InTheBite

New 72′ Bayliss Old Reliable—The Cockpit and Beyond

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Nick Smith holding a fly rod

Nick takes InTheBite through his fly rod quiver.

Step aboard the 72-foot Bayliss Old Reliable with a private tour from Nick Smith as he takes us around his new boat, which splashed in July of 2021. The custom-built craft was specifically designed for chasing billfish on fly and was recently prepped for a multi-year Pacific tour.

And the day before Old Reliable shipped out, Nick Smith and Capt. Chip Shafer provided InTheBite with a guided walk-through to talk about the boat’s personal touches and offshore capabilities. It is rare to see a boat so personally customized for one goal and that is chasing and catching billfish on fly.

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Lightning Strike: The Aftermath and the Action Plan

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By Capt. Kevin Deerman

Our plan for 2018 was to get out of the boatyard early and do some springtime travelling before the Gulf tournament season. Nature, however had other plans for us. Two days before our scheduled haul out, we suffered a major setback. The culprit? On January 28th, we took a direct lightning strike.

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Jarrett Bay’s Newest Custom Sportfish Headed to the Caribbean

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Beaufort, NC (July 30, 2021) – In late July, Jarrett Bay Boatworks delivered their latest custom sportfish to a seasoned owner with grand fishing destinations on his offshore agenda. Custom hull 66, a 67-foot open bridge convertible named Sea Wish, boasts advanced electronics, a surplus of systems, luxurious finishes, and high-strength, lightweight composite construction.

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Jarrett Bay’s Newest Custom Sportfish Headed to the Caribbean

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Beaufort, NC (July 30, 2021) – In late July, Jarrett Bay Boatworks delivered their latest custom sportfish to a seasoned owner with grand fishing destinations on his offshore agenda. Custom hull 66, a 67-foot open bridge convertible named Sea Wish, boasts advanced electronics, a surplus of systems, luxurious finishes, and high-strength, lightweight composite construction.

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New Viking 64 to Premiere at the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

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Image courtesy of Viking Yachts

New Gretna, New Jersey, Summer 2021—On the heels of the award-winning 54 Convertible, Viking is proud to announce the all-new 64 Convertible, the second-generation of this model that will make its world premiere at the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. This four-stateroom, three-head fishing battlewagon is poised to become another best-in-class superstar on the tournament circuit and the new standard in luxury, accommodations and comfort.

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The Hatteras GT65 Rascal

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hatteras rascal

SPECS
Length: 68’2”
Beam: 20’0”
Draft: 5’
Displacement: 103,000 lbs
Water Capacity: 270 gal.
Fuel Capacity: 1,900 gal.
Engines: (2) CAT C-32A 1825 MHP
Genset: (2) Kohler 24kW
Stabilizer: (2) Seakeeper 9
Watermaker: Dometic Spot Zero
Electronics: Furuno, Garmin
Helm & Fighting Chair: Release Marine

Want to learn more about the Hatteras Rascal? Click here to subscribe and read Editor-in-Chief Steve Dougherty’s piece on the Rascal in our Jan/Feb 2021 issue.

Ritchie Howell Splashes Out of the Box 61’

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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

From Sunken to Sportfisher: The Reel Tight Story

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reel tight collage

The Dream Catcher, a 60’ Paul Mann, sank in 2006. The vessel was a near total loss. In most cases, the story would end here.  Insert Captain Steven Pilipauskas and his search for a vessel project. A captain based in Maryland, Pilipauskas happened upon the old Dream Catcher for sale online. He purchased the hull in June 2013. At this point, the story transforms from one of tragedy to one of rebirth. It is the story of the Reel Tight.

Steve, together with his father, Steven Pilipauskas Sr. and friends Justin Havard and David Pearl, set about transforming the old hull into her former glory. “When we bought it, the boat needed everything. It had nothing; no wiring, no motors… nothing,” Pilipauskas describes. The boat had been completely underwater and none of the original equipment was salvageable.

The father and son Pilipauskas and a few friends did all the work themselves. These pictures provide visual evidence of the transformation. Soon the barebones hull was ready for action.

On the hard, coming along.

On the hard, coming along.

After months of labor on the hard, the boat was ready for action. The maiden voyage of the ship’s new life took place on Labor Day of 2015. As Pilipauskas points out, “The inside wasn’t done but we wanted fish.” Their first catch: a blue marlin.

After fishing the last six weeks of the season out of Ocean City, Maryland, the boat returned landward for additional work. “We did quite a bit of interior work—the salon, etc.—last winter. Weaver Boatworks helped with the headliner,” Pilipauskas describes.

Last month the Reel Tight came full circle. With Pilipauskas at the helm, the boat caught seven white marlin and a 64-pound yellowfin tuna in the White Marlin Open.

Today the Reel Tight is a private boat that runs a few charters. Her immediate future lies in Ocean City, Maryland though Pilipauskas hints of the possibility of a voyage south once the boat is complete. “We’ve got another year and a half or so before it’s completely finished.” When asked where he acquired the know-how to undertake such a daunting overhaul, his answer was immediate. “My dad is the brains of the operation when it comes to the construction and boat work aspects. I just handle the fishing…”

The Reel Tight back in action!

The Reel Tight back in action!