We hope you enjoy this step by step video update providing valuable insight into each stage of our newest NorthCoast Flagship 415HT’s development. A brief overview in pictures and video.
RUGGED | VERSATILE | PERFORMANCE
ANNOUNCING THE NORTHCOAST 415HT - SPORTFISHING PILOTHOUSE For Immediate Release* April 26, 2023 Contact: Gregg Weatherby| NorthCoast Boats Bristol, RI — April 26, 2023
Proud New England lines, smart design, and always purposeful. We are very excited to announce our new Flagship NorthCoast 415HT. Hull number one will launch Spring 2024 and will be the largest NorthCoast to date measuring 41’ with a 12’11” beam. Total length is 46’1” if you include the bracket and engines. Want to be first to fishing grounds or get home quickly when the weather turns? Quad Yamaha 300XSB Outboards Helm Master EX with joystick providing full-maneuverability.
NorthCoast Boats has an exceptional heritage of ruggedly built, seaworthy, down east sportfishing yachts and has selected Thomas Degremont and Sam Howell of Langan Design Partners in Newport, Rhode Island to work with Jose DaPonte and the NorthCoast Team on this very smart new model. Langan Design Partners is a firm that specializes in designing internationally renowned yachts.
“With an exceptional line up of performance fishing models in our stables our goal is to satisfy the most experienced mariners who choose to own a real boat with a timeless practical design- clean and simple. This is the first model where we have partnered with an outside design firm and we are confident the new NorthCoast 415HT will exceed expectations on every level.”- Jose DaPonte, Owner of NorthCoast Boats brand and C&C Fiberglass Components, Inc.
The performance and feel of our hulls are the exception in the marketplace. NorthCoast underscores design/performance parameters with safe and sea-kindly proportions, “wolf in sheep’s clothing “speed, and hydrodynamic efficiency. The NorthCoast 415HT’s unmistakable down east lines are sleek and purposeful with style- looks fast sitting still.
"The hull sports a deep V with 25 degrees dead rise at the transom, while keeping a subtle round-off at the keel, which gives the hull a little more lift aft and allows for a smoother transition to planing. The hull's volume is optimized to handle the multiple outboards...and top speed with quad three hundreds will be more than 50 MPH." —Thomas Degremont/Sam Howell, 415HT Designer Comments
You can easily board through the portside cockpit door, or transom door, into a 102 Sq. Ft cockpit. Experience a true fishing machine or if you prefer, we offer an optional Cruising cockpit layout. An aft facing seat for two with a convenient cupholder in the armrest and built-in 27GAL cooler below, leans against the aft full bulkhead with bi-folding windows and locking door. Yes, this is a departure from the smaller NorthCoast pilothouse models which are canvas. Check out the starboard side tackle, gear, rigging/prep station as you unlock the pilothouse door and enter a very open layout, with Settee with wood table to port. A full Galley to starboard has drawer style Refrigerator, Freezer, Microwave, and Sink. The stainless-steel Edson Wheel, two Raymarine AXIOM 2XL 19” mulit-function displays, and Release Double Helm Seat clearly defines the NorthCoast 415HT’s sporting Helm.
We are very excited to announce NorthCoast has selected Raymarine as our exclusive electronics partner. Since 1923 Raymarine Engineering delivers the very best in visual navigation products. With more than an 80-year legacy of marine technology, leading the way in easy-to-use, durable, and reliable boating electronics. Always innovating, delivering high-performance sensors and intelligent navigation packages to make your time on the water stress-free and fun. Every Raymarine product is backed by an industry-leading warranty and worldwide service network. Raymarine’s YachtSense digital switching represents next level, innovative design for the entire boat and a state-of-the-art electronics package. All supported by this advanced electronic modular backbone to assist mariners in a myriad of ways to ensure their time aboard is most enjoyable. YachtSense supports a complete electronics suite, innovative, with easy-to-use tools to navigate safely- day or night. Yacht quality accommodations effortlessly crossover to family cruising adventures.
Raymarine’s complete electronics package is standard: • Cyclone 110 watt 4’ Open Array Radar · Teledyne FLIR M364C Premium Multispectral Marine Camera · CAM300 Marine Camera · AR200 Stabilization Augmented Reality · RVM T/H 20Degree Transducer · Real Vision MAX 3D sonar · Down vision · Side vision · AIS
Descend the open companionway wooden stairs and you are embraced by comfort, plenty of light from the skylight above, warm Mahogany veered bulkheads and comfortable seating area to port. The Head door is to starboard and Master stateroom straight ahead. The wood trim, floors, doors, and drawers set the tone for a spacious Master whose entrance is hidden behind a Mahogany sliding door. Once inside, a walk-around large Queen berth with hinged 7 ½” custom spring mattress provides comfort and cover for hidden rod storage below. Reading lights and USB charging ports are on either side and there is a large hanging locker to port. Overhead is a 2’ x 2’ opening hatch with screen. A total of four opening portals with screens for additional light and fresh air. In total the 415HT will sleep six adults in comfort including the portside single crew berth, and aft three-quarter beam double, (both with 6 ½” hinged mattresses), and the convertible settee up in the pilothouse. The Head is complete with vanity, vessel sink, faucet, and glass door into a fully partitioned shower with teak grate and a seat.
The New NorthCoast 415HT will cross wave tops effortlessly due to the responsiveness of this proven hull design. Her complete list of standard features will increase your enjoyment while fishing or cruising any coast- anywhere. NorthCoast is in Bristol, Rhode Island and is known as a premier New England boat builder who places performance and simplicity in high esteem. With an emphasis on building rugged boats built to last generations our versatile approach to inshore or offshore sportfishing or cruising adventures makes owning a NorthCoast an easy choice to make.
Please contact your nearest authorized NorthCoast Dealer for pricing and availability.
Additional standard features for sportfishing and cruising: YachtSense digital switching, Seakeeper, Bow Thruster, 9kw Diesel Generator, (2) AC units-18k btu below and 10k btu above, 619GAL fuel tank, 100GAL of fresh water, and 36GAL holding tank. Port and Starboard in-deck macerated fish/storage boxes hold 75GAL each. Twin Transom 29GAL illuminated Live Wells, plenty of Rod and cup holders.
Notable options: Cruising Cockpit Seating and Table, six rod rocket launcher/battle station, Rupp Outriggers, and EVA Decking.
For more information contact: Gregg Weatherby, Director of Sales, and Marketing
75 Ballou Blvd Bristol, RI 02809 T: 888.802.2132 | M:401.683.8730 | E: gweatherby@northcoastboats.com
NorthCoast Boats is a division of C&C Marine and C&C Fiberglass, Inc. C&C Marine is a premier boat builder producing high quality fishing and recreational boats.
Striped Bass, Bluefish, False Albacore, and Bonito migrate throughout the fall displaying an aggressive “all you can eat” baitfish buffet feeding style. Shoving, barging, heave and repeat as the main course flees for their lives. Fat and satiated to a point of gagging each predator is preparing for a very long and dangerous journey South.
Unlike last weeks’s eighty one degree anomaly, once the temperatures really drop mystical sea smoke appears. At first light the smoke is parted by a nearby school of False Albacore zipping across the surface leaving surreal curly tailed jet streams in their wake. The day warms and the fish keep feeding. If the fish are not on top just look for a bait ball- and you are likely to find fish nearby.
The bait ball shrinks. It always shrinks. Flocks of birds seated on the adjacent shoreline had their fill and indicate food is not far. Looking into the depths also confirms whether a feed has recently occurred as millions of remnant scales fall and sparkle as clearly as the Milky Way during winter’s midnight sky.
The arrival of the seasonal Seal population and Gannets diving like kamikaze jet fighters offshore is entertainment while searching for the next blitz. Seals make catching Striped Bass look simple as they play with their food. Tossing, catching, surely grinning at the funny guy waving a fly rod on the bow of the boat, as if to say with his mouthful “just grab it like this!” And yes, Seals steal fish right off your line, somehow leaving you to land the optimistic look of the still stunned Striper as they want to believe they still have a tail.
Warm thoughts arrive as whiffs of smokey wood stoves linger off the beach calling the ever weary guide home. Hot cider, fresh baked bread, smoked fish, and plenty of dark evenings lie ahead- perfect opportunities to recall the season’s highlights and gear up for some southern adventures.
While waiting for lit up Bonito to break the surface near Price’s Neck there is usually a Striped Bass to be picked out of the wash. Wash is synonymous with white water and the occasional bout of sea sickness. Although unsettling, and sometimes sketchy, a second Angler fly fishing from the back of the boat has a tendency to dramatically increase the number of hook ups.
This really matters when the Angler on the bow is having difficulty reaching the target. It’s usually the ever so gracious sand-bagger in the back of the boat, that gave his or her friend the bow, that can casually cast the entire fly line in their sleep.
As casting chaos is embraced by everyone onboard double and chaotic triple hook ups keep everyone in the game and alert. But each angling situation is different and safety is the priority- especially in the white water off the Newport Mansions.
Determining when and where to fish is why Guides get paid the big bucks. Years of experience, focus, and vigilant boat handling are all very useful. With every wave the engine is intuitively shifted in and out of gear while methodical turns of the wheel are made to strategically position the boat. The boat is well trained and in this case appropriately named Bad Monster Dog. Although after years of suspect maintenance I’m actually not sure who trained who.
Note: Monster Dog, for short, is a combination of, Fess Parker’s trusted “Old Yeller” particularly during the rabid scene, and Humphrey Bogart’s Amazon Queen- less the bullet holes but with certainty more Hammer adjustments required.
The key is to stay close enough to the rocks for the Angler to place the fly accurately without getting into trouble. A southwest prevailing breeze on our left shoulders is perfect for the right-handed angler and safe fly fishing. Best case is one Angler at a time. No one ever liked being beaned in the back of the head by a high speed, heavily weighted, Clouser Minnow anyway.
The Guide rationale for fishing such a challenging spot is as follows. Striped Bass must experience “propeller on the brain” especially on Mondays, from the influx of weekend warriors raging around the bay in search of the big one. Like a good hangover cure of course the fish would go to the nearest turbulent rocky wash. Think of it as a fish Jacuzzi. Each in turn eating whatever baitfish, or fly, would wash down the waterfall allowing for full happy bellies and the calming, peaceful effects of nature’s original “white noise” machine. Unfettered Zen style feed zone.
After the waves wash over the rocks there is a resulting series of receding waterfalls. Each fall holds the potential for a very aggressive hit. The key is to land the fly at the right time and patiently let it drop. In a rough sea state the situation is too tricky for a second angler. Casting fly line from the rear of the boat is technically poaching and would typically be agreed upon by all parties in advance.
Fishing with a spinning rod from the back of the boat is fine as there are no issues with line control. No need for any approval- just a symphony of fly line and spinning reel monofilament ducking over and under one another with predictably frequent tangles. Fly line by its nature has a tendency to find trouble without any help at all.
Although I can appreciate a competitively eager spirit. The conditions were rough so I asked calmly for one angler to cast at time as a very confident fly caster responded with, “I’ve got this”. A moment later the very same Angler, with a dramatically less confident voice, yelled a rhythmic “Whoa, …whoa, ….WHOA!”
One look at the next inbound wave and I told him that he had three seconds to free the pulsing fly line from the now “out of gear” propeller.
Thanks to many manufacturer’s lifetime rod warranties the sound of a rod exploding under the pressure of a fish is much less painful leaving all onboard confident it was worthwhile. The sound of a rod being completely destroyed as the boat is put in reverse, even while saving all those aboard from swimming home, no, walking at best, cannot sit well with anyone. As could be expected there was very explicit language, best left to the imagination, and clearly caused by the mere shock and awe of the event.
The best tour guide distraction from recent gear developments was definitely Doris Duke’s twin Camels. Pointing out that the huge sand colored humps on the lawn were in fact Camels always raised an eyebrow. No one ever believed it. Not immediately anyway. But as they rose up tall and majestically strolled the grounds in slow motion there was a renewed sense of hope.
Hope that rod warranties had been sent in and that the tip at the end of the trip would not be too negatively impacted by what we will call gear failure that occurred in the shadows of the Mansions.
Welcome to Newport, Rhode Island’s hundreds of miles of navigable, fishable, spectacularly beautiful, coastline. An Angler’s paradise.
The water off Newport’s visibility for sight casting is excellent. Clean and fresh- with new baitfish and their crazed predators arriving on each tide. A large variety of salt water species enhance our world class angling experiences- all season long.
Today, Striped Bass is our main target in the white water, boulder fields, flats, and estuaries. Each month the bait changes the hunt and the Striper’s behavior. Up the bay very large Bass frequent the depths in search of large bait.
Menhaden have arrived and there are some very cool situations where a shallow area is adjacent to a nearby drop off. Casting cross tide and depth contour produces some shocking strikes! Stripers have already filled in on the Sakonnet River’s Boulder fields. Once the hook is set the battle truly begins as you try and turn them away from the rocky structure.
Note: Early season inshore begins in mid-April as Stripers feed on a variety of baits, from Menhaden, Herring, Mackerel, Squid, Cinder Worm and even Crab hatches.
Bluefish are long considered North Atlantic Piranha as they eat aggressively and rarely give up without an epic battle. Pound for pound one of the most ferocious feeders in New England. No lipping unless the Boga Grip is involved. Slicks are beginning to appear and all the credit should not go to the Bass. You can bet the Blues are filling in. Nine weight fly line with wire and a top water popper- what a fight!
Bonito on the grill with Garlic and Dill, for those who wish to enjoy a tasty treat. But don’t count your chickens before they’ve laid an egg. You have to find them, entice them, and then get them to the boat. These very fast speedsters are a blast to match your wits with as they are typically very sensitive to your ability to match the bait du jour. Best caught along the beaches or rocky outcropping with an exceptional occasional bait ball feast. Note: They tend to arrive when the QE2 shows up. (Cruise ships in June)
False Albacore, or “Albies”, are spectacular in many ways including size, (poundage in the high single digits to teens), speed (rpms like a dentist drill but less painful), and beautiful colors. A mirror finish with markings of three dots, zigs and zags, cobalt blue and emerald green all highlighted by an oil slick like Palladium silver mirror sheen. This species foreshadows the most epic fight of all.
Those are some of the most sought after species while there are plenty of others offshore and around New England which people are exciting to chase. Would love to hear our NorthCoast family favorites!
Courtesy of Jose DaPonte, Owner NorthCoast Boats | C&C Fiberglass Components
We go catch the Striped Bass, however you like to. (Filet accordingly)
Put in the pan with water- Boil for @15 minutes
Take it out and put it in cold water for a little bit, so it keeps the fish together, so it doesn’t fall apart
Then you break it into little chunks
You boil some Potatoes
Cut the Potatoes in squares or round, whatever you like
Then you put a little bit of: Crushed Pepper
- Onions
- Parsley
- Little bit of salt- however you like it
- Just a tiny bit of vinegar and vegetable oil
- Then you put it in the refrigerator, if you like it cold, or if you like it warm and that’s it.
"The longer you let it sit the better it is!” – Jose DaPonte
FLY OF THE MONTH
Joe O’Clair, of Flycatcher Flies, a NorthCoast Boats Ambassador and well respected fly tier who fishes his new NorthCoast 19CC out of the Bass River on Cape Cod.
SNOW WHITE
When the Striped Bass arrive in the Cape Cod waters, they are small , hungry and tired from their long trip. The fly should be small, and tasty looking with good visibility.
1. Start with a long shank #2 hook.
2. On the bend of the hook tie in 2 small hackles on each side of the hook facing in. Over the hackles tie in 4 pieces of flashbou.
3. Tie in your belly hair, flip the fly over and tie in your top wing. Add a 3/4″ eye and cement head.
This fly can be tied with many color combinations, and is easy to cast…. have fun …… joe
Flycatcher Flies, “Saltwater Flies made by a fisherman for fishermen”, are as stunning to look at as they are effective. Striped Bass, Bluefish, Albies and Bonito are the typical quarry that fall for his baitfish imitations. One of my favorites is Joe’s Grass Shrimp (see previous post) where he blends a subtle tan fiber throughout the pattern, hidden on the hook by pearlescent flash and wiggly legs. This weighted fly’s action is hard to pass up as a regular go to.
For more information or to reach Flycatcher Flies contact Joe at joseph.oclair@yahoo.com 508-398-0512
Fish Rules
Regulations made easy.
Fish Rules App simplifies saltwater, fishing regulations into an easy to understand format. With a glance, know if a fish is in season, how many you can keep, how big they have to be, and more. https://fishrulesapp.com/
Let us know what you think!