“I grew up as a farmer,” says Jose “Joe” DaPonte, the Azorean-born president and owner of C&C Marine, a builder of recreational fishing boats, including the NorthCoast Boats. We are trolling daisy chains for bluefin tuna just before daybreak aboard Hull No. 1 of the NorthCoast 415HT, somewhere south of Block Island.
“Our little town was away from the water, but it was high,” says Joe. Every time I was on the farm, I’d look at the ocean and I’d see those boats going by. For some reason, it gave me some, you know, feeling about it. So when I came to this country, I said, I gotta try a little something.”
And try something he did. When Joe first stepped off the proverbial boat from the Azores and into the relatively new world of boatbuilding in Bristol, Rhode Island, just over half a century ago, he never imagined he’d be plonking quad 300-hp Yamahas on the transom of a boat like this one.
Joe cut his teeth in the marine industry making the rounds through several boatyards, including C.E. Ryder in the 1970s and Albin Marine in the 1980s before taking the helm at C&C Marine, which also manufactured hulls for Albin for a time. He then purchased the NorthCoast Boats brand name and a few hull molds in 2000. Prior to that time, during the 1990s, C&C had been the behind-the-scenes builder for center console designer Dick Lema.
Joe’s investment bought him two turnkey molds for 18- and 19-foot skiffs, which he took out on the road to showcase under the Lema moniker. But when he realized that the name wasn’t ringing bells on the boat-show circuit beyond the Northeast, Joe went back to the name NorthCoast. The brand had been floundering, but he hoped its solid reputation could lead to a resurrection. He continued production of the 18- and 19-footers and also went on to design his own first boat: the 235, a 23-footer that is now NorthCoast’s bread-and-butter model.
Slowly but surely the boats and the brand’s reputation grew. So did the company, as Joe’s sons Cesar and Craig joined the team. Today, the DaPontes celebrate the debut of NorthCoast’s first 41-foot-class model, the 415HT, which first splashed last spring.
With a full boat and seven sets of hands onboard for our sea trial, the 415 proves plenty fishable. We comfortably run a six-line daisy-chain spread for most of the day. She is also capable in a sea, offering a civilized ride not unlike a picnic boat of her size at cruising speed. At the same time, the 415 has the the athletic legs of a sporty offshore center console, thanks to her four Yamaha 300-hp outboards.
Joe and his family (including his sons and his wife, Rosa, who is also an employee) have tested the waters aboard other cabin boats from NorthCoast—among them a 235, 255, 285 and 315. But those are smaller designs. The 415 represents a big jump in LOA for this company.
This is a Downeast fishing boat, only with softened edges. And it’s priced competitively. Think of it as a more economical, family friendly addition to the current crop of 40-foot outboard-powered sportfishing boats on the market. It’s priced at about $1.08 million, which is as little as two-thirds the cost of some similarly-powered boats in the same size range. While some builders offer more open layouts, the 415HT is distinctive for its enclosed, air-conditioned cabin that sleeps six, assuming you use the convertible galley settee.
A few elements on Hull No. 1 could use some tweaking, but that’s to be expected on any first build. The mezzanine bench in the cockpit is nicely positioned for watching the spread, but it would be more functional if the folding window at the aft bulkhead was retractable instead of a swing-out design; when open, it’s a low-hanging hazard that renders a third of the bench unusable. The galley on the starboard side of the cabin is well positioned for ease of use, but upgraded appliances would go a long way, as would a more solid countertop—it was starting to warp and lose caulking.But again, these are the sort of growing pains that the builder will address on Hull No. 2, and the imperfections are to be expected from a company just breaking into bigger models.
As for performance, the 415 cruises at 31 knots and burns about 40 gph.
Joe sees a growing market for this boat. Consumer demand for a reasonably priced cabin cruiser in this size range is brisk, for a lot of reasons. One of them is comfort. Some boaters say that after so many decades on smaller fishing boats, the spine appreciates a softer ride out to the tuna grounds. And the NorthCoast does offer a smooth ride.
After a 3 a.m. roll call, we hit 48 knots with a crew of seven aboard—just 1 knot under the boat’s purported top speed. We achieve that speed on a 40-mile run across a flat ocean in the dark of night. This was Joe DaPonte’s first bluefin run in the 415. His sons have decided that it’s high time the old man put some blood on the deck.
The Yamahas purr and trolling and jigging gear is at the ready in the rocket launchers. Lighting the way as we cast off are two 19-inch Raymarine Axiom 2XL MFDs. One bears a standard chartplotter, while the other shows AR200 Stabilization Augmented Reality, which is nothing new in the way of tech, mind you, but it’s a handy tool when running busy harbors at night, especially those smattered with unlit vessels, lobster pots and fish traps.
First light is just breaking as Craig DaPonte, NorthCoast’s production manager, backs off the throttle and daisy-chain lines hit the water. There isn’t any swell to speak of, but the offshore metropolis that makes up the tuna-fishing grounds south of Block Island is alight with boats and every bit as alive with boat wash. The Seakeeper 4—which comes standard—whirs to life and answers chop beautifully.
Within five minutes of setting our spread and well before the sun breaks, we are hooked up. I land a small bluefin tuna several minutes later—the first tuna aboard this new boat—and everyone relaxes a bit. But not for long. Bluefin are notorious for growing peckish at first light and then lying low all day after that. Gregg Weatherby, NorthCoast’s director of sales and marketing, couldn’t have been more right to drag every one of our reluctant behinds up out of bed so early in the morning.
No more than 10 minutes after my fish hits the deck another Penn International 50 starts to scream. This time, Joe indulges, telling us it’s been more than 10 years since he’s caught a bluefin. He fell in love with fishing 50 years ago and builds boats largely for tuna fishing, and yet he hasn’t caught a bluefin—the iconic sportfish of his adopted home waters—in 10 years? This confuses me. But as we talk, I learn he is a humble soul. He’s happy staying inshore and catching sea bass, fluke, striped bass, tautog and scup for the table. That variation lends itself well to a pescatarian diet. Sure, tuna is delectable—bluefin, especially. But by and large, he concedes that small, bony fishes are his jam. DaPonte’s sons? They’ve been bitten by the tuna bug. “They’re already talking about a bigger boat. Give me a little break here,” Joe calls out to Craig, who is now manning the helm.
One more fish comes over the rail—or rather, through the handy side door—and the bite goes more or less dead as we try our hand at jigging. Whatever the gamefish have been doing up until now is not our concern. The smile on Joe’s face as his tuna hits the deck of his new flagship is something we can all commit to memory.
I don’t care how old you are; if you can’t derive sheer giddiness from witnessing that kind of satisfaction in someone who’s dedicated the better part of his life to his craft, what’s left for you?
Sometimes, if not most times, watching someone else’s accomplishment—be it hauling in an impressive fish or seeing a new boat to fruition—is every bit as enjoyable as reeling in, or building, a big one yourself.
LOA: 46’1”
Beam: 12’11”
Draft: 3’5”
Displ.: 24,701 lbs.
Fuel: 612 gals.
Water: 100 gals.
Power: (4) 300-hp Yamahas
February 2025
