OnBoard Magazine - Summer 2014

DETAILS, DETAILS The whole project began with a literal walk-through starting from the dock. Jones needed to be able to step aboard without the luxury of actually stepping, no matter the dock type, distance or height. Although marine davits are somewhat common equipment, none of them would work exactly theway either Jones or the Bluewater crew envisioned for the task. “We got held up a bit trying to use what already existed davit-wise and the manufacturer just didn’t get it. Fortunately the guys here at the Bluewater yard didn’t let that stop themand went ahead and reinvented the whole thing.” The crew cut the flying bridge rocket launcher and hinged it such that it could swing out to allow a bridge mounted davit to lift a person in harness via a lanyard operated control. The cockpit mezzanine was reworked to include a “garage” which doubles as storage when the scooter stays home. Elsewhere in the cockpit, Release Marine created a hinged arm to the fighting chair, a feature now showing up on other boats since it makes maneuvering a large rod and person combo onto the seat a smoother transition. The next level to address was the step up out of the cockpit itself. A hole cut into the deck masquerades as an innocent hatch cover but conceals a James Bond-like remote operated scissor lift, allowing cockpit deck to meet mezzanine. From there to the bridge, an ingenious hydraulic elevator was added to a completely retrofitted ladder (while also maintaining its ladder functionality) to smoothly lift from salon door up to bridge level. From there, it’s merely one step to a modified electric Stidd helm chair with electric height and lateral adjustments. Back below, unnoticeable to the untrained eye, the salon dinette was raised eight inches from floor level and then you face the companionway steps. Noticeable, but handily integrated, a floor level elevator follows the steps much like an escalator. The coup de gras is ensconced in the master bath, where the marine head now operates from a wall plate that lifts and lowers it along a 30 inch range to ease on and off access. NOT TOO HARD From top to bottom, Jones’ traditional sportfish convertible went from a multi-level obstacle course to an even playing field in only eight weeks. The target was to hit the Virginia Beach Billfish Tournament, a challenging prospect time- wise, but Cuttin’ Up made her debut at the Rudee Inlet event. When asked if he dreaded yard time, he admits, “It may have been slower than I’d like, but there were some real challenges there. The truth is that I was excited about the whole experience. Not everybody could pull this off, and it wouldn’t have happened without the inventiveness and sheer can-do attitude of the entire Bluewater staff.” Fabrication and engineering genius Brian Motter played a key role in figuring out some of the complexities of the systems and received high praise from both Jones and the rest of the team. Hampton Yard Manager Craig Messick points out, “Brian pretty much figured out all the hard parts faster and smarter. He was the one who kept the ball rolling whenever things started to look tricky.” Would Jones do it again? “Absolutely. This boat will last though, between the way it was built and how well we take care of it. We come back to Bluewater Yacht Yard pretty often for our routine maintenance. Since day one they’ve been very hands- on and we’ve had more one-on-one conversations than you’d expect from a busy yard.” Lastly, the question everyone is thinking... the name Cuttin’ Up , did that have anything to do with what was done to the boat? Jones laughed, “Nope, Nicholas, my son, came up with that. I told the kids and everybody else that all of this is going to be fun or we’re not doing it at all. That’s what we’re doing when we’re out there – cutting up and having a good time. It’s what we do.” ACROSS THE BOARD SERVICE Jones appreciated the ingenuity and quality of work performed on his Viking yacht so much, he also asked Bluewater Yacht Yard to customize his Cadillac Escalade. The team modified a passenger door into a latching gullwing configuration and installed an articulating chair lift to make the vehicle more accessible. Actuated step lift Release custom fighting chair The mezzanine was altered to provide storage for Jones’ chair Integrated elevator & bridge ladder Raised dinette for simplified access Cuttin’ Up , doing their thing 25 SUMMER 2014