Sculley 60 Sportfisherman
Many offshore anglers and captains believe that you can’t beat the cold-molded, wood-with-fiberglass-sheathing construction method when building a new boat. The new Sculley 60 Sportfisherman does nothing to dispel that belief. Light, strong, fast and beautiful, she impressed me a great deal on a choppy day during the latest Miami Boat Show.
I always start in the engine room, and the Sculley’s actually sparkles. This boat provides a perfect example of how spacious, pleasant and functional today’s machinery spaces can be. A mirrored laminate on the overhead gleams like polished stainless steel, but with a fraction of the weight, and all bulkheads and decks are flawlessly painted. Any drips, leaks, or other telltale signs of impending trouble should be quickly spotted.
All maintenance chores, including the changing of fluids and filter replacements, are easily accessed. Dropping the mirrored laminate exposes precut removable panels in the overhead in case any major engine work is needed. Sculley also mounted a complete set of analog gauges and stop and start buttons on each of the big Detroit 12 V 2000s. These features should come on all boat engines, but usually do not.
With an almost 40-knot top end, we dashed out of Government Cut at an over-35-knot cruise and never pounded or even smacked a chine. She is one of the driest boats I have been on in a longtime. Even at 17 knots, when I deliberately quartered into the chop raised by a 15- to 18-knot southeaster, I could not make her throw spray onto the bridge.
Extremely agile and maneuverable, the Sculley performs better than many smaller boats. She turned quickly up-sea and upwind with one engine in gear. She spun remarkably well with one engine ahead and the other astern with rudders centered. But she really spun hard when I turned the wheel to get the rudders into play with the prop wash. On a downwind run at over 30 knots, she tracked straight and true with no autopilot and my hands off the wheel.
Fine-tuned by fishermen, the Sculley’s cockpit is flawless in its layout, and I was pleased to see that her outriggers were among the few that are properly mounted so that the halyards do not need to be adjusted when the ‘riggers are raised or lowered. I really could not find a fault in her rigging or fish ability. (The chair was not installed yet, but I would bet money I would be pleased with the final setup.)
Custom boats usually come with personalized interiors, and this one was first-class all the way. I compliment Polatty and the Sculleys on the quality of the interior finish, especially the cabinetry and joinery.
This is not a boat that can be completely appreciated at the dock in a marina or even in a sea trial on a calm day. After my sea trial, I know I would love to spend more time at the helm of this boat – fishing hard on a hot bite.
Specifications
LOA 60′
BEAM 17’6″
DRAFT 5′
DISPLACEMENT 75,000 wet
POWER MTU12V 2000 1,480 each
FUEL 1,500 gallons WATER 200 gallons
BASE PRICE $1,858,000
Sculley Boatbuilders
252-473-6855
www.sculleyboatbuilders.com
