Fishing drove the design of the new North Rip 30, a high-end twin-outboard center console from USWatercraft. “There are a lot of multipurpose center consoles out there, but we embraced the idea of designing and outfitting this boat for offshore sport fishing in New England waters,” says Randy Borges, president of USWatercraft, which also builds C&C and Alerion sailboats and True North powerboats.
Borges tapped Rhode Island charter captain and tournament fisherman Capt. Jack Sprengel (eastcoastchartersri.com) to help create the North Rip 30. Many of today’s center consoles are far from hardcore fishing boats, says Sprengel, who cites some models as “fluffy with standard forward seating and cushy frills” that snag tackle and eat up fishing space.
Of course, owners can add a few amenities to the North Rip 30, such as forward seating and a cockpit grill, but Sprengel made sure the boat was first and foremost a fishing machine. “We eliminated the two smaller live wells and consolidated them into a large 42-gallon oval lighted stern live well that’s ideal for the larger baitfish used in the Northeast,” he says.
The huge insulated fishbox has dividers that allow fish, ice, bait and gear to be separated. The deck layout emphasizes open space, especially in the cockpit. Overbuilt plumbing and separate macerator pumps for each insulated fishbox add to the North Rip’s fishing DNA.
The boat rides a deep-vee hull with flared forward sections and a gunwale height that Sprengel says is “perfect” from bow to transom. “You have security forward,” he says. “The gunwales are above your knees in the cockpit, but you can still easily haul in a fish.”
Rhode Island-based USWatercraft builds the vessel using resin infusion to produce a stiff, strong hull, says Borges. The hull, stringer-bulkhead grid (capped with carbon fiber and also resin-infused), liner and deck cap are bonded with Plexus, a high-strength methacrylate adhesive.
Twin 250- or 300-hp Yamaha 4-strokes power the North Rip 30. With the 250s, she’ll hit 60 mph and cruise at 40 mph. “We’re getting 1.2 mpg at 60 mph and 1.5 mpg at 44 mph, says Sprengel. “For a 30-foot boat, that’s about the best you can get.”
USWatercraft also builds a 21-foot North Rip and has plans for a center console of about 25 feet, says Borges.
This article originally appeared in the December 2015 issue.
