be rotated and tilted within the housing. The transducer can rotate up to 360 degrees creating an image of the water area all around the boat.
The tilt angle is adjustable for varying water depths and different applications. The Furuno “Searchlight” CH-50 is the most well know scanning sonar options used in the sportfish and commercial fishing markets. While this technology may seem new, the original CH-250 model has been in use for over 10 years—and newer models are currently available.
Technology has enabled the development of newer scanning sonar that does not need to rotate mechanically to capture the 360 degree are under the boat. The newest scanning sonar uses a transducer that deploys downward from the hull, like the Searchlight but consists of multiple stacked elements to transmit the sonar signal in all directions simultaneously. The combination of the processing power of the hardware and the multiple sonar elements allows the system to provide a real-time image of the water below the boat. Yes, that means you can see fishing moving in and out of the sonar beam coverage area!
While there are other manufacturers of scanning sonar, the Furuno Omni (CSH-8L MARK -2) scanning sonar is the most popular with sportfish boats. This unit is fast, able to complete a full circle scan in a half a second, as compared to 32 seconds with the Searchlight sonar. The Furuno Omni sonar uses a retractable transducer that is about 8” in diameter, with 14 layers of transducer elements. These multiple elements are combined electronically in the processor to display a full 360 image. The unit transmits its sonar signal on a fixed frequency of 85 kHz. The beam angle, how far up or down the transducer “looks” can be adjusted from near zero – which is parallel to the sea surface to 55 degrees pointed downward toward the bottom.
The Omni sonar was originally designed for and used by commercial fishing boats and is a popular unit in Japan. Once the Omni sonar was installed on a sportfish boat and captains saw and caught more fish, word got out and it has become a must have for serious tournament sportfish.
The most complex part of the Omni sonar is the transducer. You need a suitable area in the machinery space to install the sonar– up to about five feet of clearance inside the hull for a long travel hull unit. Additionally, the system contains a transceiver, processor and control unit. This is a “black box” system, which can use most any standard marine monitor. As you might expect, a scanning sonar system is more costly than traditional systems, starting at $20,000 for the searchlight CH300 and $75,000 for the Omni CSH-8L Mark 2. Understandably the complex installation of the system will add to the cost
Sonar hardware below deck.
What does a fast scan get you? It allows a real time picture of the fish or lack of fish around the boat. A traditional echosounder beam “looks” below the bottom of the boat and reports on the screen on the area you just passed over. The Omni scanning sonar can “look” around the boat, in a full 360 degrees with a range out to about 1000’ – a typical range when used for sport fishing.
The specifications include much longer ranges, though the practical application is dependent on water depth, wave heights and other factors. This Omni sonar allows you to change the tilt angle, something that can’t be done with a traditional echosounder. Increasing the tilt angle allows you to scan more downward and a smaller angle allows you to focus on the top of the water column.
All of these scanning sonars use a stabilization component (motion sensor) to allow the system to calculate and compensate for the boat’s roll, pitch and yaw. Proper stabilization of the image allows the system to draw the sonar picture relative to the ship.
Custom faring for the sonar.
There is a learning curve when operating scanning sonar compared to a traditional echosounder. Interpreting the results on the screen takes some practice. To fine tune your system, you will need to make some adjustments as well.
Some users supplement the screen image with the audio feature, which emits varying tones when objects are detected in a monitoring zone. Many captains find this audio feature quite helpful. It allows the sonar to monitor the forward sector of the vessel, while the captain keeps his gaze fixed behind the boat on the spread. He can watch for the rise of a sailfish or marlin, awaiting the squeak indicating the presence of a fish ahead of the boat.
The track of a hooked blue marlin.
A quick glance at the screen of scanning sonar often shows a red, doughnut-shaped image. What is this really telling you? Before you can interpret the screen, you need to learn more about the settings and adjustments necessary to understand what you are seeing. As the image is real-time, the Omni sonar is more intuitive to operate and interpret.
Some of the necessary adjustments are similar to a traditional echo sounder– range, gain, TVG and the like. Other adjustments are exclusive to the Omni sonar. These include transmit power, pulse length, TX cycle, noise limiter, color curve, horizontal and vertical beam width and, most importantly, tilt angle. Beyond the adjustments, there are also many automatic functions– such as tilt angle and train sector (rotation) and auto retract (a critical function that retracts the transducer at a predetermined speed– the unit is not designed to operate at speeds over 16 knots).
Technology that was once reserved for science fiction books or for hunting submarines is transforming the sportfishing space. Captains on the Gulf Coast are reported to run up to oil rigs and scan them. If they “see” a marlin they stay and fish, if they don’t—it’s on to the next. Revolutionary technology indeed.
“It’s a game-changer. The biggest advantage of the CSH8LMK2 is how quickly it paints. You’re not just looking at the water column, but you are actively hunting individual fish. If you’re fishing against one of these boats who have this machine and you don’t, you have a very serious disadvantage. They have one up on you.” Todd Tally. – Atlantic Marine Electronics
Captain Steve Katz is the owner of Steve’s Marine Service Inc in Ocean City, Maryland. He is the Vice Chairman of Board of Directors – National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) and holds ABYC Master Technician certification, NMEA AMEI, NMEA2000 certificates along with factory training from many manufacturers. To contact Steve, email info@inthebite.com.
Originally published in the June 2018 issue of InTheBite Magazine.
Ride along as we sea trial the new 2020 Tribute 37’. Enjoy a live walk-thru with Tribute’s builders John Gazza and Rich Scheffer Jr.
Garmin made significant coverage and detail improvements to the high-resolution relief shading detail offered in our exclusive BlueChart g3 Vision and LakeVü g3 Ultra cartography products. With coverage for the entire continental U.S. coast line and more than 150 lakes, Garmin is proud to offer the most comprehensive relief-shading coverage.
Check out an in depth walk-thru and sea trial on the all new 2020 Valhalla 41’ with Capt. Ryan Higgins. Warning- speeds in excess of 75 mph! Enjoy
A series of articles about sportfishings first builds by Dave Ferrell. Reprinted from Volume 18 Edition 5 July/August InTheBite Magazine
The Moppie, the first 31 Bertram, would win the 1960 and 1961 Miami to Nassau Race.
To build any boat from scratch is a magical thing. Having the gumption to take a big pile of your own money and turn it into a pile of materials that you intend to turn into a boat goes way beyond my perception or capabilities. Taking another fella’s money and trying to do it for the first time must spin the term “nerve wracking” to incredible new heights. Nevertheless, there’s always a few pioneers who step up and make something new that the boat-building industry just can’t ignore. Here are just a few examples of boats that have made a difference…there are plenty many more in North Carolina, Florida and elsewhere….
Richard Bertram Yachts, Moppie
No matter what far flung port you pull into, if there’s the tiniest chance that someone could catch a billfish, you’ll probably find a 31-Bertram, or two, still running folks out to the blue water. Pretty much indestructible, the huge cockpit and great ride of the Deep-V hull design, cemented the venerable 31-Bertram into boat building and sport fishing history.
To get some background into how the company started, we turned to Morgan Bertram, son of Richard Bertram, the company’s founder. “The first 31 was built of wood at the Richard Bertram Yard on the Miami River. That boat, Moppie, won the 1960 Miami to Nassau Race by a wide margin. A Sports Illustrated article written about the race by the boat’s navigator, Charlton Mitchel, brought national attention to the design and its performance. The demand for a 31 was so great that they decided to make a plug off the wood Moppie to initiate fiberglass production of the 31. The first fiberglass 31 was built in Hialeah and would become Glass Moppie which won the 1961 Miami Nassau Race and a bunch of other races that year. My father purchased the property across the street from the Richard Bertram Yacht Yard and built a state of the art fiberglass boat manufacturing facility and started building the 31, 25, and 38s there. So technically, the Glass Moppie represents the very first Bertram Yacht,” Bertram describes.
Tommy Thompson, Product Development Manager at Richard Bertram Yachts, likes to point out that the original 31s weren’t just great boats in their time, but that they’ve gained a mythology all their own. “Hunker down if someone starts a story with, ‘I’ll tell you a story about the time I ran a 31 Bertram from…’”
Sure enough, if you name any top-notch bill fishing spot in the Caribbean, Gulf or Central or South America, the first sportfisher to chug into the inlet or harbor was probably some crazy guy making an incredible crossing on a 31-Bertram. They aren’t very big, but they are seaworthy and will definitely get you where you are going!
An early 31 Bertram which made its debut in 1961.
“The ‘Deep V’ really over simplifies the bottom of the 31,” says Thompson, “More important, is that the dead rise carries all the way back to the transom. No matter how you explain the geometry, that bottom revolutionized the offshore boating industry. We looked hard at what it is about the 31 that has survived for three generations. Our new 35 captures the four main attributes that we think made the 31 so successful and popular with sport fishermen. First, it’s the timeless shape of the boat…it’s cool looking and inviting. Second, the low profile…low center of gravity that makes it so functional. Third, the ‘more-cockpit-than-house’ proportions that make it so practical, and of course, fourth, the ride. All of those same attributes carry over to our new 50 and 61 as well. We have captured more subtly the shapes of the famous Bertram 54, and kept the ride at Bertram’s core philosophy. It has to be a Bertram!”
