The Modern Sportsfishing Boat

The modern sportsfishing machine is, indeed, an awesome sight.  Low to the water, beamy, menacing, and bristling with outriggers and antennae, these vessels appear to be nautical porcupines which probably could catch fish simply by scaring them to death if the fish ever got a good look at them.  Today, there are more “sportsfisherman” -- people who use their boat for serious fishing -- than at any time before and their legion is growing.  How did the sportsfishing boat arrive at its present technologically advanced state and what will be the future of such a machine? 

Evolution

At the dawn of the powerboat era at the turn of the century, “sportfishing,” if that term indeed existed then, consisted of dropping a handline over the rail of the family motor cruiser or, if one was really into fishing, perhaps using a rod and reel.  In the 20’s and 30’s, we started seeing these family motor cruisers being specially modified for fishing.  This was the era of bamboo outriggers, pipe/podium one-man flyingbridges, swordfish pulpits hanging off the bow and, perhaps, a rudimentary fighting chair which consisted of a converted slat-back oak office chair affixed to a pedestal which, in turn, would be affixed to the afterdeck or the cockpit sole.  

Some “fanatics” even had the sheer cut down aft to get them closer to the action.  Examples of vessels of this type are Ernest Hemingway’s famous Wheeler “PILAR” and Humphrey Bogart’s boat in the movie “To Have and To Have Not.”  It wasn’t until after the war that sportsfishing boats, as we know them today, designed specifically to seek out and catch fish were developed.  Immediately after the war, companies like Matthews, Colonial, Elco, Huckins, Wheeler, and, of course, Rybovitch all had vessels designed specifically for fishing.

Basic Requirements

Although my office has designed scores of sportsfishing boats and at any given time probably has four or five new ones on the boards, I don’t consider us to be sportsfishing boat experts.  The fact of the matter is, from my observation, there are no experts because there seems to be no single, best method to arrive at the ultimate sportsfisherman.  Experienced fishermen disagree on such basic matters as whether or not to fit a transom platform, the location and type (and number) of fighting chairs to be installed, the type of engine controls or the layout of the flyingbridge and cockpit.  The fact is, sportfishing, like romancing women, is an art and one continues using whatever means have been successful in the past.  There are, however, some areas that are mandatory in sportsfishing boats.

A sportsfishing boat must have “speed.”  How exactly does one define “speed?”  It’s hard to say exactly but, today, the magic number is 30 knots.  It doesn’t seem like it’s too important whether this figure is the maximum speed or the cruising speed -- simply being able to say one has a “30 knot boat” is sufficient.  Only a few years ago, 25 knot sportsfishermen were considered “fast.”  

Today specialized machines are pushing through the 40-knot barrier with some wild, custom vessels claiming 50+ knots.  It is, indeed, a paradox that sportsfishermen do business at very slow speeds, trolling or maneuvering for fish.  Why then is speed so important?  Well, it’s not, really.  It’s mostly an owner ego thing.  Yes, it’s nice to get out to the fishing grounds first and have some extra time fishing.  Yes, it fun to be back at the yacht club bar first and great to be able to outrun a storm.  The fact is that many of the world’s most successful fishing machines are 15 or 16 knot boats.

It’s long been my observation that there’s more to fishing than simply fishing.  Fisherman who drop a line into a creek on a lazy afternoon then sit back and relax, meditate or sleep, aren’t there for the fish.  There are other, deeper reasons such as an excuse to get away from the “ol’ lady” and whining kids, or a way to enjoy Mother Nature in all her beauty, or, simply, a reason to lay back and relax.  For the most part, the same is true, believe it or not, on three-million-dollar gold plated battlewagons!  Their reason for being may really not be to bring in fish but, instead, as an excuse for “the boys” to congregate and have an adventure or an excuse for drinking beer and having fun or an excuse for racing.  I think fishing may well be of secondary importance among many of the owners of these magnificent boats.

 It has become very important and desirable to have a speedy fishing boat since the fastest boats are held in high esteem simply because it’s fun to go fast, not because they are better fishermen. Flat water speeds might sound impressive over martinis but flat water is seldom the case when fishing and it is common for the fastest, near flat bottomed boats to be passed on the way out and on the way back by “slower boats” with more sophisticated bottom shapes. Speed that can be maintained at sea is most important in a fishing boat.  Many of the faster, modern sportsfishing boats of today are simply smooth water speed machines that must slow down lest they self-destruct themselves (or their occupants) in even moderate seas.

The subject of seakeeping ability for a sportsfishing boat is a complicated one for she must excel in many varying conditions:  She must be soft riding when punching her way into a head sea at high speeds; she must be dry; she must track well downhill in following seas at high and low speeds; she must be stable when lying beam to in a seaway and she must be able to back down at the highest speed possible against the sea without totally flooding the cockpit or stoving in the transom.  Many of these requirements directly conflict with one another.  

For example. A vessel with a very fine entry -- excellent for maintaining high speeds in head seas -- will probably be a dog in following seas due to that same fine entry.  A vessel that is very beamy to provide a “stable platform” has more impact area when pushed into a head sea at high speeds.  Square, blunt sections forward which deflect the spray and are excellent in following seas will jar the vessel’s occupants mercilessly.  It is not the purpose of this article to describe how a successful sportsfishing hull is developed, indeed. Everyone has their own ideas on what works best.  The design offices that make the best compromises will have the best hulls.

Maneuverability is a requisite.  Successful sportsfishermen must be agile and able to quickly accelerate, decelerate, dart, turn and back down.  Controls must be accurate and precise and engine beds must be beefy to absorb the punishing torque and thrust of the engines.  A sportsfisherman must have a low cockpit big enough to provide a working platform for efficient fishing.  A sole-to-rail height of about 26” or 27” is mandatory.  The cockpit should provide areas for bait preparation, a freezer, tackle stowage, live baitwell and, if possible, a built-in fishbox for stowing the catch.  There must be provisions to boat a large fish and get it aboard with minimum effort.  This usually means that a transom door or a gin pole to lift the fish up over the rail will be fitted. 

Most people believe a sportsfisherman needs to be extremely beamy to provide a very wide cockpit to work in.  Actually, beam in itself is counterproductive in a fishing cockpit.  With a single centerline mounted fishing chair, the corners of the transom, in a wide beamed boat, are pushed far away from the rod tip promoting snagging on the corners and, generally, making fish fighting difficult.  The fact is, a narrower cockpit is more usable.  Tumblehome in the after part of the topsides is also useful for two reasons:  It brings the corners of the transom closer to the centerline and provides more secure footing for the man working the leader over the side.  Tumblehome allows one to plant his feet under the side deck rather than inside it, thus establishing a stable foothold in the cockpit.

Most importantly, a sportsfishing boat must have the ability to “raise fish” -- whatever that means.  Raising fish is, in itself, a mystic art.  Some boats raise fish while other identical boats don’t. Over the years there have been many theories concerning features that “raise fish.” Many gimmicks have been tried: Chrome plating one blade of the propellers to act as giant lures, piping music underwater (what kind of music attracts fish?  I suppose something like Handel’s Water Music), affixing mirrors to the bottom and transom of the vessel, underwater strobe lights, and even painting fish on the bottom of the boat! Some claim certain materials are better than others for constructing sportsfishermen.  

There are proponents of the rubber boat, the steel boat, the aluminum boat, the solid fiberglass boat, the cored fiberglass boat, the wooden boat and the ferro-cement boat.  Each claims that their material produces just the right “harmonics” which attract fish.  The fact is that the crew is probably the most important factor in whether a boat raises a fish or not.

Construction

The successful, modern sportsfisherman must, for reasons mentioned earlier, be fast.  Since the same power plants are, essentially, available to everybody, speed must be obtained by reducing weight.  The process starts with the first line drawn on paper by the naval architect and ends with the owner being prudent on what he allows aboard the vessel.  Lightweight hulls in any material strong enough to withstand the rigors of high speed at sea are intricate and complicated structures that can no longer be engineered by one’s “seat of the pants.”  Strength obtained by the “throw on a couple extra layers of fiberglass” method may produce a strong structure but it will be heavy and slow.  

A lightweight hull must be attained by sophisticated engineering and the use of modern materials.  Contemporary sportsfishermen are predominantly constructed of three materials: Wood, fiberglass and aluminum.  Each material has its proponents and involve different techniques to provide strong, lightweight structures.  For wooden boats, the old plank on frame method of building has been superseded by a laminated hull using lightweight, stiff, laminated stringers and frames which support a laminated bottom usually consisting of two or three diagonal layers of mahogany or cedar saturated with epoxy and fastened with epoxy glue, fiberglass tabbing and/or screws and bolts.  The exterior is usually sheathed with fiberglass.

Fiberglass technology leads us down one of two roads:  The solid skinned hull and the sandwich cored hull.  To build a truly lightweight, solid skinned fiberglass structure involves very complicated framing systems necessary to decrease panel size in order that a thin skin laminate can be used.  The hull skin is a major component of the overall weight.  This is very expensive for the boatbuilder and is seldom, if ever, utilized thereby rendering most solid skinned fiberglass hulls out of the running as far as maximum speed is concerned.  

A better solution is the cored fiberglass hull involving two thin skins separated by a foam core thereby producing sections of maximum stiffness with minimum weight.  Since cored skin panels are considerably stiffer than solid panels, the framing system may be greatly simplified, often utilizing just four stringers, a keel and bulkheads for support.  Cored construction is, by its nature, more expensive and time consuming than solid skin construction but it is my belief that it is the simplest way of attaining a high speed, lightweight structure in a custom or production boat.  We favor skins composed of unidirectional fiberglass in a vinylester resin with a synthetic core.  Skin reinforcement made by Nytex, Cofab and Hydroply have been employed with great success.  The best core material has proven to be a semi-rigid PVC derived foam such as Airex or Divinycell.  We don’t believe in putting balsa core below the waterline, but have employed balsa in topsides and superstructures (with a weight penalty) when the cost of the lighter PVC foam could not be justified. 

The success of cored construction depends mainly on one thing:  The bond of the core to the outer skin.  On “one-off” boats, this is no problem since the inside and outside skins are applied directly to the foam thus ensuring proper bond.  In a production boat using a female mold, however, things are not so straightforward.  After the outer skin is layed up, the core must, somehow, be glued to the outer skin with minimum voids.  Divinycell has gone a long way towards ensuring a virtually foolproof bond with their Divilette putty system.  It is vital that all voids in the core including the scoring cuts be completely filled with resin or putty, otherwise water will find its way to these voids via osmosis.  Presently, we are leaning towards “knife cut” foam (the foam is scored with a knife instead of a saw blade producing narrow cuts that soak up less resin or putty).  Vacuum bagging the core to the outer skin has proved a simple, reliable way to attain a proper bond.

Exotic fibers may be substituted for fiberglass but it is our experience, in a cored structure at least, that substitution of exotic fibers such as carbon or Kevlar for fiberglass is nonproductive.  Exotic fiber skins need only be paper thin to carry the loads imposed on a given panel by the vessel and the sea.  The problem is the skins are so thin that little if any abrasion/puncture protection is provided.  

What one does then is to “beef up” the outer skin to provide enough thickness to resist holing from abrasion or a sharp object.  This skin becomes far stronger than it needs to be to carry the loads and has been thickened (at great cost) only to provide the aforementioned abrasion/puncture protection. Usually, the weight is increased to a point that it is near that of a well-engineered unidirectional fiberglass structure and, therefore, is not economically feasible.  Exotic reinforcements can, however, be used with great effect in the deck and superstructure of the vessel and for local hull reinforcement.

Lightweight aluminum construction involves the same principles as producing a solid skin fiberglass lightweight structure:  The panel sizes must be minimized so that a light skin may be utilized.  This dictates the aircraft or longitudinal system of construction as opposed to the transverse system.  The longitudinal system utilizes light, closely spaced longitudinal frames affixed to transverse frames, bulkheads or webs.  Decks and superstructures must be fabricated of .09” -- the thinnest that can be effectively welded.

Whatever the construction material, the production of a lightweight vessel is more labor intensive and requires a higher degree of skill and more expensive materials than heavier boats.  It is, nonetheless, vitally important to the sportsfishing boat.  A lightweight vessel compared to a heavier, traditionally constructed vessel of the same size, using the same engines can be six or seven knots faster!  Think of what this means over the life of the boat in operating efficiency.

Sportsfishing Trends

The sportsfishing boat has undergone constant changes since its inception.  Cabin windshields on modern vessels are virtually nonexistent supplanted by solid cabin faces which neither leak nor let the sun stream in and eliminate the potential of a big wave shattering the glass.  Few tournament sportsfishing boats are fitted with portlights since, when a vessel is driven at high speed into a sea, they inevitably leak.  Hatches let in light and air more efficiently.

Engine exhausts have always been a problem on a sportsfisherman with huge engines dumping great quantities of noxious gas at the transom.  Underway, the high superstructure of a sportsfisherman creates a vacuum behind it which sucks exhaust gasses into the cockpit (and into the interior of the vessel if the aft door is left open).  There is also a problem of noise.  Even if large mufflers are fitted, the drone of big diesel engines gets tiring.  To help alleviate these problems, underwater exhausts are starting to be utilized.  First pioneered in a production sportsfishing boat four years ago by Southern Cross on their 52’ sportsfisherman, the underwater exhausts, once perfected, have proven quiet, efficient and actually seem to raise fish.

To counter the cockpit suction caused by high, squared off superstructures moving through the air, systems of spoilers are being experimented with when atmospheric exhausts are employed.  These spoilers, as first seen on the Palmer Johnson 72’ sportsfisherman three years ago, are fitted to the top of the e closed pilothouse and on the cabin wing extensions port and starboard.  They direct fresh, clean air into the cockpit to help eliminate the vacuum there.

There is a trend to the “clean sportsfisherman” which is a vessel with as little clutter as possible on deck.  The “clean school” of thinking dictates that the boat be fitted with no railings, no anchors on deck and, usually no nonskid on the foredeck.  Many of these vessels are so stark, they appear unfinished.

Some are experimenting with waterjet propulsion, however, the jury is still out on this since installation of the jets take up valuable under cockpit space and the jet drives (and water contained therein) are rather heavy.  The effect of jet wash on fish raising is a big question.  Surface propellers are just starting to be experimented with but their ineffectiveness at low (trolling) speeds and a generally poor maneuvering response must be overcome before their use becomes wide spread.  The main advantage of the surface propeller is its efficiency at high speeds.  As with jet drives, there is the problem of under cockpit space being sacrificed to the cutaway portion of the hull needed for surface drives.

Power steering is an item that is surprisingly overlooked on many sportsfishermen.  Introduced as standard equipment on the Southern Cross 44’ and 52’, power steering adds immeasurably to handling and maneuverability.

Efforts are now underway to enhance backing capabilities of fishing boats.  Typically, when backed down at speeds of four to five knots the transom pushes a huge wall of water ahead of it which eventually cascades over the top of the rail flooding the cockpit.  While all this is going on, the whole boat is shaking terribly since the propellers are starved for clean flow due to aerated water being introduced to them by the flat, broad transom pushing through the seas. Transoms can be shaped to better deflect water and this is an ongoing effort for designers at this time.

Perhaps the most spectacular trend in sportsfishermen is the move towards bigger vessels.  Sportsfishermen of 80 to 100 feet are not uncommon.  The reason for this phenomenon?  Upward mobility.  Fishermen who own 30’er want 35’ers.  Fishermen who own 40'ers may want 45'ers and, similarly, fishermen who own 80’ers want 90’ers.  They’ve reached a station in life where they can afford a bigger, better boat so why shouldn’t they move up also?  True, a 90’ vessel may not be ideal for fishing but this really isn’t important.  What is important is to be able to move up.  

Power to weight ratios of some of the big sportsfishermen are, today, very close to what they are for much smaller boats allowing a monster sportsfisherman to be wrenched around while fighting a fish almost as easily as a small boat.  Some are taking a different tact:  The “mother ship” principle.  This involves a very large, comfortable “mother ship,” usually 90’ to 150’ which carries on deck (or in a hold) a smaller sportsfishing machine of 30’ to 40’ launched either by a gigantic crane or some type of marine railway.  The mother ship phenomenon is intriguing and it remains to be seen if it develops into a trend.

The "Ideal" Sportsfishing Boat

I’ve often dreamed about creating the ultimate (to my mind at least) sportsfishing boat -- costs be damned.  Actually, I have two “wish boats” in mind.  One is an all-out speed machine.  The other is a more conservative rig. 

For the speed machine, we’ll start with a hull 48’ long by 14-1/2’ wide.  I feel 48’ is the maximum length for efficient fishing, yet the hull is big enough to maintain high speeds at sea.  The hull would be of hard chine configuration to handle the high speeds expected.  Her beam is a full 2’ less than what you’d expect from a “modern” sportsfisherman of that size.  Beam in smooth water promotes lift and speed, however, in rough water extra beam will slow a hull down. 

Additionally, beam equates to weight and hampers maneuverability.  The hull would be constructed with a PVC foam core and unidirectional fiberglass skins on the bottom with the topsides being PVC core/Kevlar/carbon (I’ll take the risk of puncturing the topsides on an exposed spike on a dock for the weight savings).  Deck and superstructure would be fabricated of PVC core with combination Kevlar/carbon fibre skins.  All cabin “glazing” would be fixed Lexan for weight saving. 

Power would be supplied by a pair of compact, high powered diesel engines such as the MAN or MTU 12-cylinder units producing 1000 horsepower. The engine blocks, however, would be specially cast in alloy for great weight savings.  The single 20kw generator would also be cast in alloy.  The main engines would drive controllable pitch surface propellers which can be adjusted for optimum configuration at low or high speed.  

Fuel would be carried in integral tanks -- only 600 gallons total would be needed due to the great efficiency of the vessel.  Fifty gallons of water would be carried, supplemented by a watermaker. With a projected weight of under 28,000 pounds ready to fish, this hull/power train combination should produce speeds of around 50 knots without resorting to exotic turbines or huge diesel power.

The boat described above, with the exception of the controllable pitch surface propellers, could easily be built today with technology/materials available.  It’s only a matter of money.  There are people working on controllable pitch surface propellers but I wouldn’t expect them to be available in the near future.     

My second "ultimate" sportsfisherman is a totally different concept from the first.  She would be a round bilged, semi-displacement “penetrating hull” similar to the hulls we developed for the Midnight Lace line of express cruisers.  She too, would be 48’ long, but the beam would be 13-1/2’ wide.  Construction would be much the same as for the faster boat since weight savings is as important in this concept as it  is to high speeds.  Power would be supplied by a pair of 425 hp diesel engines driving fully submerged propellers.  With this rig, an extremely economical 32 knot top speed could be expected.  With 600 gallons of fuel carried, a range of about 500 nautical miles at a cruising speed in the mid-twenty knot range is attainable.

Features common to both craft would be as follows:
- Transoms well rounded to prevent snagging of fishing lines.
- Built-in wave deflector incorporated at the transom upper edge.
- Tumblehome to be incorporated in the after topsides.
- Flyingbridge atop the house but, possibly, stepped into it to produce a lower profile, less windage and less weight.
- Marlin tower totally different from the “erector set” pipe structure seen today.  The tower would be a single mast with a crow’s nest atop supported by stays and shrouds.  Not only will this save weight, but it would cut down drastically on wind resistance.

Conclusion

The sportsfishermen on the east coast of the United States are, unquestionably, the most highly developed sportsfishermen in the world.  The reason for this?  There are few fish on the east coast!  Yes, it’s true, the ratio of sophisticated equipment aboard a sportsfisherman is inversely proportional to the number of fish available.  Elsewhere in the world where fish are abundant, sportsfishermen are not nearly as highly developed but still catch many more fish than the high- tech east coast sportsfishermen.  

In Brazil and Australia where billfish are abundant (less than ten billfish in one day is considered a dismal failure), they land fish from boats without proper cockpits, without outriggers, without transom doors, without fighting chairs and without electronics. When the fish are there, it is easy to catch them.  When they’re not, you need the best equipment to seek them out.  Unfortunately, the fishing grounds of the world are fast being depleted.

Like the saber tooth tiger, sportsfishermen -- the hunters of the sea -- could well become extinct if the number and sophistication of sportsfishing boats around the world increase, and their prey becomes scarce.  Someday these magnificent machines could be relegated to “hunting preserve tournaments” where a section of the ocean would be sealed off and the area stocked with a number of thousand-pound marlin, bred in captivity on a marlin farm specifically for sportsfishing purposes (like the famous fighting bulls of Spain). It’s already happened ashore where hunting preserves are common.  Not a very happy thought, is it?  Conservation is the answer and, hopefully, release tournaments will become mandatory in the future.

(Reprinted with permission of Regina Fexas.)

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