Since opening the doors to its new facility in Tampa, Florida, last year, Bertram has rolled out seven of its latest 35-foot models. At this year’s show, it will display the 35 (35′ 1″ LOA, 12′ 5″ beam) in full sportfishing regalia. The deep-V hull that started it all more than five decades ago is still the cornerstone of the smooth ride, while the flybridge up top is the perfect vantage point to spot the fish. In between are many semi-custom options to design the 35 your way. Thanks to twin 500-hp Caterpillars, the 35 tops out at a swift 40 knots.
Completed in August of 2016, the 64’ the custom sportfish yacht is equipped with a pair of MANs, at 1800 horsepower each. Her cruising speeds even out around 35 knots, with a top speed of 42 knots. The Bayliss Hull holds two 20 kilowatt Northern Lights generators and 2 FCI max Q water makers that can produce up to 1,800 gallons per day. Her fuel capacity is 2,000 gallons, her water capacity 450 gallons. On the interior, she has three state rooms, and three heads to keep the crew comfortable.
For construction photos of Parranda, as well as updates on new builds: baylissboatworks.com
Now an integral part of the Viking Yachts lineup, the Viking Yachts 37 Billfish (37’8″ LOA, 13’10” beam) is built to be a canyon-ready tournament contender that’s equally at home fishing for blue marlin in The Bahamas or Pacific sailfish in Costa Rica.
The day-boat style offers unfettered access to the 86-square foot cockpit equipped with a bait freezer, tackle stowage, a transom door with a lift gate, insulated fishboxes, and a transom livewell. The open salon provides all-weather protection with a comfortable U-shape dinette and hi-lo fiberglass table that converts to a bunk opposite a cushioned lounge. At the end of the day there’s plenty of room to relax in a comfortable environment—a significant element missing from today’s wide-open, large center-console boats. vikingyachts.com
The versatile Regulator 31 is equipped with twin F300 Yamaha engines, a massive cockpit, oversized tackle center, 228-quart fishbox, and additional sportfishing features. Head off shore with ease and confidence with SeaStar Optimus electronic power steering with tilt helm and the newly-enhanced 3X Deluxe Tackle Center, featuring a sink, baitwell and an abundance of storage. The deep-V hull, designed by renowned naval architect Lou Codega, is matched by low bow rise and peak performance for a perfectly balanced ride. Taking a cue from the Regulator 41, the all-new 31 (31’4″ LOA, 10’4″ beam) also features a starboard dive door, integrated forward seat backrests, stand-up head compartment with electric head, and 6-gallon holding tank along with other lifestyle amenities designed to maximize comfort off shore.
The deep-V hull, designed by renowned naval architect Lou Codega, is matched by low bow rise and peak performance for a perfectly balanced ride. Taking a cue from the Regulator 41, the all-new 31 (31’4″ LOA, 10’4″ beam) also features a starboard dive door, integrated forward seat backrests, stand-up head compartment with electric head, and 6-gallon holding tank along with other lifestyle amenities designed to maximize comfort off shore. regulatormarine.com
Never ones to rest on their laurels, Grady-White Boats introduced two new models at the 2016 Miami International Boat Show. The crowds took notice as both models attract all members of the family. While one model is tweaked from an existing favorite fish boat, the other is a party platform guaranteed to entice the kids to abandon their PlayStations and beg to go out on the boat. Versatility is the order of the day with Grady-White, and their attention to detail impresses newcomers and old salts alike.
Grady-White Canyon 271 FS
Taking cues from their customers, Grady-White realizes that today’s boats have to handle double duty and appeal to the needs of the hardcore fisherperson as well as the family. But instead of reinventing the wheel, the company modified a popular model to give it more flexibility so that non-fishing kids and spouses will have fun, too, ensuring the boat is used more often for a variety of watersports.
The existing Canyon 271 (which is still being built) received a makeover, specifically on the bow as it was dubbed the 2016 “FS” (Forwarding Seating) model. Gone is the single forward fishbox, replaced by port and starboard built-in seats and backrests that hinge inward to create forward-facing lounges. An optional fiberglass insert in between the seats extends and locks into place, and with a cushion the entire bow becomes a large sunpad. With the table base option, this same insert can become a table as well. Insulated 85-quart, overboard-draining fish boxes or stowage lockers rest below the seats, and if you want to fish off the bow, simply remove the cushions to reveal an elevated casting platform. An additional forward console seat boasts a cooler underneath, and altogether the bow accommodates five additional people.
The sharp entry and multiple strakes on the Grady-White Canyon 271 FS ensure a soft, dry and comfortable ride. Photo: Charles P Adams
A dual console and multiple seating areas on the Freedom 275 DC ensure family and guests have their choice of views while cruising.
PFDs are located within easy reach under the hardtop on the Freedom 275 DC.
The forward seating area on the 271 FS offers multiple options and additional seating for five persons.
Better ergonomics at the reworked helm of the Freedom 275 DC enables enhanced functionality for the skipper.
The center console was redesigned with a wraparound windshield integrated with the T-top, which encapsulates LED recessed lighting in the overhead. The lean bar still holds a 42-gallon livewell as well as a sink and tackle storage space built in behind the double seat with a flip-up bolster. The console brings switches and throttles within reach of the helmsman, and there is room for twin 16-inch multi-function displays and a place to mount a VHF and autopilot control. Aft is a 198-quart fish box that’s equipped to carry up to 14 rods in rod holders and rocket launchers—not bad for a 27-foot boat.
Like all Grady-White vessels, the 271 FS has the Hunt-designed SeaV2® hull built of hand-laid fiberglass filled with unsinkable foam flotation. The sharp entry continuously varies all along the keel ending in a 20-degree deadrise at the transom, and there are plenty of strakes to minimize spray. Grady-White touts their hulls as the best ride on the water—soft, dry and with terrific tracking.
Grady-White Freedom 275 Dual Console
If fishing is still important but takes a back seat to overall family enjoyment, Grady-White’s redesigned Freedom 275 Dual Console model does just about everything a 27-foot boat could possibly do.
The new design tucks right into the middle of the 10-model line of Freedom Dual Console hulls between 19 and 37 feet. An integrated anchor locker with optional electric windlass is at the bow, and a chute through the hull allows you to launch and retrieve the anchor without ever baring the chain on deck.
Moreover, the bow is now more versatile, larger and wider than previous versions. The table in between the settees is a great place to enjoy dinner, and removing the table and inserting cushions reveals a sizeable lounging sunpad. Remove the cushions altogether for an elevated casting platform. To starboard is an insulated 96-quart fishbox or cooler for drinks, and the seat to port hides a gear compartment that also holds the tips of rods inserted via the head, which is aft.
The walk-through tempered-glass windshield and composite door protects the driver and companions from spray and wind. The T-top’s shelter keeps folks dry and shielded from the sun, and its overhead zip-in storage holds PFDs or clothing. To port, a wide seat with a small storage pocket holds devices such as iPads, smartphones and controls for the stereo, and there is also a door that leads to the large head compartment with extensive storage space.
The helm to starboard has been reworked for better ergonomics and safety. The single multi-function display now sits slightly higher making it easier for the driver to check the plotter without diverting their focus from the horizon for too long. All switches have been shifted lower and closer for easier reach from the helm seat. And there is room for a VHF radio as well as a Command Link LCD Display to manage information from the twin Yamaha outboards.
The cockpit is also a delight. To port is a wide aft-facing electric seat that extends to form a short lounge. A table may be fitted in between the aft-facing seat and lift-up doublewide transom seat for comfortable dining. Behind the helm to starboard is an optional galley module with a sink, fridge, trash bin, and a grill (hidden under a cover), which cleverly hinges up and outboard providing a preparation station to maximize the limited counter space.
The transom is a wonder on its own with its 29.5-gallon livewell and 165-quart insulated box, not to mention the integrated swim ladder and a super-strong walkthrough door. And extending from below is a ski pole to tow the kids on their favorite water toys.
If either of the above models seems a bit challenging to understand and/or run, download Grady-White’s Captain Grady App. Today’s systems-laden vessels are more integrated and complex making it easy to become overwhelmed by the ample equipment on board. That’s why all Grady-White models produced after 2013 come with the Captain Grady App, which provides systems and operations guides to aid any new or seasoned cruiser through all the onboard systems. Instructions include startup and shutdown checklists, troubleshooting tips, emergency procedures, and ways to decipher onboard alarms. The app is not just a simple electronic manual but a comprehensive boat systems’ guide that includes information on critical systems such as electrical, generator and load management among others to ensure safe operation and timely maintenance. The user-friendly app is model specific and features step-by-step instructions, photos and even video tutorials. With this amount of guidance available at your fingertips, there’s no excuse to stay home.
Betty Bauman Founder and CEO of “Ladies Let’s Go Fishing!”
Passion, experience and a true understanding of the task at hand spurred the creation of “Ladies Let’s Go Fishing!” the brainchild of Betty Bauman.
SB: Tell us about yourself.
BB: I’m a marketing and PR professional, my background includes handling marketing positions in some of the largest boat companies in the industry (Wellcraft, Donzi, AquaSport), and I started on my own about 20 years ago. I was born and raised in western Pennsylvania. I fished as a child. My first marketing positions were in the cosmetics and cookware industry, and I didn’t get back into fishing really until my job at Wellcraft, where they brought me along as the “token” female. That’s how I fell in love with fishing. It started off with dolphin fishing, mahi-mahi, and I fished with some guys from the Pittsburg Steelers in the Arthur Smith tournament [in Palm Beach, Florida], and it was so much fun. I got my own boat and started fishing on my own. I had a Wellcraft V20 Steplift and I was fishing from trial and error because I really didn’t know that there were special techniques, special knots or anything like that.
SB: How did you really get into fishing and the program?
BB: I had pretty much reached the top level I could with the corporation and felt that I wanted to start my own company. So I did, they [the boat companies] became my clients and I was doing some program magazines for some of the big fishing tournaments in Fort Lauderdale. So because of that I got to learn more and more about fishing, and I married my husband who was a tournament winner. He would yell at me, you know in the heat of the moment he would bark out orders, things I needed to do, and to me that was Greek—I didn’t know what he was talking about, what to do with it, and why I had to do it. And by the time you ask those questions, when you’re in a fishing situation it’s too late.
What really spurred [“Ladies Let’s Go Fishing!”] was that as part of my business I went to the ICAST [International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades] show every year. I was at an industry breakfast and the president of the ASA [American Sportfishing Association], Mike Hayden, mentioned that women were a huge part of the potential marketplace that was not properly developed—a light bulb came on. I thought I know why: this sport is intimidating, it’s male-dominated and women don’t understand the terminology. There are a lot of women like me who get frowned upon in situations and are expected to know what to do and they don’t. So my theory was I do marketing, I do events, if we had events where women could learn the theory, have a chance to practice hands-on, and have a chance to go fishing, plus a chance to network, because women like the social aspect to fishing, we could develop more female anglers. I had the business, I had the infrastructure, I was all set up to do it. I approached the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission with the concept. They embraced it. I knew it was going to be an expensive proposition, we set up a partnership and then they went to the industry and a lot of the large corporation also set up partnerships. That was 1997.
I started with my first event, which was at Marina Bay [Fort Lauderdale, Florida]. I put together all the structures, I knew I was going to need a lot of volunteers and guides to come out of the water to work with these ladies one on one. The response was overwhelming. The first class was sold out with 85 people—as much as the room could fit. This is an immersion program, we totally immerse the ladies and the strategy and the mechanics of fishing and with hands on.
Betty Bauman, founder and CEO of “Ladies Let’s Go Fishing!” demonstrating a stand-up technique.
SB: How has the program changed today?
BB: The program then was a success from the get-go. We’ve made some tweaking but when something is a success you stay with that. So for years we kept the same program but we keep improving the logistics, we expanded the options and fundraisers because we know that we need to raise enough capital to keep the program viable.
SB: What does the program entail?
BB: Our main events start out with a Friday evening social so we can recognize the sponsors, and the ladies get a chance to meet the others. Saturday mornings are the sit-down classes, which are very heavily laden with conservation because the best time to learn conservation is when an angler is new and impressionable. And then we serve lunch.
After lunch we have hands-on fishing techniques, for instance, I show stand up fighting techniques. We have tables for knot tying, lure usage, lure rigging, other fishing skills, sometimes we have how to handle the dock lines; they’re all a little bit different. And then we have spin-casting, net-casting, fly-casting, boat-handling trailer, backing, and landing, we have them gaff grapefruits. On Sunday we have the optional charter fishing, we give them choices, sometimes it’s the choice of a drift boat, a sport fishing boat or an inshore boat depending on the area that they’re in—different parts of the states have a different kind of fishing.
SB: What do you love most about what you do?
BB: The most wonderful part of what I do is enabling and empowering women to enter fishing, to give them the excitement, the knowledge, the skills, and give them a sport that they can enjoy with their families and their friends.
SB: What can we expect from you and your organization in the future?
BB: Since then we’ve added some international trips because once they’re out there and fishing they still want to go with a group and find fishing in other parts of the world. We’ve been primarily Florida but we’ve had some wonderful fly fishing seminars in Colorado, we’ve had some private companies that have hired us to do fishing programs with their female clients.
We have recently added the option to invite male guests or teens, to include the whole family—the focus is still on women but some women want to learn with their significant others, so one can remember what the other one forgets. We’re starting a nonprofit foundation. It’s the “Ladies Let’s Go Fishing!” Foundation, we wanted to take it nonprofit, even though we’ve technically been nonprofit for years, that enables our donors to donate to a charity, the mission is to provide opportunities and education for women and families to learn fishing and conservation skills.
SB: Have you received any recognition for your work?
BB: I belong to the Florida Outdoors Writers Association, I was recently honored by the Bass Pro Shop Pass it On Award, and I’ve been honored by the American Sportfishing Association as “woman of the year.”
SB: What do you like to fish most?
BB: My favorite is kite fishing for sailfish.
SB: When you’re not fishing what are your other hobbies?
BB: Working! I did horseback riding until I got thrown from my horse and broke my ankle a couple of years ago. I like camping, boating, travel.
SB: Any most memorable moments with “Ladies Let’s Go Fishing!”?
BB: It’s exciting to see women from their teens to their 90s attend, all different ages and incomes, but in the room, they’re all equals. We’ve had three generations attend a seminar, grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter.
I get emails from ladies that didn’t know how to fish and pictures of them catching fish in The Bahamas—they do go on and [continue to] participate in the sport. Our sponsors and donors are very important because without them we couldn’t do it. Last year we lost the support of the FWC, which was a potentially huge blow to the program, however, Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation came in, Fish for Florida came in, NMMA and the RBFF [Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation] helped us.
SB: How many women have gone through your program?
BB: Eight thousand! That’s a lot considering that it’s hands-on.
SB: What sets you apart from other fishing programs?
BB: It encompasses an entire weekend and it’s all the elements, the social, the hands-on and the classes, and the fishing experience. It’s quite laborious; I don’t know who else is willing to give up their time to do a program like this. I donate a lot of time to it.
SB: If you’d like to add anything, please feel free.
BB: I’d like to mention the conservation and how important the industry organizational support is to the program. We’re very grateful for it and some people have been with us for many years, and they provide products and that allows us to show many more kinds of fishing equipment that we could afford to buy.
