Late 1999 -- After deciding that I would entertain the possibility of replacing the World Cat, I decided to focus on the following major goals for a potential new (and improved!) boat:
I also concluded that I didn't really desire a "trailerable" boat. I found that trailering the World Cat took most of the "fun" out trailer expeditions.
I focused on 30-35 foot center consoles which could cruise comfortably and reasonably economically at AT LEAST 35 MPH. I realize that many days will be limited to cruising in the mid 20s/low 30s (or less), but occasionally things flatten out and it's fun to be able to cruise at 40 MPH.
The initial list of 'candidate' boats that I came up with included:
For someone who can accept conventional 2-stroke outboards, the Venture 34 might be an awesome (but expensive) boat. One negative aspect of the Venture is the transom design; it would be a very long (impossible) reach to get a fish around the transom storage, long euro transom and engines. Since I occasionally fish by myself, there are times when I must get a fish past/under the transom and the long stretch of the Venture transom would require me to climb out on the swim platform (which I have done numerous times on my other boats, but I would prefer not to have to do this when by myself). One of the other 'interesting' things I discovered about the Venture 34 is that even though Venture says the base boat lists for $70K, their local dealer (Henley Marine) starts at around $120K for the very base boat rigged with Yamaha 250s. It seems like the dealer is charging an exorbitant amount for rigging engines. The cost for my desired rigging options quickly takes the price into the $150-160K range (with outboards!).
The Cobra powercats are extremely well constructed, and have incredible performance. But I don't think they would be very practical for the style of fishing I prefer. Of course if I wanted a boat to get me to Walkers Cay ASAP, the Cobra 36 with triple 250s would be "Da Bomb".
The Orca 31 looks incredible on paper, but in person (IMHO) it looks quite goofy. And they want almost 300 LARGE $ for the 31 with all the required options. Yikes! "I ain't payin $300 THOUSAND DOLLARS for no goofy lookin boat." And I've never seen an Orca in the real world; I've only seen them at boat shows.
The Rainbow Runner 30 looks to be a great boat, but they didn't have any power options that I found satisfactory. The solid glass hull layup results in a heavy boat and combined with the stepped hull, sharp entry, and fairly deep V at the transom (22 degrees) should result in a very nice ride. Unfortunately with diesel engines, they only offer a single engine as a power option. I've decided that twin diesels are an absolute must-have.
One significant issue I had against the OceanMaster 31 was that OceanMaster basically builds a hull, and it is left up to their dealer to 'finish' the boat. When I say 'finish', I'm talking very basic stuff. The dealer OceanMaster wanted me to work with knew nothing about the boat and it seemed that it would be a coordination nightmare (like a fulltime job for me to act as the general contractor). At the Fort Lauderdale boat show I talked with Caribee Marine. They seemed to really know what they were talking about regarding OceanMasters, but they indicated that there would be significant technical difficulties with the engine configuration (twin jackshafted Yanmar 250/300s) I had discussed with Mark Hauptner (OceanMaster's owner/head designer).
Amongst the 'strikes' against the Strike 29 and Salt Shaker 30 was that they only come in a center console/cuddy layout, and I wanted a true open center console. The forward cuddy cabin takes up too much valuable cockpit/deck space. The Strike 29 has extremely small fishbox space and little useable space in the cockpit.
The first major cut in the list occurred when I made the decision that I would not accept non-DFI outboards. The economy and non-smoking nature of DFI outboards would make it too painful to go back to conventional 2-stroke outboards. That decision trimmed the list considerably because almost all of the big center consoles require at least twin 250s to comfortably maintain the 35-36 MPH cruise when carrying my normal 'fishing' load _and_ a full tower.
10/26/2000 UPDATE: the availability of 250 DFI and large (225 HP) 4-stroke outboards might mean that the 'next' boat could be outboard powered.
Eventually I decided that only the twin diesel powered boats met my basic requirements, so it came down to just two boats:
The main issue I had against the SeaVee 34 was that with the twin engines under the console along with the jackshafting hardware under the cockpit, the storage capacity was not enough for all the "stuff" I had in mind. However the SeaVee 34 should turn out to be a great boat in its "class" (especially the outboard version). Anyone considering at a Contender 27/31 (or similar boat) should definitely look at the SeaVee 34.
The twin diesel configuration was the only power configuration that provides the performance and fuel economy I desire. Obviously there is a very large upfront cost with the twin diesel configuration, but I will write the initial $ check for the boat and then quickly 'forget' about that while I enjoy the much lower daily operating expense.
Here's an excel spreadsheet with my analysis of all the different boat options I considered: Final Comparison (Right click on the link and select 'Save Target As' to download and view).
I decided to purchase the Mirage 32 rigged with twin Volvo diesel engines with duoprop outdrives. I signed the purchase contract on November 14, 1999. I realize that the Mirage 32 will not have as "soft" a ride into a head sea as the World Cat 266, but hopefully all of its additional virtues will result in a more enjoyable boat. The significant positive aspects of the Mirage I see are:
One of the riskier decisions I made was choosing a dark navy blue gelcoat for the hull color. I've always thought that dark blue hulls can look quite stunning, and I decided that this was the right hull to go for it. Mirage Manufacturing located a new "high-tec" gelcoat (Ferro 'Topaz Blue') which will hopefully work out well. The contract was signed in mid November, with construction to start NLT December 1, and delivery for March '00. It sounded like the "long pole" would be the tower. Mirage uses "Marine Specialties" in Oldsmar, FL to do their tower work and they are apparently very very busy.
The biggest negative aspect about the Mirage is that with the twin diesel configuration, the cockpit is not very deep (compared to what I'm used to). Everyone says that I will quickly get used to that. I sure hope I do.
I have already decided on (and purchased) most of the electronics for the new boat.
Here's a Mirage 34sf2 "TipnBack" in a slip at New Port Marina. There are not many Mirages around, so when I find one, I tend to take pictures. I am aware of 2 Mirages at Port Canaveral (Dream Catcher, Tipn Back). Mine will be hull number 40. That's 40 boats over 10 years of production to give an idea of Mirage's production rate.
Mirage started working on the hull layup for my boat on Dec 13, 1999. The hull layup takes a relatively long time because building a cored hull is not a simple process when done correctly.
The basic boat is composed of three main pieces (hull, inner liner, and ring cap). All three pieces are cored. The inner liner is glued/bonded into the hull and it is also glassed in the whole way around at the top and bottom of the liner. The ring cap is also bonded to the hull structure (shoebox style), fully glassed to the hull, screwed on 3" centers, and thru-bolted on 12" centers. That should make for a pretty stout boat.
The basic layup of the hull is as follows:
6 inches down either side of the center of the keel is not cored and is layed up with additional layers of 2408 biaxial. There is only one thru-hull fixture underwater (for the livewell pickup) and it goes through solid glass. The transom where the outdrives are mounted is also solid glass (almost 2" thick).
For those of you who are interested what "high density foam core" actually looks like, here are two samples of the Klegecell used in the Mirage. The first two photos are of the high density type used in the hull's running surfaces. It is very tough stuff. I had to pound on it with a hammer in order to put a dent in it.
Here's a sample of the foam core which is used in the hull sides, deck, and console. It's lighter but not as strong as the previous foam core type.
Following are photos from my trip to the Mirage plant on 01/21
Here's a Mirage 34sf2 having some minor work done at the Mirage plant in Gainesville. I "dorked up" the real photo with Paint Shop Pro to simulate what my dark blue hull might look like (hopefully).
Here are photos of my boat under construction. My boat will be hull number 40. Mirage has been building their sportfishing boat for about 10 years. That means they average around 4 boats per year.
Here's the ring cap on the mold.
Here are photos of the inner liner on the mold.
The hull layed up in the mold. The workers are glassing in the wooden forms for the bunks and shower/head area. The stringers and fuel tank have already been glassed in. The diesel version of the Mirage uses a fiberglass fuel tank.
One of the most truly boring photos, ever. Here's the 8' x 9' fiberglass hardtop (cored of course) --- ready for the tower to be built around it!
Next week they should install the inner liner and ring cap, and then they will "pop" the hull from the mold (spent 5 weeks in the mold already). The Mirage crew is almost as curious as I am about how the dark blue gelcoat is going to turn out.
Jan 28 --- Here are pictures from my visit to the Mirage plant.
My hull is still in the mold while they continue to work on it.
The inner liner is being installed....
Here are photos of a Mirage 34 which was being prepped for the Miami Boat Show. The most interesting feature of this boat is that the tower has the same basic configuration as my boat will have (with the addition of a sunshade up top).
And here's the transom mounted transducer box.
Jan 31 --- I made a trip up to the Mirage plant to drop off some of the autopilot parts (rudder feedback, hydraulic pump). Since it had been only about 1 work day since my previous visit, not a lot of progress had been made.
Here's a shot from under the deck inside the engine bay. The fuel tank is visible. The specified three 8D batteries will be installed on the shelf above the fuel tank.
Here's the transom. You can see that they split the rear corners of the inner liner before bonding it to the hull. They do this because they have one inner liner mold, and the various engine options (outboard, single inboard, twin inboards) all end up with a different cockpit depth.
In these photos, I highlighted the inner liner "posts". These posts contribute to the strength of the ring cap "gunwale" structure. You can also see the "bonding adhesive" used to bond the inner liner to the hull. In addition to the bonding adhesive, they glass the top and bottom of the inner liner to the hull the whole way around. The inner line posts are also used to mount washdown spigots and cleats.
Another shot of the hull mold. They turned the lights on, so you can actually see it. Hopefully this means they can also see what they're doing. ;-)
They say that my hull might be popped out of the mold by the end of this week (2/4/00).
The crane arrived at the Mirage plant on Feb 8 and the hull was 'popped' from the mold. There was a loud Hosannah! which could be heard from Orlando to Gainesville. A full 2 months in the mold! Some boat builders proudly boast that their hulls spend 4-5 whole days in the mold. My Mirage spent over 60 days in the mold!
Feb 11 --- I went up to Gainesville for a very brief visit and I took a bunch of really poor pictures. There were three major obstacles to getting decent pictures:
The good news is that the hull has the potential of looking incredibly gorgeous. However it was caked in a thick coat of dust (apparently the hull generates a considerable static charge during the long time it spends in the mold, and once it comes out, it attracts dust like a magnet). Once the dust is brushed away, the hull appears to be very dark blue, and it has an absolutely mirror like finish. Hopefully the Mirage mold was perfect, because this gelcoat is going to highlight any imperfections. The Mirage guys said that when they popped the hull outside on a sunny day, the hull appeared to be a very nice dark royal/navy blue.
Feb 28 --- I made a trip up to the Mirage plant to check on progress. The most significant work completed was that the ring cap had been installed, and the engine room was almost ready for the engines to be installed. They say that the boat will be ready for delivery sometime between March 21 and April 1.
I finally got the wide-angle lens for my Coolpix 800 and it works very well. Notice the mirror like quality of the gelcoat in the photo of the transom (even with the dust coating).
A couple of weeks ago I was talking with one of the managers (George) at my marina, and I was trying to establish exactly where the new boat (Mirage) would be kept when it was delivered. I assumed the Mirage was destined to end up either in the barn ($$$) or out in the yard. Either location would have height limitations which would require some significant rigging/unrigging of sunshade/antennas, etc. After noting the size (overall length, beam, and height), George asked if I would be interested in keeping the Mirage on a lift in a slip. Yes! It really didn't occur to me that the marina would suggest this option because they've never had a lift/slip system before. Apparently they've gotten several requests lately for this type of storage and they are interested in supporting the lift/slip option. So I get to be the 'guinea pig'. One result of this decision is that I will be able to keep everything rigged (tower, antennas, outriggers), so I deleted the Rupp Radial outriggers from the tower (just in time) and I will install 'real' outriggers instead (22-23' single spreader tower release). I will be paying more for the lift/slip option for two years to help amortize the cost of the lift to the marina, but the advantages of being in a slip are too compelling to pass up.
March 17 --- I went up to Gainesville to check progress. Both engines are installed. The fuel system has been completed. The lower instrument/control panel is almost ready. The tower pieces/parts have arrived. All the cushions are done (cockpit, cabin). The upper control station rigging is almost done. The swim platform is on. They were working on installing the helm station/livewell. Once the helm station is installed, the tower can be installed.
Note the transducer box in the 2nd photo, the white non-skid on the swim platform in the 3rd photo, and the rubber inserts on the tower ladder steps in the 6th photo.
I'm not holding my breath that the boat will be ready for delivery before mid April. Hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised, but I want the boat finished "right" rather than rushed, so I try to never pressure the Mirage guys about the delivery date.
At this point it appears that the "lift in a slip" at New Port Marina is not going to work out for a variety of reasons, and the outside yard storage at New Port Marina requires transporting the boat through the warehouse which imposes a height restriction (would require considerable rigging/unrigging because now the boat will have 24' tower release outriggers). Therefore I have decided to reserve a dry storage--in/out spot at Cape Marina. There is no height restriction for the yard storage at Cape Marina.
March 27 --- I visited the Mirage plant to discuss the bow anchor roller/mount configuration. The helm station is basically installed and they have mounted the tower base frame.
I'm willing to bet that the boat is not going to be ready for a March delivery. ;-)
April 7 --- I visited the Mirage plant to check the progress. The boat had been moved to a different area so that they could begin the hull layup on the next Sportfisher (hull #41).
The major accomplishments were:
The first two photos show the rub rail. The rub rail is a two piece style (plastic with rubber insert).
This photo shows the port side forward rod holders. The bottoms of the rod holders DO NOT project into the cockpit. You can also see the cockpit cushions, coaming bolsters, and cabin bunk cushions in the background. The cabin bunk cushions are dark gray with light flecks (which should hide the dirt/grunge real well).
Here's a picture of the starboard side console ice box (and seat). The console ice boxes are insulated, about 2 feet wide and 14 inches deep. They will make a nice place to hold drinks and food type substances. I've also highlighted where the main helm control/instrument panel attaches to the console helm station.
Here's a photo of the console helm control/instrument panel. The two round gauges above the steering column are the Floscan gauges. Just left of the throttle binacle are the outdrive trim controls and trim level displays. The trim tab controls are directly below the steering column.
These photos show the hardtop and the upper control station in the folded back position. The engine bay hatch is propped open because the hydraulic lift for the hatch has not been installed yet.
April 15 --- I went up and the boat had been placed on a trailer and moved outside. Once the boat was moved outside, the hull turned out to be a darker shade of blue than I had been expecting. I am very happy with the hull color. :)
April 21 --- The sea-trial took place on Lake Sante Fe near Gainesville. The wind was blowing a good 20 knots at the lake, so the 2 foot chop kept all the little bass boat dudes off the lake (and out of our way). Running directly upwind, the boat did 46+ MPH, downwind it did 50+ MPH. The engines would turn 4000 RPM at WOT (a little high, but ok considering the light load on the boat). At 3200 RPM, we were moving along at 36-37 MPH. Volvo's official maximum cruising RPM 200 off WOT (around 3700 RPM). My own personal maximum cruising RPM will probably be 3500 and the boat ran 41-42 MPH at 3500 RPM. Once I load the boat I assume the performance figures will drop several MPH, but they look real good so far. The engines were reasonably quiet and there was no diesel smell noticeable.
There was only one issue/problem with the boat (The Floscan gauges were not working).
Delivery of the boat to Port Canaveral is expected on April 22.
April 25 --- After running the boat for several hours on Sunday, the boat was lifted into the yard at Cape Marina. The Floscan gauges still do not work properly, but other than that, I was real happy with the overall condition/performance of the boat.
Unfortunately, while washing the hull I noticed three gelcoat problems on the port side. The first is a 1" chip on the corner of a strake where there is obviously a 'void' behind the gelcoat. I have had problems like this on previous boats, and it is not a major issue (as long as this is not an ongoing occurence).
The second problem is an 2"x5" area on the outside chine near the transom where there is a very rough irregular dimple pattern.
Finally, on the port outside chine (about 10 feet in from the transom) is a 6"-8" long CRACK in the gelcoat with the underlying laminate visible. This one worries me (a lot!). I think the fork lift operator didn't pull the left fork lift arm in close enough when he lifted the boat out of the water causing too much stress on the outside of the chine.
Hopefully I can work with Mirage to resolve these issues without causing me too much heartburn.
April 27 --- Mirage has informed me that they will be sending their hull expert and gelcoat expert down to Port Canaveral to examine/repair gelcoat problems next week. Sounds good to me.
April 29 --- I removed the boot stripe because I thought it looked goofy. Here are pictures of the boat on its rack in the yard at Cape Marina. There has been an almost continuous line of people asking questions about the boat and wanting tours. I finished the installation of the VHF, GPS/Sonar, and Radar and all are operating correctly. I took the boat out for a spin offshore to verify that all the new electronics were working and that I had not broken anything while rigging the electronics. With a full load of fuel, the boat did 41-42 MPH at 3500 RPM (max cruising RPM) so the performance of the boat does not seem to be overly affected by the load.
In addition to installing the electronics, Bob and I rigged the outriggers, installed the clamp-on rodholders on the tower legs, and I mounted the 406MHZ EPIRB.
We're ready to go fishing!
May 3 --- Mark and Andy came down from the Mirage plant and fixed the gelcoat problems described above. Mark said the crack along the outside chine was a manufacturing/mold defect and not a fork-lift issue. They did a great job and I'm very satisfied with how Mirage resolved the problems. While Mark and Andy were working on the hull, I finished mounting the radar CRT display, mounted the Birdsall gaff holders, mounted 4 sets of rod holders in the cabin, repositioned the clamp-on rod holders, and installed the compass up in the upper control station.
Here are photos with the name added on the transom. "Looks Good!"
Mark and Andy working on the gelcoat....
And a larger (1024x768) profile shot....
Even more ready to go fishing now!
May 7 --- After the first official fishing trip, I noticed more cracking along the same strake on the port side. This spot is about 4" long and is obviously due to more voids behind the gelcoat. All the gelcoat issues have been on port side which leads me to question if the same person was in charge when the two sides of the hull were layed up. All the gelcoat problems have been on the port side.
July 3 --- I replaced the standard aluminum propsets (B6) with stainless propsets (C5). It may be my imagination, but the engines/boat seem to be slightly smoother with the new props. I was able to get almost 4000 RPM and a max cruising speed of 40 MPH at 3500 RPM with the new props. So I lost a little speed with the new props, but that's ok, 'cause it still flies!.
Sept 14 --- The Mirage guys came down in mid August and made additional repairs to the gelcoat on the 'problem' strake. After several trips offshore, it appears that the gelcoat issues have all been successfully resolved. Mirage has been very responsive and willing to go the extra mile to ensure my satisfaction.
Jan 26 2001 --- I have begun to work on the boat again after a long battle with several ugly medical conditions. Unfortunately both conditions don't want to go away, and I'm having to learn to live with them.
Sunshine Welding in Port Canaveral performed a minor redesign/rebuild of my tower so that it is much easier to get into/out of the upper control station. This is the design which I expected originally when the boat was delivered.
Several people have asked for pictures of the "below-deck" accommodations, so I finally got around to taking some. The first picture shows the head/shower area from the "center" of the cabin. There is 6' 5" of head room in the cabin/head area. I have rod holders mounted on the right side which hold 4 of my TLD 30 trolling rigs. After I remove the portable head device, I will mount 4 more rod holders on the left wall to store another 4 trolling rigs. That dark rectangle to the right of the door is the Alpine CD-changer.
This photo shows the forward V berth. The spinning rod laying down on the bunk is a 7' Star rod and shows the V-berth is more than 7 feet long.
From the front (bow) of the V-berth looking towards the stern. You can see the ladder which provides access down from the door in the front of the center console. I have mounted rod holders in the "ceiling" for 8 med/light rigs. You can also see the "quarter" berths which flank the head area. Each quarter berth is also about 7 feet long. I don't know that I ever plan to sleep aboard the boat, but this makes a great area for dry storage.
Another photo of the right quarter berth area.
Last week a different Mirage arrived in the cradle next to mine at Cape Marina. This one is 29 foot hull #4 and is somewhat unusual because it is the "express" configuration. This boat is powered by twin Volvo KADP-40 engines and was built around 1990 or 1991.
Sept 2004 --- Unfortunately, within a couple months of taking delivery of the Mirage I began experiencing significant health issues. After a few months I was unable to work and I was unable to use the boat to fish offshore. After one year of this situation I decided to sell the boat. Shortly after selling the boat I found a treatment protocol that allowed me to return to work. Argh.
About three years after selling the boat I am feeling much better and I am ready to again pursue offshore fishing. This wonderful recovery has led to the next 'final' boat. :)