If you’re not familiar with Offshore Sport Fishing boats – a style of craft to be found, most notably, in North America – you’re in for a helluva ride!
Let’s take a look at how they build at Mag Bay Yachts – whose 38 foot model recently won ‘Best of Show under 60 feet’ at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.
The boats, powered by gutsy outboard engines up to 600HP, are capable of delivering speeds of over 75 mph. Built primarily for sport fishing, they’re equipped with bait wells, rod holders and power reel outlets – together with insulated below and above deck boxes for the beer and plenty of areas for sun-bathing if nothing’s biting.
The deck is protected by high topsides providing a sense of security and the on-board layout is uncluttered providing easy access around- and to the cockpit – essential for sport fishing, and a real bonus for guests who are a bit more comfortable on land than at sea.
The father and son team behind Mag Bay Mike and Barrett Howarth bring years of previous experience to their design and build having founded Cabo Yachts. To their extensive experience they add ‘customer feedback’ which informs transitional changes and continual enhancement on board each of the four models in their range: 33 /38 / 42 and the flagship 43.
Power options for the 43 Centre Cockpit are either triple Mercury Marine 600HP V12 or quad 400 RV10 Race motors which allow the hull to glide effortlessly over the water in spite of its ten ton displacement.
Equally impressive below decks is an awesome LiFePO4-based electric power system designed by ABYC Certified Marine Electrician and Victron specialist Jim Dixon of Dixon Marine, Inc. San Diego, California, together with Kurt Bergstrom – Team Leader, NA Field Application Engineering for Garmin.
On board power supply has to take care of the sensitive electrics used for navigation; high amperage deck handling gear; and constant-load domestic conveniences such as air conditioning. Careful attention to system design is needed, if it’s going to be worry-free.
Add to that Mag Bay’s desire to eliminate the need for an on-board generator for battery charging and AC supply – but to provide battery charging instead from the high output alternators built into the engines, and it becomes apparent why Jim Dixon’s Victron Energy experience was called in.
- You can find comprehensive wiring schematics for high output alternator – ‘Genset less’ power installations – on the Victron Energy downloads page.
He and Kurt Bergstrom are both qualified sea captains – not only did they get on really well but they hit the ground running because they understand from experience what customers are going to need, and what they’ll one day appreciate they’ve got!
What both Jim and Kurt appreciate is that Victron Energy’s data protocols are open source – Garmin/EmpirBus controls can be deeply integrated with Victron, allowing fine-tuning to meet any bespoke requirements.
Included in that design group was Eric Graham, General Manager of Egis Mobile Electric. Working together they designed Mag Bay’s Victron Lithium Iron Phosphate/Inverter based power system and digital switching.
Two of Mag Bay’s production models have Victron systems onboard: the 43CC; and the newly released 38CC. Each boat can be optioned with a choice of engine packages. The 38 footer has either 2 or 3 engines and the 43 footer has either 3 or 4 engines. The number of engines dictates the number of start batteries which in turn dictates the number of house batteries in the spec. Lithium Battery Smart 12.8v/330 are installed at 8.44kWh or 12.66kWh total capacity and are managed by a Lynx Smart BMS 500. Both models employ the MultiPlus 12/3000/120-50 120VAC.
Whilst plugged into shore power the lithium engine starting batteries are charged with the Smart IP43 12/50-3 chargers – a five step charger which can provide power to three battery banks. Three-engined boats get a 3-output charger and quad engine boats get two of those units. The chargers are connected by VE.direct cables to a Cerbo GX communication centre device which provides data communication between installed devices (Victron and third-party). A VE.Can to Micro-C adapter cable interfaces into the boat’s Garmin MFDs (Multi Function Display) and EmpirBus’s digital switching system over NMEA 2000.
“For example, the stereo would be the first to shut down,” he says, “and as the voltage continues to drop then we lose the electric reels. Next would be the Garmin MFDs, then the EmpirBus digital switching modules and lastly the 24hour power (bilge pumps.) Of course we would not let the system degrade in voltage that low on purpose so I would guess that when the stereo shuts off somebody would take notice and start the engines to charge the batteries.”
Getting rid of the generator means the owner won’t have the fuel and maintenance costs of the genset – but also, the weight and space saved allows other equipment to be installed – like a Seakeeper Gyro.
Lynx Distributors on either side of a Lynx Smart BMS 500 provide a tidy DC busbar with monitored fuses to the connections.
Jim has developed a ‘package’ for Mag Bay: when they order a new power system they simply have to specify which model and how many engines it will have, and with that info he knows exactly what the package will include. The seventeenth 43 footer is currently in build.
Technical assistance remotely
At his shop Jim updates and pre-programs the Cerbo GX and connects a GX LTE cellular modem with a prepaid SIM card before shipping. He also plugs a 16GB Micro SD card into the Cerbo GX to expand the data storage so that no system-status information is lost even if the boat is out of cellular range for extended periods of time. He creates a VRM account for that hull number and provides Mag Bay with access. Jim says: “At some point the boat’s electrical system will be powered up for the first time and when it does the Cerbo GX will begin recording data and transmitting it to the VRM Portal via the GX LTE dongle. We are recording data at birth! I am notified the boat is online and I can begin programming the MultiPlus, the BMS, the IP43 chargers and do an overall check of the system. The boat is connected to shore power so I monitor charging and check in a few times over the course of a few days to make sure all is stable.”
The new owner climbs on board and doesn’t have to worry about anything, of course, – but if they do have a query or a request, Jim or trained staff at Mag Bay can intercede remotely. A nice touch is that the owner will also find the Mag Bay branding on his power screen, and on the Victron Remote Management (VRM) instance.
Almost all of the boats built currently have a Starlink installed – seemingly making the GX LTE redundant – but you never know when the Starlink will be activated; and Jim notes that having the boat online from day one of its installation through delivery to the customer is invaluable. “The connectivity through the VRM Portal has proven to be very helpful especially when the person onboard is not technical and needs help. The VRM Portal is such a fantastic tool.” he says.
It’s all in the detail
If Mag Bay can’t find an open market accessory of suitable quality, their in-house craftsmen fabricate it. Using top grade, marine quality, polished stainless steel, many of the fixtures and fixings found on a Mag Bay Yacht are unique to the company. All welding is ground and polished, all slot-screws are finished in line: made by hand is the order of the day for both the yacht and its power system.
Jim Dixon’s experience is also valued at Victron Energy training events which he attended in his capacity of Ambassador for the Victron brand. He’s a natural teacher with a really easy-going style which allows students to absorb the material by osmosis and at an easy pace.
Victron Energy has fifty years of product innovation and it all began with the marine trade. So we can see the direction of travel for the Mag Bay 43 CC when it comes to unparalleled quality of build!
