How did Rough Point get its name? I found out when testing Jarrett Bay’s 32 Express, after leaving Beaufort inlet and encountering a mean three-foot chop stacked up close and tight. But Jarrett Bay’s new 32 Walkaround made it feel like it should be called Comfortable Point. Running into a head sea, beam sea, or following sea, the sharp entry sliced and diced waves while the broad Carolina flare pushed water away like a Mack truck with a snow plow.
But this boat looks nothing like a land vehicle – in true custom Carolina tradition it gets sexy curves from an outrageously flared bow, beveled gunwales, and a transom with gobs of tumblehome. The custom tradition comes through in construction and design, as well. There are multiple layers of tri-axial glass inside and out, for example, which will reduce stress cracking as the boat ages.
What does this design and construction add up to? A serious bluewater fishing machine. Running through a quartering sea, I set the throttles to where it would be comfortable to make the two-hour run to canyon depths and blue water. Then I looked down at the GPS and saw a startling 37-mph—make that a one-hour run. Standing at the helm I could see clearly around the boat even when pushing onto plane, a time when many other express models limit your visibility from the wheel. Plus, the openness of this fishing platform made me feel intimate with the ocean; it’s easy to connect with the fishing experience on the 32 Jarrett Bay, be it steering at the helm or wiring from the large, uncluttered cockpit.
The side decks are surprisingly spacious, which cuts down on cabin space but makes for 360-degree fishability when chasing a tuna around the anchor line, baiting sails off the kite, or drifting live baits for kings. The wide flare makes it difficult to lean against the gunwales at a two foot long area of the bow, though. Still, fishability rules: this all-glass boat is Jarrett Bay’s smallest current offering, and is the only model the company builds that’s able run around in a mere two feet, five inches of water. You feel like chasing redfish in the bay, instead of making the long run offshore? No problem.
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| It may be the smallest Jarrett Bay in production, but it's got big capabilities. |
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