Rhode Island-based boatbuilder Joe DaPonte has spent a lifetime designing and producing tooling for boats. Initially, he worked with Hunt Yachts and Dick Lema. In 2000, DaPonte acquired the NorthCoast brand and grew it into a line of New England pilothouse and center-console fishing boats, handling every phase of design, blueprinting and mold construction with his family.
Now, DaPonte has partnered with Thomas Degremont and Sam Howell of Langan Design Partners in Newport, Rhode Island, to create the NorthCoast 415 HT, a versatile, Downeast cabin boat that combines sleek styling with performance.
Hull No. 1 is currently under construction, and it is NorthCoast’s largest boat to date. Length overall is more than 46 feet, including the Armstrong bracket and quad Yamaha F300XSB outboards. Plans are to offer it in two configurations: hard-core fishing and family-friendly cruising.
When DaPonte chose Langan Design, he said: “We love the ride of our boats, so we don’t want to mess with that.” The 415 HT will maintain the company’s 24-degree deadrise with a subtle round-off at the keel to give the hull a little more lift aft, and to allow for a smoother transition to plane.
In other words, the boat should have serious seakeeping ability in most any conditions, and plenty of speed. Beam will be 12-feet, 11-inches, and top speed is projected to exceed 43 knots.
Renderings show a profile that is a bit taller in the bow than other NorthCoast models, with a gently broken sheer that levels the freeboard in the cockpit to a smart height for fishing and guest security.
The foredeck is sculpted to allow easy access to the bow around the raised cabin area. The pilothouse is large enough for an entire crew; it rises behind an attractively raked windshield, with side windows completing the enclosure. Overhead vents are built into the hardtop to provide airflow and natural light.
The fishing model includes a tackle, gear and rigging prep station just inside the door to the pilothouse. A settee and dining table are to port, and a galley is to starboard with drawer-type refrigerator and freezer units, a microwave and a sink.
Owners can outfit the helm with twin 19-inch Raymarine Axiom 2 XL multifunction displays and an RMK-10 remote to keep track of the Real Vision MAX 3D sonar, DownVision, SideVision, 4-foot Cyclone open-array radar, Teledyne FLIR M364C cameras, VHF radio and Automatic Identification System. The boat’s electrical systems are controlled by Raymarine’s YachtSense digital switching network, which allows systems control and monitoring via the Axiom monitors. A pair of captain’s chairs overlook it all, and the pilothouse is secured by a full bulkhead with bifold windows and a locking door.
Aft, a portside cockpit door makes for easy boarding from the dock or the water, and doubles as a space to bring an oversize tuna aboard after a hard-fought battle. The cockpit tapers out to 102 square feet and includes transom-door access to the brace of outboards, twin transom live wells, and a fish box for smaller catches. Larger fish can be accommodated in the two in-deck fish boxes that provide a combined 150 gallons of macerated wet storage in the cockpit sole. There is a compartment for a Seakeeper stabilizer, and another compartment to access pumps, thru-hull valves and fuel filters in the lazarette.
Inside, the yacht-quality accommodations are unlike any other NorthCoast model. The pilothouse companionway leads downstairs to a space with mahogany veneers and seating. The head is to starboard with a separate, glass-enclosed shower stall. The master stateroom has a double berth with rod storage beneath; hanging closets; drawers; and plenty of natural light.
A second stateroom is aft, under the pilothouse deck, with a double berth. There’s also a single crew berth and a convertible pilothouse settee, meaning the boat can sleep up to six adults.
In addition to the YachtSense system and the Seakeeper, standard equipment includes a bow thruster, a 9-kw diesel generator, two A/C units, a 619-gallon fuel tank, a 100-gallon freshwater tank, and a 36-gallon holding tank.
Gregg Weatherby, director of sales and marketing, says the package builds on customer feedback from the recently launched 315HT and 255HT. “We have a high level of confidence in our new flagship,” he says. “While it will remain true to the NorthCoast heritage of building rugged versatility and serious performance into every boat, we are excited about her sleek Downeast style, spacious accommodations and the complete list of standard features.”
Hull No. 1 is scheduled to launch this fall. —Gary Caputi
LOA: 46’1”
Beam: 12’11”
Draft (hull): 2’3”
Displ.: 24,701 lbs.
Power: (4) 300-hp Yamaha outboards
Fuel: 619 gals.
This article was originally published in the August 2023 issue.
