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Ritchie Howell Custom Carolina Yachts – TFB

March 31, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

Sea Fix boat running on the ocean off Costa Rica Coast

The Sea Fix, a Ritchie boat splashed in 2019, exemplifies Howell’s modern creations—the heritage of which can be traced to a conversation between two North Carolina charter captains. Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Boats, Builders, Featured Stories, First Builds, News, Splash Reports Tagged With: 60-70, 61, carolina yachts, first build, Ritchie Howell, Sea Fix, tfb

Ritchie Howell Splashes Out of the Box 61’

January 24, 2020 By InTheBite Editor

Ritchie Howell recently completed a 61’ sportfisher and the result was a beautiful vessel that is currently fishing out of Los Sueños. There is, however, an interesting story to how the vessel came about. “I was building the boat for a customer from Venezuela. He was willing to take a chance with me. We wanted to design something exciting, something ultra-modern,” says builder Ritchie Howell.

“I noticed some guys up north were achieving some great performance numbers and had always wanted to try it. This buyer gave me the opportunity. We set out to engineer a stepped bottom. We had the opportunity to perform some CFD analysis – a computerized tank test,” Howell describes. CFD is computational fluid dynamics analysis. CFD is a pretty complicated deal, but simply stated – it is the use of applied mathematics, physics and computational software to view how a gas or liquid flows.

Photo courtesy Pepper Ailor

Howell’s interest in CFD analysis lay in determining the optimal position of the step to minimize friction between the boat’s hull and the surface of the water. “We ran four computerized tank tests. These are pretty expensive. We’d run it and tweak the bottom. The goal was to reduce friction – we go to the point that we achieved 50-knots,” Howell describes.

“The step introduces a break in the suction of the water to the hull. It’s not as much about introducing air as it is to bend the suction of the water,” Ritchie relates, scientifically. “The faster you run, the more water wants to suck the hull down to the water. The steps in the bottom allows you to break the attraction, freeing up the hull.” With reduced suction and decreased friction comes greater speed.

Hull render courtesy Ritchie Howell / Ocean Designs

“It is really awesome. We put a pair of C18As on the boat with four-blade wheels,” Howell says. The boat’s top end is 39.3 knots. “I am building a new 61 with the same hull technology. The next one will be powered with 1800 Manns – we anticipate even more speed. We’ve just started the hull and figure it to be a 20-month build.”

The new step-hulled 61’ now fishes in Los Sueños. Its original buyer sold the boat upon completion, as the situation in Venezuela made it impossible for him to bring the boat there as he originally planned. It is the Sea Fix.

SPECIFICATIONS

LOA: 61’8″
Beam: 18′
Draft: 4′ 6″
Weight: 64,000 lbs
Fuel:1350 gallons
Water: 250 gallons
Engines: Caterpillar C-18As, 1150 HP each
Gears: ZF 1.75:1
Generators: (2) Caterpillar 21 KWs with sound enclosures
Speed: WOT 38.5 knots – faster with 4 blade wheels

Filed Under: Boats, Builders, Featured Stories, News, Splash Reports Tagged With: 61' Sea Fix, North Carolina Boat Builders, Ritchie Howell, Ritchie Howell Boats, Splash report, sportfisher

Ritchie Howell’s Boat Building Philosophy

August 1, 2019 By InTheBite Editor

Ritchie Howell is perhaps one of the most interesting builders in sportfishing. While Ritchie is a pleasure to talk to, his boats speak for themselves. In this Dock Talk, Howell breaks down his boat building philosophy and describes all that goes in to making a Ritchie boat.

Filed Under: Boats, Builders, Dock Talk, Featured Stories, General News, News Tagged With: Build process, Ritchie Howell

InTheBite Splash Report: Ritchie Howell 60′ Convertible – “Galatea”

April 4, 2019 By InTheBite Editor

Builder Ritchie Howell provides a guided walk through of the “Galatea”— a 60′ vessel he built seven years ago. Listed with Michael Rafferty of IYC, the Galatea is a beautiful boat whose story is told by the man who built her.

Filed Under: Dock Talk, Featured Stories, General News, News, Splash Reports Tagged With: 60-foot, billfish, boats for sale, carolinas, convertible, custom boats, Dock Talk, fishing, galatea, InTheBite, iyc, magazine, marlin, michael rafferty, Ritchie Howell, spalsh report, sportfish, sportfishing, Tuna, yachts

The Young Guns of Sportfishing: Captain Deane Lambros

October 16, 2018 By InTheBite Editor

by Capt. Jen Copeland

When the owner of Canyon Runner Charters, Captain Adam LaRosa, sends a message nominating one of his captains be featured in a future Young Guns expose’, it’s quite an endorsement. Rarely does an owner have the time to read such features, but to have him take the time to describe his captain is inspiring. Originally from Westport, Connecticut, Captain Deane Lambros, one of our younger guns, runs and oversees much of the Canyon Runner operations – from maintenance to charter trips. Deane has worked for the company since he was 19.

Six years ago, Lambros was in the middle of an oil change when Mr. LaRosa approached him with an opportunity that changed his life. One of the Runner’s captains was unable to make a scheduled trip and LaRosa asked if 22-year-old Deane was comfortable running the boat.  Without hesitation, his answer was an unequivocal, “Yes.”

With three years of training fresh in his mind, Captain Deane took the helm of his first Canyon Runner charter. Banking on the confidence LaRosa had in him, and remembering the old adage “safety first,” Lambros managed to keep it together enough to produce a successful trip. “Being totally in charge for the first time was a real challenge,” says Lambros. The young captain recalls being a bit out of his comfort zone on his first trip. “I was dealing with fog and trying to keep the anxiety at bay, all the while smiling and producing bites,” he recalls. Lambros’ pep talk to himself that day was a familiar one to anyone who makes a living in this line of work – one that we all have to occasionally remind ourselves of. “We’re just going fishing.”

Today with 300+ giant tunas to his credit, some 15,000 hours of wheel time, and over ten top three tournament finishes under his belt, Captain Deane has put the work in by fishing hard, fishing fast and having fun while doing it. All traits of a great captain… traits he learned at Canyon Runner. At 28, Captain Deane Lambros names nearly all past and present Canyon Runner captains as his professional influences – each bringing certain philosophies and skills to Deane’s attention. From the knowledge he’s gained at Canyon Runner, he is able to understand the needs of his charters and is confident in the critical decisions that must be made day after day. As importantly, Lambros reads between the boss’ lines in order to compliment his personality and smoothly run a business in the aggressive northeast charter industry.

No matter how grateful he may be to the “A” list of qualified professional influences, Deane gives the first and foremost credit to his parents for the example they’ve set. According to Lambros, it was his parents who “rigorously reinforced” a strong and honest work ethic during his childhood.  His father, who still works full-time at age 86, continues to lead by example to this day.

Lambros takes his job very seriously – something all prospective captains should aspire to do.  He believes young men need to prove themselves to others by demonstrating they are polished, conscientious and driven. “It’s refreshing to see a young person wanting to be part of a team and asking questions with a willingness to learn, and if you put in the effort, you will succeed.”

Mates who put safety first and represent themselves in a manner which is non-threatening to the charter guests are an important part of the customer experience. For a charter operation, those who can’t relate with people put themselves out of the running for advancement. Whether charter or private, a young mate’s attitude toward his job is a direct reflection of himself. According to Deane, “There isn’t a single boat owner who wants a reckless, unprofessional captain running their boat.”

Captain Deane Lambros’ professional philosophy is one that sets him well for decades to come. His outlook is characterized by a high level of organizational skill, situational awareness, and an ability to “play well with others.” He executes a meticulous maintenance schedule that ensures tools and spare parts for repairs on the fly are readily available, keeping the program seamless and uninterrupted.

Mature and well-spoken, Lambros’ level-headed personality has allowed him to rise up quickly in LaRosa’s army of Canyon Runners. “I have been able to accomplish in ten years at Canyon Runner what may have taken me 30 years in the private sector,” he says. “Joining a charter program will plain and simply give you a fast learning curve.”

For a young man not yet 30, Lambros’ candid understanding of what it takes to succeed in his line of work is impressive. “Charter fishing is an industry of customer service,” Deane insists. “We are expectation managers. You must know what is expected of you by the owner, the guests, and the crew. You then draw from past experiences when the weather gets dicey, the fish get finicky or the boat breaks down.” Captain Deane fully understands the many facets that go along with charter fishing. There is little doubt that owner Adam LaRosa is thankful for this—perhaps that encouraged Deane’s nomination.

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Filed Under: Featured Stories, General News, News Tagged With: boats, canyon runner, Charter Fishing, conneticut, custom boats, Florida, InTheBite, magazine, Mates, new jersey, point pleasant, Ritchie Howell, sportfishing, tournaments, Tuna, Viking Yachts, yellowfin, young capatains, young guns of sportfishing

From the Yard: Ritchie Howell Resurrects the Waste Knot

October 4, 2016 By InTheBite Editor

waste-knot-with-caption

The Waste Knot sank to the bottom about 11 miles out of Oregon Inlet. Thanks to its airing on the show Wicked Tuna, the boat’s sinking became  instantly famous. While companion boats rushed to rescue the captain and crew (thankfully, all aboard were evacuated safely), the boat itself was thought to be a total loss.

Several days later, the vessel washed ashore in the Outer Banks. The hull was intact, but the bridge was knocked off. The vessel sank as a result of hitting something at speed. The collision rammed the boat’s rudders through the hull, creating two large holes. Upon washing up on the beach, the hull was removed using heavy equipment.

Carolina custom boat builder Ritchie Howell purchased the hull with plans to resurrect the vessel into a charter boat. The Waste Knot currently sits at Howell’s facility in Wanchese, North Carolina. He plans to begin the boat’s rebirth in the fall of 2016. When the boat is reborn– considering Ritchie Howell’s standard of quality it should be something to see– it will fish out of North Carolina.  Here are some photos of the vessel in its current form.

Thankfully all aboard were able to depart the vessel without injury. The photos serve as a reminder as to how fast things can go wrong, even for the best, most attentive of crews.  Stay tuned to InTheBite.com for photos and updates as the project develops.

The hull, sitting on the hard in Wanchese, NC.
The bare bones of the hull.
The interior spaces.

Sand from the hull’s time on the beach…
The rudders that rammed through the hull.
Where the bridge once stood. Where another soon will stand.

Damage from the rudders and propeller.
Through hull daylight from the rudder damage.
The Waste Knot.

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Splash Reports Tagged With: In the Yard, Inthebite magazine, Ritchie Howell, Waste Knot

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