InTheBite

Spencer Yachts – Biopsy, Anticipation

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Spencer hull number one during the build.

By Dave Ferrell

I’ve been lucky enough to poke my head into some pretty famous boat sheds over the years. Every time I do, I come away with a greater respect for the art of boat building and the men who create these incredible fishing machines. You’ve got to have more than just a little bit of confidence to take a man’s money and build him an ocean-going condominium that can withstand all the challenges and forces that come with going to sea. These vessels have to perform at the highest levels and still look good doing it; ugly boats don’t sell no matter how well they ride!

With one of the biggest and most revered names in sportfishing, it’s hard to believe that Spencer Yachts has only been building boats for 21 years. In a place known for building some of the best custom sportfishing yachts in the world, Paul Spencer built not only an incredible legacy in a very short period of time…but some truly remarkable sportfishing boats along the way. Like a lot of the custom builders in North Carolina, Spencer’s trip to the boat shed started with a life at sea, running a charter boat.

“The reason I set out to build a boat was that I was a charter boat captain that needed a new boat…and I couldn’t afford one,” says Spencer. “There was a guy in our area, Capt. Buddy Cannady, who would build a boat, use it for a year or two, and then sell it. I thought, ‘Wow, that’s the way to do it!’ That was my plan. So, I sold my old charter boat that I’d had for ten years that my father-in-law built and got started. I had a few ideas, and I hired Mike Lohr, a guy that could draft, and we sat down and drew the boat together. I built that boat as if it was going to be mine…with intention of selling it somewhere down the road.”

That first Spencer boat, the Biopsy, has remained an active charter boat for the last 21 years.

“We changed some things…it didn’t have the traditional look. We mingled some styles and didn’t give the boat as much flare as a Buddy Davis,” says Spencer. “I only ran it for a summer before someone wanted to buy it. It performed really well, so I sold it.”

Spencer’s plan seemed to be working perfectly. After seeing the Biopsy, the Springs family from South Carolina asked Spencer to build another one. That boat, Spencer hull number 2, turned out to be the Anticipation.

An aerial view of the Spencer Yachts facility today. Through this yard pass some of the finest sportfishers in the world.

“I actually ran that boat for a couple of summers and we just had phenomenal luck on it. We took it to Ocean City, Maryland and won the White Marlin Open, we won the Pirate’s Cove tournament, we just had some phenomenal success on that boat,” says Spencer. “In the middle of the success with that boat, someone asked me to build another one. By the third year I had too many people wanting me to build them a boat…so I couldn’t charter fish anymore. I had slid into the boat building business.”

“Those first two boats were extremely influential in everything we did,” says Spencer. “We changed things, even on the first one, that made it look different and ride different. We just thought it performed really well. Biopsy wasn’t super appointed…it was kind of just plain and simple. The second one was more involved and by the third and fourth they were really sportfish yachts…they weren’t just boats.”

Those first two boats were jig boats built out of Okume plywood and cold molded, which at that time was a relatively new way to go about building a sportfisher. “A lot of people were still doing frame and plank then, and we used some composite materials that other people weren’t using in some places in the boat. In each boat, we used more and more (composites) to be more efficient in terms of weight. By the third boat we knew we could use cored material instead of plywood for decks, bulkheads and stuff like that.”

“We did change some things in the bottoms on those two boats,” says Spencer. “We added some different things that changed the shape of the bottom and we thought they made the boat ride well. We always keep our boats sharp up forward. I grew up where we had to go 40 to 50 miles each way every day, so we incorporated that into our boats. It’s a sacrifice; you lose a little room…but you gave up some of that room in the bow to make a great ride. If you need more room, make the boat longer not fatter…I’ve always leaned this way.”

A quick look at any of Spencer’s builds, including the first two, reveals a true passion for the art of boat building. “It was extremely rewarding to see that finished product when they were done…and it’s still that way today. I love boats. It ain’t all about going out and making money. You’ve got to have that passion. If you don’t, you’re probably not going to be as creative as you should be,” says Spencer. “There’s always a way to make them a little better. I’m always looking for a way to tweak it little bit…how can we make it just a tiny bit better.”

“Blue Sky” Wins 2019 Carolina Billfish Classic

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The weather didn’t allow for a lot of blue skies during the Carolina Billfish Classic this year, but the 60’ Spencer, Blue Sky added a second blue marlin and a third sailfish to take the tournament win!  Blue Sky, owned by Greg Smith and captained by Jay Weaver ended this 3rd leg of the South Carolina Governor’s Cup Billfishing Series with 1,800 points.

Jackpot, owned by Joe McKinney and captained by Sean Dooley, finished second with 1,600 points for releasing one blue marlin and five sailfish.

Third place went to Glazed, owned and captained by Miles Herring, with 1,400 points for releasing two blue marlin and one sailfish.

The tournament’s wahoo category went to Mister Pete, with a 38.7-pound catch. Full Pull won the dolphin category with a 44.0-pound catch and Hydrosphere won the tuna category with a 24.0-pound blackfin.

Hope Bentley, aboard Home Run, was the top female angler with two blue marlin releases. Holly McAlhany, aboard Syked Out, was second with two sailfish releases and Mackenzi Truluck, on Tina’s Trippin, was third with a sailfish release.

Will Gredick, Age 12, fishing aboard Man Cave, was the top youth angler with three sailfish releases. Julia Gressette, 9, also aboard Man Cave, was second with a sailfish release. Riley Overstreet, 13, aboard Tighten Up, was third with a 9.1-pound dolphin.

The weather was crazy but a lot of fun was had by all and another Carolina Billfish Classic is done.

InTheBite Dock Talk: “Showtime!” 62′ Spencer – Refit Complete

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Four months ago Captain Wink Doerzbacher walked us through the reconstruction of the 62′ Spencer Showtime!.

Check out our Dock Talk of the finished product after a full sportfish makeover:

In case you missed the first edition, here’s the reconstruction video-tour of the Showtime! from back in October 2018:

2018 InTheBite Subscriber Giveaway Fishing Trip

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Drew Ward of Houston, Texas won the 2018 InTheBite Subscriber Trip and a day fishing with Captain Harvey Shiflet on the Anticipation. Hitting a grand slam the first day, Drew and friends had a great time!
For your chance to win next year’s trip, just be actively subscribed to InTheBite Magazine as of January 1, 2019. Drawing is early 2019!

InTheBite Dock Talk: 62′ Spencer “Showtime!” Reconstruction

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Captain Wink Doerzbacher walks us through the reconstruction currently taking place on the 62′ Spencer Showtime! in this edition of InTheBite Dock Talk.

InTheBite Dock Talk: “Shoe” 75 Spencer

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Captain Devin Silas hosts a walk through of the new 75 Spencer, Shoe. Equal parts work of art and high performance fishing machine, the Shoe is highly customized for comfort, class and fishability. With a fuel capacity of 5,000 gallons and a top speed of 45 knots, she is a sight to behold.

The Young Guns of Sportfishing

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The Young Guns of Sportfishing

This article first appeared in our June 2017 Volume 16 Edition 5 of InTheBite The Professionals’ Sportfishing Magazine

Captain Chris Kaulen, Marlin Darlin – 62-foot Spencer Yacht

by Capt. Jen Copeland

Recent evolution in the sportfishing industry is creating opportunities for younger, level-headed, smart captains. These days, many of the owners are younger, many of the boats are faster with more range. For many operations, young captains provide the perfect fit between experience and confidence that allow today’s sportfishing programs to flourish. Just as advancement in technology allows young captains to gain experience faster, being over-confident – or just plain cocky – could easily turn bad: not smart. This series showcases some of the today’s young captains who are getting it right.

At just 29-years old, Captain Chris Kaulen found himself jumping from the cockpit to the bridge in the middle of the Bahamas tournament season. Owner Bobby Jacobsen’s confidence in young Chris was realized in May of 2015. Having worked for Jacobsen the previous three years, Chris knew the boat and hoped he was ready. The pressure was on, but Jacobsen’s decision proved true in June that same year when the Marlin Darlin won the Baker’s Bay Invitational, only to repeat the win in 2016.

To what does Chris credit the seeming ease of his transition to the bridge? “Staying positive and working hard,” says Kaulen. “No one treated me any differently once I became the captain,” he said, “I didn’t have to do anything special to prove myself, I just did the job and stayed humble.”

If you are lucky enough to know “Little Chris,” you know he is humble. Soft-spoken, supportive, and friendly, Chris knows how to make you love him – unknowingly of course. Respected for his warm personality and integrity, Captain Chris has been at this boating thing for a while.

Growing up on Pumpkin Cay, an isolated island in Biscayne Bay just a half-mile from the Ocean Reef Club, Chris found himself in a small boat at a very young age. In fact, Chris drove his boat to and from school each day. For as long as he can remember he had an interest in fishing. And at 13, young Chris was freelancing and working charters for the likes of Captains George Mitchell, Greg Graham, and Ron Crisp.

Landing his first private, traveling job on Captain Kevin Dunn’s Cajun Dancer at the age of 18 soon led Kaulen to more distant locales – mating for Ohana’s Captain Eddie Wheeler and Captain Bryce Garvey’s Bree. “I fished with as many people as I could,” says Chris, “I tried to adopt the best attributes from each captain so I could create my own style, my own philosophy.”

So, what exactly makes him Captain Chris?  “Attention to detail,” he insists, “you must stay ahead of things – the boat’s schedule, the boss’ schedule, the maintenance.” When you are suddenly propelled from a position of “neck-down,” it takes a little adjustment.  “Trying to grasp the fact that your responsibilities are now totally different…that’s the hardest part.”

Today’s young, aspiring captain must work hard and continue to learn from his mistakes, without putting the entire program out of business. Chris believes one of the biggest worries owners may face when considering a young gun would be lack of experience. Additionally, the mate who has his eye on the helm must go above and beyond the scope of his job without stepping on any toes. “When the time is right, it will happen,” says Kaulen, “no one knows that magic number (of years) when it comes to experience, but each year – each day – counts.” Obviously, nothing beats real-world experience on the water, and Kaulen believes you must be honest with yourself and know your limitations. “Mental maturity – way past your years – is extremely important in this business,” he says. On a boat there must always be the voice of reason – a leader – and that is the captain’s job.

With a new 66-foot Spencer boat on the horizon for 2018, and a Bahamas-Caribbean tour that could wear out even the hardiest of crews, Captain Chris tries to be sure anyone who steps foot on his Darlin, enjoys sportfishing as much as he does. He continues to learn – as we all should aspire to do – at the helm of the Marlin Darlin, perfecting his style and his team in the never-ceasing quest to be a competitive force in this industry. With no plans of moving on anytime soon, this skipper believes most in leading by example: “Be happy, work as a team, continue to compete, and try to win as much as possible.” After all, happy boats catch fish, don’t they?

Paul Spencer of Spencer Yachts “In His Own Words”

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In Their Own Words is an InTheBite exclusive. This is the first installment. The series provides first person access to the men behind the boats.

Paul Spencer describes his approach to making boats and the evolution of Spencer Yachts from the beginning– a charter captain making a boat for himself– into what it has become today, one of the finest operations in sportfishing. As Spencer Yachts celebrates its 100th hull, Paul describes the company’s philosophy to the art and business of boat building.