updated, and that can take a considerable amount of mechanical modifications in that area of the hull bottom. Of course, every modern engine also relies on new technology and updated electronics—the wiring, control modules, and auxiliary systems are all replaced and likely have different footprints and wire chases to plan out. From the engine room to control stations and down to multifunction displays used to interact with the engines, all the equipment is new and their connections need to be reconfigured and perhaps rerouted. The repower of hull 48 was carried out at Safe Harbor Jarrett Bay in Beaufort, North Carolina throughout 2021 and even showcased in a three-part series of their award-winning YouTube video series, the Jarrett Bay Insider. Despite supply and shipping delays affecting the original completion goal, the new Iron Leader debuted in the Fall to rave reviews and over 135,000 YouTube views! “We are really looking forward to this upcoming fishing season and using her through the winter too, just accruing more hours and making this product just as good as it can be,” says Smith. PROOF POSITIVE “Working on this project withJarrettBay,Caterpillar and Gregory Poole, the partnership between all three organizations has really been great,” says Jamie MacDonald of Gregory Poole Marine. “When we inherited the boat with the previous competitor’s engines, we did an exhaustive sea trial, testing and a lot of data collection. We took noise levels, smoke levels, performance for acceleration, overall top end speed, and had a baseline set for the existing boat and then did a similar process with the C32B. And with that we have some very good comparison data.” By all accounts, the performance testing and extensive sea trials confirmed everyone’s expectations for the C32B to make the boat both faster and quieter. “What we noticed once the boat was repowered with the C32Bs was three things really: One, a significant increase in the top end speed. Two, drastic reduction in the smoke levels and namely around acceleration. And three, she became a much quieter boat,” Smith summarizes. He also details the added benefits of packing this power into a smaller package, “Dropping down from a V16 to a shorter V12, we’ve unlocked not only a lot of weight savings but also a considerable amount of space savings, so that allowed us to install two gyroscopic stabilizers ahead of the C32Bs. So now not only do we have great power, it’s quiet, but we’ve got a very stable boat, a great fishing platform. So, for the fishermen that will be in this cockpit, it’s a far more pleasant experience.” And that’s exactly what it’s all about for our partners at Jarrett Bay and Gregory Poole Marine Power— and something you can’t easily quantify in numbers—creating a great fishing platform and continually providing better experiences for our customers. Look for Iron Leader on the 2022 East Coast Tournament Circuit this Summer.
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