If I felt any better about this boat, I’d be triplets,” remarks Jarrett Bay president Randy Ramsey, his words flavored and seasoned with that most appealing and special North Carolinian cadence. “You see, this is the fourth boat we built for the Huddle family, and well, when you have established that kind of relationship, it’s not just about the job.” Indeed, Builder’s Choice, one of the latest to splash at the company’s sprawling 175-acre facility right off the Intracoastal Waterway, in Beaufort, North Carolina, is more than another beautiful custom build from Ramsey and his veteran crew of designers, fabricators, technicians, workers, support staff and all the others who have helped put Jarrett Bay in the rarified air of this particular sector of the industry. With this boat, given the Huddles’ involvement as the company’s exclusive contractor in the early days of Jarrett Bay’s growth, the project was all very personal. “This was about family,” says Ramsey. “And we set out to deliver a beautiful and functional boat.”Courtesy Jarrett Bay
Engine Room
As expected, and for any hands-on owner or skipper, the engine room aboard Builder’s Choice is as functional as it is spacious. With a pair of big Cat C32As, at 1,925 hp each, sharing the space with a duo of 29.5 kw Cat gensets, I found getting to all critical maintenance areas, as well as all pumps, switches, hoses, systems and just about anything else that needs tending to, easy. There’s enough working space in which to swing any tool without getting a knuckle busted or an elbow bruised. Also of note was finding the pump room aft. This alleviates any noise, whether it is harmonic vibration or the actual sound of the various pumps and systems cycling off and on, and enables the owner and guests not to be disturbed when settling in for the evening. And as with the engine-room space, with many of these systems under cover and in cabinets, I found everything had easy access for checking and for any necessary maintenance work or cleanup.Courtesy Jarrett Bay
Performance
Driving Builder’s Choice across the waters off Palm Beach, Florida, is like taking the wheel of a finely tuned sports car. This boat is power personified, and due to the balance between those high-horsepower twin Cat diesels and the spectacular fine entry, with its sharp attack angle that transitions to abundant planing surfaces, she easily jumped out of the hole, spooled up to 2,000 rpm and reached a cruise speed of 35.6 knots. When hooked up, we flirted with 41 knots. I found Builder’s Choice to bank easily into turns at speed, track straight and true, back down with all the expected nimbleness she was designed for, and be compliant and responsive to the most finite of helm commands during close-quarters docking maneuvers at Sailfish Marina. How do you balance the art of custom boatbuilding with power and performance and the right amount of Carolina flare? As with Builder’s Choice, you get Jarrett Bay to put it all together for you. It will be very personal. Just ask Randy Ramsey.Courtesy Jarrett Bay
