Buddy Davis 47

[FinRazr]

What is the general consensus on this hull I'm talking the late 80's fly bridge not the current ones.Ride in a head sea down sea quartering overall impressions.What is the construction method?Is there something better in the same range?Any input would be appriciated.

[anthony]

Great boat in my opinion...very good sea boat and one of the best looking boats in that size anywhere. Good head sea boat, had a tendency to push around in a heavier following sea. I do believe they are cold molded hulls...fairly heavy which is part of what contributes to their ride.

[reel fishy]

Good riding boat, just don't go heavy on the tabs in a following sea. Boat is a cold molded hull in the late 80's. It is not a "heavy hull", but is a typical mid 1980's 25kt cruise boat. The few I know of all have 8v92s in them. Narrow forward stateroom, but plenty of storage throughout. Hull has a lot in common or is the same as the 45' Express if I remember right. If your a big fan of bow flare and fat tumblehome then she has the look. The hull will split a head sea, but is still a 40,000lb boat.

[Bligh]

It was built from molds! maybe the mold was cold? seriously, plywood on a jig is cold molding. Great sea boat. not fast by todays standards unless repowered. still a looker. and its built of fiberglass

[RichardTerp]

Not sure where you are located but "The Zipper" in Ocean City is a 47' Buddy Davis. Repowered with 820 MANs. Great ride in a head sea. She likes to bow stear a little a following quartering sea, but what boat doesn't. Shoot Capt Ed an email. I'm sure he would be more than willing to talk to you. He and his son do all the work on the boat themselves. It's absolutly beautiful.

http://www.zippersportfishing.com/

[FinRazr]

Thanks for the reply's

[PortlyRedhead]

In the head sea, the 47' Davis reminds you of a rhythmic mechanical bull. She'll put the bow down, but you know that it will come back up. You can run consistently in a big head sea, which you can't say about a lot of boats.

In a quartering down sea, the autopilot better be over-built as the boat gets squirrelly. The sharp flare likes to run down the face of waves like a bobsled going sideways.

However, there are not many other boats that I'd want to run home from 1000 fathoms in the Spencer to Cape May in a hard sou'wester, or to the Baltimore in a northeaster.

[Glenn W]

It was built from molds! maybe the mold was cold? seriously, plywood on a jig is cold molding. Great sea boat. not fast by todays standards unless repowered. still a looker. and its built of fiberglass

Good to hear someone knows Buddys. First 3years or so were planked, then fiberglass boats. Perhaps the prettiest sportfisher ever built.

[reel fishy]

It was built from molds! maybe the mold was cold? seriously, plywood on a jig is cold molding. Great sea boat. not fast by todays standards unless repowered. still a looker. and its built of fiberglass

So you are saying my friend owned an 80's Buddy Davis made of wood that actually was not wood? Even though during the refit he saw it was actually a glass over wood hull. I would agree most Buddy Davis boats are built from cored construction but I think it would definately depend on what year it was built and what number in series it was. It does not matter, still a great boat with lines that turn heads.

[Glenn W]

http://www.buddydavis.com/carolina_boat.php