Follow the progress of this custom build here at Marlin!
Sep 2, 2010
Jeff Burton: Custom Boat Building is a Lot of Fun
In his second visit to Jarrett Bay, NASCAR driver Jeff Burton talks about the progress of his 46 custom sport fishing boat to Tom O' Connor of the Outer Banks Fishing Show. Jeff & Tom discuss the interior helm station, color choices & the decision making process as a whole:
8/12/10 - BLOG: Construction Progressing Nicely
I finally got a bit of a break in the season and snuck away to visit my boat under way at Jarrett Bay. Everything seems to be progressing nicely, and the guys have done a lot of work on the interior. All the walls down below are in place, so it's really starting to look like something.
During our time up at the yard, my wife and I finalized all the wood and veneers (we went with a nice walnut), how we wanted to lay out the flybridge and mezzanine, and picked the best place and orientation for the ladder. Since we have a nice wide beam on this boat, we opted for a sideways-facing ladder to keep folks from stepping on the mezzanine and for an added bit safety (I know the kids will be flying up and down it before too long). Jarrett Bay also installed these really neat bucket seats up on the bridge so the guests can hang out in comfort without bouncing and sliding around like you would on a bench seat.
I also met with the fellas at Bausch & IMS American while I was there to finalize my bridge and electronics details. I went with a resin-infused hard top half tower, with most everything recessed including these new LED low-voltage spreader lights that are brighter but more efficient and safer.
I decided to go with all Furuno gear for the navigation suite and flush-mounted everything here as well. I'm trying to keep everything simple and easy to use from both helm stations, but I still had to add a KVH high-def satellite dome, Fusion Stereo and a FLIR unit to check things while traveling at night. A guy likes his toys!
The engine room is all laid out, and the pod-drive system just gives you a ton of extra room up under the mezzanine - they really change the game with what you can put down below. The only downside I can see is that you can't put fish boxes under the cockpit deck. But since I've got a small fish box in the transom and a big space under the mezzanine, I can just rely on a nice bag if we really get into them. All in all, the boat looks really good. Jarrett Bay has masterfully combined that wonderful, traditional Carolina flare with more modern lines - just like they promised they would.
7/02/10 - VIDEO: Time Lapse Construction #2
6/15/10 - Details, Details Blog by Jeff Burton
During the past couple of weeks, the boys down at Jarrett Bay have been busy working hard on all the little, less-than-exciting things that go into making a custom sport-fisher. Things like where to put the fuel and water fills, how to position the fuel tanks and making sure everything is easy to maintain and work on. Since I plan on doing a lot of the service work myself, I want to make sure I can get to everything.
This stage of the game comes with a lot of compromises - if you put this thing here, then you have to make room over there, etc. To be quite honest, most of the ideas are coming from the Jarrett Bay crew, and I just say yes or no; I really have no idea what's the best call on some of these things, but I trust the guys working on the boat. They give me the pros and cons, but I lean on them pretty heavily.
We just got some veneer samples in, and I'm leaning on some mahogany colors - I like darker-colored woods with a satin finish. I don't like a glossy look, and I think the satin finish gives the wood an aged look, like it's been around for some time.
Right now I'd say we are about 30 percent along on the build, and the crews are concentrating on the more mundane - although important - aspects like cabinetry. But it seems like it's really going fast. It's a long process; it should take about a year, but I knew that going in. It's all part of the process, and when you're building a custom boat, you should enjoy the process as much as the delivery. You can by something right off the shelf or take the time that's necessary to get exactly what you want, so I don't mind the wait. I know the boys are working hard, installing air conditioning, water systems, heads, fuel polishers and whatnot. I just don't know what the heck I'm looking at, but I'm coming up to speed!
I'm about a week or two from finalizing the electronics and am already thinking about what kind of gear I'm going to fill all of my rod holders with. Keep watching for more updates - they should be marrying the salon to the hull soon, so stay tuned for some more pictures!
May 24, 2010
Things Coming Right Along Blog by Jeff Burton
I recently spent the whole day at Jarrett Bay to check up on the progress of the boat and found that the fellows already had the kitchen area and staterooms mocked up in the hull. It was pretty cool to see it all together in 3-D after only seeing it on paper. In the real world, you come across all the angles involved, and we just had to fine-tune things a little bit. But it was still pretty close to the paper - we got the fuel and water capacities just where we wanted them.
I've never been through the boatbuilding process before, but the boat seems to be coming along right on schedule. Maybe even a little ahead of schedule. The boys at Jarrett Bay are used to building great, big boats, and this one is coming together pretty quickly.
To be honest, I'm still amazed at how just about everything on these boats is handmade and hand-designed. That's what is really cool about this boatbuilding process for me - the fact that craftsmen have had their hands on every part and every piece. They take great pride in their work there - and they should. I enjoy building things myself, so watching something like this come together is a big thrill for me.
I was really surprised at how big the boat looked as well. When my wife and I started looking for a boat, we were tending toward a 42 express-style boat. That slowly turned into a flybridge, and we decided to go with the 46-footer. Right now there's a 43 sitting next to my boat up at the yard, and I was really shocked at how much bigger the 46 is than the 43. It's much deeper than the 43, and that's what gives you the headroom that you need. It was just a really big surprise how much difference that extra three feet makes.
We are already working on the electronics now, and that stuff is pretty high price-wise! We're leaning toward Furuno. One thing I had to do was pull them back a little bit on the ultra trick stuff because it doesn't matter if the units can do a bunch of tricky stuff - if I can't make it do it, then it doesn't do me any good. I've never been a big audio/video guy, so they are trying to build a system for me based on the old "turn it on and it works" criteria.
They tell me the next step is building the salon and the cabins - I can't wait to see that. I'm sure it'll really start looking like a boat when that's all finished.
April 20, 2010
Dave Ferrell of Marlin Interviews Jeff Burton
DF:We know all about your NASCAR career. Where did you grow up, and did you do any fishing and boating as a child?
JB: I grew up in southern/central Virginia. I didn't do a lot of saltwater fishing, but we did a lot of pond fishing and fishing on the lakes. My middle brother is a big fisherman, and my dad used to take us striper fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. I grew up fishing a lot, but by far the most was done in fresh water. We had a 24-footer that we had on the lake, and we'd pull it up to the bay and go striper fishing. We always had a boat around and spent a lot of time on the lake.
DF:When you first decided to buy a boat for your family, what were you looking for? What's your idea of the perfect boat?
JB: I'm really a boat nut. I like to sit down and draw boats; I just think they are beautiful, and I love the places they can take you. I've become bored with being on a lake. As big as any lake is, you can always find the end of it. It's really easy to see all of it. We owned a motoryacht for about three years and got a real taste of the lifestyle, spending a lot of time in Florida and New England; we made a few intercoastal trips as well. I like to fish, and my son likes to fish. He's 9 and as a matter of fact, we got him on some nice dolphin this past weekend. He's keeping count of all his bonefish, and so far he's up to 14. He'll fish all day with me.
So while he and I like to fish, my daughter, who's 14, and my wife like to cruise. They like to visit new places and move around. And so do I. So my dilemma was, what can we find that can do both things well - and the boat needed to be something I could operate safely myself. That drove the size of the boat - the fact that I wanted to run it myself. So that was the first compromise. If a captain or somebody else were to run it, then I would have built a big one. But since I've done most of my boating on the lake, I wanted to ease into it a little bit. So that was really the first parameter; it had to be something we could operate ourselves. From there, it came down to the fishing and cruising aspect.
So I did a bit of looking around and saw a lot of nice fishing and cruising boats out there, but very few crossover boats. For cruising I like Downeast-style boats. They are all one level; there are no ladders; you're close the water - I really like that. But they don't work for fishing.
I wanted a boat that we could fish and cruise, but one that did both things really well. So this boat has a lower steering station and elevated, forward-facing seating in the salon. That way everyone can see out. To me, there's nothing more aggravating then cruising along in a side-facing seat and looking at a wall. So we tried to come up with a design that would be comfortable while under way, sitting at the dock and at anchorage. That's what drove the final design. The pods also helped make that happen by allowing more interior space as well. DF:Is there any feature on this boat that you're especially looking forward to seeing?
JB: When Caterpillar told me they could hook up the pods, it was a no-brainer for me. With the CAT engines, you get the great reputation, the performance and the ease of maintenance. But it was really the ease of operation, docking, etc. that sold me on the pods. They give me a comfort level to operate boats that I didn't have before. I drive a car at 200 miles an hour on the weekends, but approaching the dock can still be a bit intimidating. When the wind is howling and the current's ripping, it seems like everybody is watching. There's never anybody around when there's no wind and no current - ever!
I got on the CAT demo boat, a 44-foot Sea Ray, and when they told me to go ahead and dock it, it looked like I'd been a captain my whole life. I was like, "Look at me, Mom - no hands!" I'm a big believer.
Another big thing for me was the noise factor. That might sound silly, but I'm around a huge amount of noise every day - and I don't like it. But with the way the exhaust system works on the pods and the smaller engines that you can use, everything is quieter.
And like I said before, the salon and lower helm are very exciting to me. There's nothing fun about being up on the flybridge in January in North Carolina. I didn't want to have to be up top driving the boat with the rest of my group down below. I wanted to be with my family. And that was the whole idea behind the lower steering and the big windshields. I personally believe you'll start seeing these lower stations with more windows coming back. You can definitely put a lot more hours on a boat that you can operate comfortably in any weather.
DF:How did you come across Jarrett Bay?
JB: A long time ago I was introduced to Randy Ramsey through a mutual friend. I did a little business with the company, watched how they did things for a while and saw them grow. I paid close attention to what they said they were going to do and what they did do, and their ability always spoke for itself.
DF:Do you have any tentative plans for when she's all done? Got a name in mind?
JB: We have a home on the ocean in South Carolina just south of Charleston, so it will certainly spend some time there and some time in the Bahamas. We really like to spend the spring and summer down there. Were just going to play it by ear.
I don't have time for tournaments; that's something I'll probably do when I retire from driving. There's just no way I can do that right now. I love to compete, but fishing for me is relaxing. The minute I turned fishing into a competition, I'd become possessed. I don't want to be possessed about it. If it's rough and I don't want to fish, I don't want to have to go.
I'm working on a concept for the boat's name, but the actual name hasn't come to me yet. I've got a good idea but just haven't found the right words that capture it. I'm sure it will come to me.
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So while he and I like to fish, my daughter, who's 14, and my wife like to cruise. They like to visit new places and move around. And so do I. So my dilemma was, what can we find that can do both things well - and the boat needed to be something I could operate safely myself. That drove the size of the boat - the fact that I wanted to run it myself. So that was the first compromise. If a captain or somebody else were to run it, then I would have built a big one. But since I've done most of my boating on the lake, I wanted to ease into it a little bit. So that was really the first parameter; it had to be something we could operate ourselves. From there, it came down to the fishing and cruising aspect. 
