North Carolina-based Jarrett Bay Boatworks doesn’t come to mind for megayacht aficionados. But, thanks to Hull 62, a.k.a. Project Ireland, more people are sitting up and taking notice. A lean, mean, fishing machine, she’s the first sportfishing yacht worldwide to incorporate carbon fiber.
Jarrett Bay, which offers solely custom construction, is building Project Ireland for a customer who has “challenged us at every step,” according to Randy Ramsey, founder and president of the yard. An engineer by trade, the owner was keen to have his yacht incorporate carbon fiber. Ramsey says the owner came close to commissioning an all-carbon hull. However, since noise abatement was also a priority, he selected traditional cold-molded construction. (Wood has better sound-insulating properties than carbon fiber.) But, the stringers and bulkheads are all carbon, still a significant first. A significant amount of titanium and carbon fiber are being used throughout Project Ireland, in fact, including in the bridge, cabin, and decks.
Ramsey believes that yacht customers are increasingly embracing construction technology like this because of the light-weight advantages. “You just have to have customers willing to spend the money on carbon fiber,” he adds. The weight savings and hull configuration of Project Ireland should translate to a sportfishing yacht as nimble as one less than half her size. Twin 2,600-hp MTUS and 4,700 gallons (17,791 liters) of fuel will put vast fishing grounds within her reach as well. Indeed, the owner intends to fish places as far-flung as Panama and Vanuatu.
With a 22’6” (6.9-meter) beam, Project Ireland has six staterooms total—meaning for the owner, guests, and crew. The owner’s stateroom and crew’s quarters will be full beam. Even though she’s a megayacht and will have luxury touches, make no mistake: Project Ireland is all about fishing. Her cockpit measures 310 square feet (28.8 square meters), ideal for pulling in marlin and other big game fish.
Currently, Project Ireland is seeing her third layer of bottom planking applied to the starboard side. Jarrett Bay already installed the stringers, plus has cut, fiberglassed over, and sealed the prop tunnels. If you’ve never seen cold-molded construction, the yard has an excellent photo gallery chronicling the build so far. (Be sure to take note of one of the last images, where the yard’s craftsmen have signed their work, to forever be a part of Project Ireland.)
Project Ireland is set for delivery in 2017. Interesting enough, she’s not the only mega-size sportfish in build at Jarrett Bay, either. The yard is close to finishing up Blank Check, an 84-footer.
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