The custom build continues; A photo update.

[gottaflylee]

Congrats Mike, great looking ride you have and thanks for taking the time to included us in the ride of her build!

[clt_capt]

She is gorgeous. Thanks so much for sharing the build.

[Captbillb]

One & All,
Where can I begin? All that can be said is, "WOW!"
Mike was kind enough to allow me to take a ride (and helm) last week out of its slip at Brewer's Marina in Cowesett, RI.
The 'STRADIVARIUS' is a true thoroughbred for which mere words can not do it justice. While it's a 'One Off' design of Mike's conception, it more fittingly should be described as 'One of a Kind.' This is a boat whose true beauty lies in the detail of the build rather than the grandeur of its exterior.
I've run many boats, and have been aboard many others in my four decades of holding a license. The 'STRADIVARIUS' is truly singular in both looks and performance. Esthetically it simply takes your breath away, performance wise, it simply makes your head spin.
Taking the helm is like sitting in the pilot's seat of a space shuttle. The big Yanmars push this HEAVY boat at a speed that would match a much larger production boat with half again the horsepower. The 'Sound Down' lining the overhead in the spacious engine room allows for normal conversation at the helm while you're blasting along at an honest 33 knot cruise. The vessel's weight dampens the chop and playing with the 'tabs allows the boat to slice through whatever sea conditions encountered. Handling characteristics are simply outstanding allowing you to dodge any number lobster pots at full cruise with ease. Helm response is instantaneous, throttling up means that you'd better be holding on. Whiplash is a possibility in regards to the way the boat simply jumps up onto plane.
The two electronic display screens- shown in the photos are truly unreal. The size of the screens would make anyone with the worst case of myopia see the Nav-Net chartplotter, radar, or fishfinder displays clearly.
We saw some birds working and switched one of the Nav-Net screens to the DS/FF mode. Bass were stacked up on a hump and the clarity of the screen was beyond outstanding. Funny tale was there was a couple in a small runabout and, not having any fishing tackle aboard, we slowly idled over to them and gave them a heads up in regards to where they'd find some nice stripers. The looks on their face was priceless as the information was passed. "Guys in a world class sportfisherman telling us where to dunk our worms?"
The Davis that blew by us heading up the West Passage as we neared Beaver Tail Point on Jamestown almost lost it's two crew members from the bridge as they jumped up to take a gander at a boat that can only be described as a true work of art.
The engine room comes straight from a UFO, just too much to absorb. However, the most outstanding feature is that it allows for standup inspection and/or work. It's HUGE, despite the behemoth size of the Yanmars, and too many other systems to mention.
The vessel's interior is immaculate as the exterior of the boat offering amenities that will make life easy either at the dock or while angling at the NE canyons. There won't be a problem with nighttime chunking as the tower lights simply turn night into day. Helm lighting is something special.. take your favorite flavor and it's there, red, clear, blue. Better than most Fourth of July fireworks.
By-the-way, the torque that Mike's previously mentioned is beyond belief... you put the Palm Beach levers into gear- either forward or reverse- and you'd better be holding on. Five bladed props tend to 'bite' pretty well and those on the boat do just that, regardless of the boat's size and weight.
Sitting in the companion seat, sipping a beer as the last of day's last light faded once we were tucked back into the slip, was probably the most relaxing time since I went through the Hell of my chemo experience earlier in the year. Thanks for that, Mike, as that moment in time, combined with an eye opening ride down to Narragansett Bay's entrance, really put the burning desire of fishing the 'Edge' back into my heart.

[Carolina Ride]

Beautiful work! Enioy her...

The tunas are chewing pretty good right now, when will we see some pics of some blood on the deck?

[T2GLC]

Mike words don't explain it. Pictures are worth a 1000 words
Thanks for the ending this has been a great long thread that took my of us thru 3long winters. Great ending now get some blood on the decks
Thanks Paul

[scattered_grass]

love the night shots!