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After owning a string of custom sport-fishers—and thoroughly enjoying the process of building a custom boat—the husband-and-wife owners of Two Krickets were looking for a similar experience in a less-complicated, user-friendly outboard boat when they relocated to the Palm Beach, Florida, area. Based on a recommendation from a trusted broker, the pair headed to Bahama Boat Works and met with the principles there for a tour of the facility, located a short drive from West Palm Beach. After building their first boat in 2013, Two Krickets is their fourth from Bahama Boat Works. The most recent rendition is a 2022 41-footer with twin Mercury 600 hp engines, utilizing the latest in emerging technology.
Each Bahama hull form was computer-designed based on data collected from over 80 years of documented planing-hull research and application. According to the builder, there has been a tendency for boat designers to concentrate on hull shapes that emphasize speed. As a consequence, some of the very same features that reduce drag—such as hull steps—also tend to significantly reduce directional stability and efficiency in various sea conditions.
Watch: A belly-strip teaser is a great way to raise marlin and sailfish. Learn to rig one here.
Using the company’s meticulous techniques—after being gelcoated and skinned with vinylester resin and the hand-laid fiberglass is applied—each Bahama hull is vacuumed to its mold for the entire three-week period of its construction. This lengthy process ensures a hull with the highest fidelity to its original CAD/CAM model. All internal structures are completed and cured before the interior liner is applied, then the liner is also vacuumed into place. Only after both the hull and the liner are fully cured is the vacuum on the hull mold released and the completely integrated structure removed from its mold. The result is a hull that’s virtually bulletproof. All boxes, lids, and compartments are fully faired and finished; only top-of-the-line components are used throughout the build; and the wiring is immaculate. Bahama Boat Works currently produces three models: 35, 37 and 41 feet in length.
After their previous triple- and quad-engine 41s, the owners elected to go with twins for the new build. According to the builder, the Mercury V-12 600 hp engines offer exceptional maneuverability and quieter operation, plus speed and fuel-economy numbers that are on par with their previous boats. The transom is also cleaner with the twins, making it easier to fish around them on frequent trips to the edge off Palm Beach or over to the Bahamas. In the performance department, Two Krickets cruises fully loaded between 40 and 45 miles per hour; top end is 57 to 58 mph. Hull efficiency, seakeeping and comfort were design priorities.
At the helm, a multitude of Garmin displays offers a nearly endless combination of information, with a pair of 17-inch units in the console, and a second pair of 16-inch screens in the overhead box. This gives the captain flexibility to monitor full-size displays from the sounder, chart plotter, FLIR, 12 kW radar, satellite weather and other inputs. Fusion supplies the tunes via a full JL Audio speaker setup, most of which is cleverly hidden from plain view. Custom helm seating adds comfort for those long runs, and the aft-facing seats are set up perfectly to watch the baits. The tower features a 12-inch Garmin display along with a pair of Rupp Z-90 carbon-fiber outriggers.
Because Bahama Boat Works builds only 12 boats per year, they are able to spend time with each owner to consider exactly how they use their boats and where everything should go. Examples here include fully customized tackle storage throughout, and cup holders located alongside the rod holders, which are perfect for securing bottomfishing weights so that they don’t roll around on deck. A 12-volt Seakeeper 3 smooths out the roll, and Lumitec underwater lighting provides nighttime illumination while fishing or at the dock.
Simplicity is another key point in the boat’s design as well as the philosophy of the owners. Two Krickets has refrigerated chill plates in the fish boxes and the drink cooler, so there’s no need to haul ice to the boat each morning. The livewell can be converted to comfortable padded seating in a snap, and seating abounds forward as well. This is a boat that’s just as comfortable trolling for blue marlin in the islands as it is hosting friends at the local sandbar on a Sunday afternoon.
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It’s not uncommon to develop a relationship with a custom-boat builder where the owner becomes far more than just another client. They become a true friend, and that’s definitely the case with Two Krickets and Bahama Boat Works.
