New Boat: Jarrett Bay 56
From its belowdecks “Battle Station” and helium tanks to its abovedecks livewells, completely customized rods and fish fighting gear, this custom Jarrett Bay 56 is an angling boat like no other.
“So this is the battle station,” says Capt. Brian Tambone. “Pretty much everything has its own perfect location and is safe in rough seas, and everything is neatly organized and labeled.”
Tambone is standing in the cabin of a remarkable Jarrett Bay 56, giving a tour of one of the coolest tackle centers you’ll ever see. He’s the skipper of Renegade, a boat that’s taken center stage in his work life for the last year and a half. Tambone’s an experienced captain and angler who has worked the waters from Florida through the Caribbean and Central America. He was brought on about halfway through Renegade’s build when the owner decided to employ a full-time captain with deep technical knowledge who could ensure the boat was spec’d out for pretty much any angling situation—even those requiring helium.
“You know, South Florida, in the wintertime, is big on sailfishing with kites,” Tambone says. “That’s really one of my specialties. I like to have helium tanks in case the wind isn’t strong enough for the kites—put a helium balloon on the back to suspend the kite in the air. So, we have a tank mounted in the engine room and a whole plumbing system with a hose that comes out in the cockpit. You can fill the tanks right in the cockpit rather than having helium tanks just rolling around.”
Blindingly polished, the walnut “battle station” is a specialized starboard storage nook just off Renegade’s galley. It was designed by Tambone and brought to life by Jarrett Bay craftsmen and Karl Allen of Riptide Boatworks. It holds, pretty much, every rod and reel assortment—both manual and motorized—you could wish for. Each of the 30 rods was hand-built on commission by Carl’s Bait & Tackle in Ft. Lauderdale and carries an inlaid Renegade logo. Adjacent is an equally custom-built cabinet filled with an exquisitely organized collection of weights, leaders, lines and hand-spools. A litany of hand-made fish summoners by Andy Moyes Custom Lures are lined up for everything from bottom feeders to tarpon and billfish. Everything is locked with positive latches and everything is labeled for quick access. It’s just a thing of beauty.
On top of Tambone’s additions, the 56 was expertly conceived by Jarrett Bay’s designers and the owner. The belowdecks area is a two-suite layout—with a forward master, starboard twin bunk staterooms port head and a fully outfitted, Sub-Zero equipped port galley. Everything is swathed in walnut. During the design process, much of the boat—from the galley and head to the staterooms to helm—was mocked up in sculptable foam. This allowed experimentation with the layout and configurations and exacting heights for beds, countertops and even the toilet.
Taking in Renegade from the dock, you would assume the owner commissioned a convertible with a traditional flybridge, but he wanted more than that. Stepping onto the teak decking into the salon, you discover Renegade bears a full, climate controlled lower helm. At both the flybridge and lower helm, the owner specified three 22-inch-Garmin displays with a full supporting electronics package from Atlantic Marine Electronics to handle the myriad of switching functions. Rather than being set forward, the salon helm sits back far enough to allow for a comfortable, forward U-shaped dinette whose table can be lowered to create an additional sleeping spot. Not surprisingly, that dinette also hides 8-foot rod storage lockers. It sits across from a full wet bar, under-counter Sub-Zero refrigeration and a 50-inch flatscreen that rises from beneath the countertop.
Rearward of the helm, Renegade is again, all about fishing. Beneath the mezzanine seating area lies a 35-gallon bait freezer. There’s another tackle cabinet with a Kenyon grill to sear your catch. Depending on your quarry, the Release Marine fighting chair in the center of the cockpit can easily be switched out for a Release rocket launcher. She’s got a 50-gallon ice dump and a 120-gallon in-deck fish box hitched up to an automatic ice machine. The transom holds a 100-gallon live baitwell with a glass front, along with hidden tuna tubes under the covering boards. The one-piece windshield and side windows are simply massive, with excellent sightlines.
Lifting the cockpit stairs reveals a spotless engine room with ample headroom, exceptional attention to detail and easy access to wiring looms, filters, twin 1600-hp MTU M96 engines, an oversized Seakeeper 18, a Northern Lights 25kw generator and FCI watermaker.
Tambone fires the MTU’s and motors Renegade out through the Lauderdale Jetties. The winds are mild, but the seas bear a confused, 2- to 4-foot mix of long period northerly groundswell and a shorter southerly windswell. Mashing the throttles, the boat planes in a matter of seconds and slices through the lumpy ocean at 30-plus-knots with little drama—even with the Seakeeper off. “I’ve driven a lot of boats in the 50-to-60-foot range,” Tambone says. “This one seems to be the most seaworthy in rough conditions. The “Carolina Flair” (Jarrett Bay’s signature bow curve), the sharp point of entry. When running, the bow is up a little higher than a Viking or a Hatteras, but when it does have to hit a wave, with the sharp point of entry—you think you’re gonna take one in the face—and it just blows the water out that way.”
The 56 was built with a pocketed hull with prop tunnels to improve her skinny water draft to 4 feet 6 inches—impressive for a 70,000-plus pound boat. Efficiency-wise, Renegade’s burn rate at a light to medium cruise is around 90 to 95 gph. Maxed out near her 40-knot top end, she burns around 120.
A few miles offshore, Tambone stops and puts Renegade into the sort of hard reverse he’ll see when the boat’s backing down on a billfish. Despite the diesel ruckus and the swell, very little water comes over the transom. “It’s very nimble,” he says with a grin before kicking the throttles hard over in opposite directions. “She’ll spin on a dime.”
Renegade rotates with dizzying speed, as if on an axis. Tambone chuckles: “You can get after some shit with this boat.”
Jarrett Bay 56 Specifications:
LOA: 55’6″
Beam: 17’6″
Draft: 4’6″
Displ.: 75,000 lb. (loaded)
Fuel: 1,200 gal.
Water: 250 gal.
Cruise speed: 34 knots
Top speed: 40 knots
Power: 2/1,600-hp MTU 10V-2000 M96
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This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/sportfishing/jarrett-bay-56-boat-review
