New Boat Report: Duffie 64 Convertible
The Duffie 64 is the first sportfish out of the barn from Maryland-based Duffie Boatworks.
Company owner Jon Duffie is one of the top marlin captains in the world. A few years ago, he set a record at the Ocean City White Marlin Tournament with 57 releases in a day. This past summer, his team weighed a 1,135-pound blue marlin during the Mid-Atlantic Billfish Tournament, setting a tournament milestone and a Maryland state record, while taking home a $1.6 million purse.
Duffie grew up on fishing boats. His entire family fishes competitively, often as a team, and through decades of experience he has developed his own perceptions about what makes a great marlin boat.
Hull No. 1, Billfisher, is a cold-molded beauty with a classic Carolina profile. She has a tall bow and traditional broken sheer, and a teak appointed cockpit lets you know she is all business when the lines go in the water.
Jon Duffie is one of the most successful tournament captains fishing today and the 64-foot Billfisher was designed specifically for hardcore marlin fishing.
Billfisher measures 64 feet, 6 inches overall; has an 18-foot, 2-inch beam; and displaces 93,000 pounds. She’s powered by twin 1,925-hp Caterpillar C-32 diesels for a top end of 43 knots and a 36-knot cruise.
The cockpit is wide open, with a fighting chair and a transom fishbox that’s plumbed as a live well. Raised mezzanine seating overlooks the action, and there are three refrigerated boxes in the mezzanine step for drinks and rigged baits. This boat is designed and built to troll for billfish in big-money tournament settings where you need every advantage possible.
The saloon is rimmed with seating and includes a 48-inch flat-screen television built into a hinged cabinet. The interior showcases Duffie’s craftsmanship, with teak veneers, solid teak millwork and teak-and-wenge soles. The galley includes three 30-inch SubZero refrigerator/freezer drawers under granite countertops.
Below, the boat offers a three-stateroom layout with a tackle room at the base of the steps from the saloon. The tackle room has racks for trolling outfits; stowage for lures, dredges, teasers and rigging gear; and a chest freezer for baits.
The flybridge has a centerline helm area with a Palm Beach-style steering pod and a single helm seat. There’s additional seating around the perimeter of the bridge, as well as a large stowage compartment.
An enclosed dash houses Garmin electronics, as does a flip-down overhead compartment. A second overhead compartment contains a pair of Miya Epoch Super US-9 electric teaser reels and a 12-inch Garmin MFD that provides sonar and plotter views for the skipper when facing aft watching the spread, working the teasers or backing down on a fish.
Wondering if Billfisher raises fish? Two weeks after she launched, that 1,135-pound blue marlin rose to the spread, smashed a bait and came through the transom door, ringing the cash register.
Check out the 64 and a 70-footer under construction at duffieboatworks.com.
