The Ultimate Contender
Aug 9th, 2008
From the moment owners Buddy and Kathy Hughes had purchased their new Yamaha powered 31TFS Contender they wanted it to be something special. Being no stranger to fishing Buddy Hughes when not working as a painting contractor, can be found on the water. Having fished all his life Buddy even got to do some TV, fishing on the East Team in the East vs. West Shark Hunter Series.
The goal for this project was to take a solid center console fishing platform and “max it out”. To do this the Hughes contracted with Professional Sportfish Services in Brielle NJ. Working together it was decided that the boat would be rigged with all Northstar and Simrad electronics, along with a host of accessories.
This boat needed to be able to perform in all types of fishing situations. From live baiting bunkers for Striped Bass in Sandy Hook Bay to being able to perform the blistering runs to the furthest Northeast Canyons. The boat needed to be functional, good looking and safe.
Gearing Up
The heart of the electronics system is 2 12” Northstar 6100 head units. These units are interfaced and display both Radar and Sounder information along with Sirius weather and DVD video input.. The radar antenna for this application is a 4kW dome, this style offers light weight for T-Top installations also the HD images provide crystal clear target information. The sounder uses Northstars 491 “black box” unit coupled to an Airmar 1kW shoot through the hull transducer. Finishing the system off is a Sirius Satellite upgrade that shows weather and water temperatures. Simply move the cursor over the puddle of water you want to fish and hit “goto”. The course and bearing immediately show up on your screen and your off to the fishing grounds.
The next link in the system is the Autopilot. For this it was decided that Simrads new AP26 “virtual feedback” system be installed. The beauty of autopilots is truly realized when fishing with small crews. Simply press the “auto” button and you are free to set lines or lend a hand in the cockpit. When interfaced to the Northstar 6100 its simply a matter of finding where you want to fish setting a waypoint and hitting the “Nav” button. Then sit back and keep a lookout while the autopilot does the work.
The VHF’s are Northstar units and there are 2. This allows the operator to monitor Coast Guard channels and still listen to the fishing reports. This also gives the owner a redundant back up should something ever go wrong with one of the units.
Needing to be a completely flexible fishing machine Prime Coat is equipped with many other fishing necessities. Such as massive amounts of rod storage and enough gunnel rod holders to fish for everything from fluke to sailfish. With 3 Livewells, a custom Nautical Design tackle center and a full enclosure with fold out “wings” for shelter in rough weather this boat is ready to go places. Even if it means going at night. Lighting on this boat is as creative as the rest of rigging. Whether spending a night in the Hudson Canyon or tying up for dinner and a cocktail this “Ultimate Contender” is ready. The 12v flood lights on the T-Top provide good light for working the boat at night while the 3 - 2010 Ocean LED underwater lights let the fish no its time to eat. If its just a little dinner and a cocktail the blue accent lighting under the gunnels and radio box set this boat off from the rest.
Keeping it Clean
How many times have you looked at a new boat and thought “nice looking boat” only to come back and take a look at it after the riggers have left and wonder to yourself “what happened?”. There is a real trick to getting installations to look neat and clean. It’s a delicate balance between being able to see everything you need and use everything you have. Let’s use the stereo as an example. There is no need in today's world to have a stereo unit out in the elements. Most like the Jensen system used in this application come with or at least have available a small full function remote that takes up a quarter of the space the head unit would. This allows the installers to place the stereo head unit in a protected location (like the inside of the console) and still give the owner access to all the features available through the small remote. Another example of “keeping it clean” is knowing how to run wires. Contender provides a good base and everything in the console is very neatly done. But when you need to add lighting, stereos, VHF’s, GPS and autopilot systems, there is a lot of stuff that needs to be managed. The group at Professional Sportfish Services takes this business very seriously. I would challenge anyone to go on this boat to find something that doesn't’t look factory installed or better.
Everything takes time and effort, attention to detail is key. This boat came with a factory T-Top that had no available wire routing. So instead of taking the easy way out and leaving wires exposed to the elements the folks at PSF contracted Ocean Towers for custom wire routes so that all would be exposed wires were protected. There was also a custom combination antenna built to hold the gps sensor, sirius weather receiver and a 3 db vhf antenna. This type of creativity and ingenuity only comes from a business that truly cares about the final product.
Buddy and Kathy Hughes chose Professional Sportfish Services to rig their Contender because they knew they would get a high quality job done right the first time. This was a successful project the finished Prime Coat provides her owners with the ability to get to the fishing grounds safely in all types of conditions. To date Buddy and Kathy have placed in 2 tournaments and continue to fish this “Ultimate Contender” up and down the coast.
