By Paul Lebowitz

After Years of False Starts, Smooth Seas Ahead for Latest Purpose-Built Sportfisher

They say good things come to those who wait. If the length of the delay is any indication of the reward, the passengers of the all-new sportfisher Intrepid are in for more than your average boat ride.

"We have all the latest stuff," said Danny Nichols, who was brought in by owner Ken Price to gut and rebuild the boat's systems shortly after she was delivered from the yard.

"We expected final finish work to go quickly, but discovered the builder did not follow the design drawings and workmanship was poor," Price wrote in a press release outlining the boat's trouble-fraught construction.

Nichols, who spent a decade on Qualifier 105 before building Excel, set to work to put things right as befits one of the few purpose-built sportfishers ever launched. This boat was built from the keel up to be a long-range fishing machine.

Ready to Catch Fish - After a five-year saga full of construction woes, the beautiful long-range sportfisher Intrepid is finally nearing completion. Under the capable hand of experienced designer Danny Nichols, the boat looks to fulfill her promise as an ultimate fish-catching machine.

"You won't find any sack hooks on the bait tank," Nichols joked.

Intrepid sports the fine lines of a private mega-yacht. Don't be deceived. This is a fish-catcher powered by twin 750 horsepower marine engines supplied with 20,000 gals. of fuel, enough for a 10,000-nautical-mile range. Cruising speed should be around 14 knots.

"It should be a very comfortable fishing boat," said Nichols, who pointed out the low-to-the-water main deck.

A glittering array of modern navigational and fish-hunting instruments is installed in the wheelhouse.

"We have more than $100,000 in electronics," Nichols said of the integrated suite of black boxes.

The cutting-edge modernity extends to the fish holds, which were designed from the get-go. The crew has the option of refrigerated seawater or spray brine refrigeration to keep up to 25 tons of fish in optimum condition.

Unlike many other boats of the current long-range fleet, which were packed with up to 80 or 90 bunks at one time to accommodate 1-day tuna trips, Intrepid was built to carry no more than 26 passengers in a series of comfortable two-bunk staterooms. Nichols said each room offers a sink and mirror, individually controlled air conditioning, satellite flat-screen TVs and a porthole.

The galley sounds as if it belongs in a gourmet restaurant, not a sportfishing boat, with its sparkling stainless steel walk-in refrigerator/freezer, multiple ovens, a char-broiler grill, and in what may be a first, a commercial dishwasher.

"The day boats had a griddle and a little oven," Nichols said. "It's not short order cooking anymore."

On the contrary, a chef will whip up hors d'oeuvres and three gourmet spreads a day including fresh baked breads and desserts.

There are stabilizers too, for a more comfortable ride to the fishing grounds. The salon is described as "warm and elegant" with room for all passengers to dine or relax while watching live sports or movies on three plasma televisions.

All this and she catches fish too? Who'd ever want to leave?

"We're to the point of asking what else you can do on a long-range boat," Nichols said. "We've gone as far as you can go."

After a long and winding five-year road, the 111-ft. vessel finally tasted salt water on Jan. 14, 2007.

"We were shooting to hit the water running," Nichols said.

By all accounts, the boat was off to an auspicious start, a true reversal of her earlier misfortune, as Nichols reported the generator was running only 90 seconds later.

"We motored away and had her parked by 10 p.m.," said Nichols, who added the boat rides as smooth as glass.

After her long construction, everyone connected with the boat deserves some smooth sailing. According to Price, Intrepid's owner, the delay was caused by a series of problems with the builder.

"When I started the Intrepid five years ago, there was no way I could have predicted the pain, risk and financial exposure and time required to build my dreamboat,"Price said. "This could be the last long-range sportfishing vessel built for a long time. I know I'll never build another."

Intrepid will make her debut voyage on June 30 with a 5-day trip. For more information, visit www.fishintrepid.com or call (877) 686-7827.