North Rip Introduces Serious Sportfishing Boat

New 30-foot center console was designed with input from respected Rhode Island captain.

North Rip is a legendary fishing spot at the northern tip of the pork-chop-shaped island fishermen call “The Block.” It’s a place that epitomizes the conditions that Northeast fishermen encounter on any given day, where tidal currents collide and shoals rise from the depths to create standing waves and whitewater even when the wind isn’t cranking. Technically, it’s an “inshore” fishery, but anyone who’s ever made the 13-mile run from Rhode Island knows that the conditions often surpass the kind of “offshore” conditions that would keep southern anglers at the dock.

Northeast anglers don’t have the luxury of a year-round season and can’t afford to wait for perfect conditions to chase stripers or run offshore for a shot at a quickly dissipating Gulf Stream eddy. If the weather allows, they go. And that mentality of the Northeast anglers is, in a nutshell, the philosophy behind the revival of North Rip Boats.

The North Rip Story

The North Rip story began in 2010 with a small, but highly successful, run of 21-footers. The brand was well-received and the future looked bright, but the lingering recession produced cold feet and production was suspended when, in 2012, USWatercraft purchased the builder’s assets and revived the fledgling North Rip.

In 2015, the team at USWatercraft recognized that the time was right for the relaunch of North Rip. “We want to bring back the pure fishing boat to the New England market,” said Randy Borges, president of USWatercraft. “We’re seeing other manufacturers move toward ‘gentlemen’s’ fishing boats, with a lot of seating and luxury items that just get in the way when you’re fishing. We want our customers to get the maximum success out of every trip, and the North Rip is designed to do just that.”

USWatercraft has a long history of boatbuilding expertise. “We’ve been infusing hulls since 1995,” says Borges. “With our sail and power brands, we’ve probably infused more hulls than any other builder. Because of our background building high-tech sailboats, we’re able to bring a new level of build quality to the center console market. We know how to build a high-tech hull that will withstand the rigors of offshore adventure. We know that even the smallest detail is important.”

Building a Boat for Northeast Fishermen

Borges recognized that the center console category is competitive and, to stand out, North Rip couldn’t simply build another family-friendly fishing boat. Instead, they would appeal to a certain type of boater–the fishing-first Northeast angler. To make sure they got every detail right, Borges tapped Rhode Island fishing icon Captain Jack Sprengel to consult on the layout and rigging of the North Rip 30 and to run the boat and share his experiences. Capt. Jack does it all when it comes to fishing in the Northeast, from inshore bottom fishing to offshore canyon trolling and everything in between, including live-baiting trophy stripers and throwing plugs and jigs at bluefin tuna.

“I’m not a boat builder, I do make a living by fishing from center consoles,” said Sprengel. “Between running my own boat, helping others run theirs, and traveling the globe to target big-game species, I have had the opportunity to fish on just about every brand of center on the market on just about any type of sea condition you can imagine. So, I am very comfortable in stating the New North Rip 30 is one of the highest performing, most fuel efficient, fast and stable platforms that I have ever experienced.”

Every hull design offers trade-offs, and it’s up to consumers to decide which performance requirements are most important. For example one vessel may run beautifully into a head sea or chop, but when you sit on anchor or drift, it will get tossed like a cork. Or a hull may have unbeatable top-end speed, but it will consume fuel at an alarming rate. But for Northeast anglers like Sprengel, who need a platform that excels at several different styles of fishing, dramatic trade-offs just won’t cut it.

“The North Rip hull isn’t perfect in one category and lousy in another,” said Sprengel. “It scores high across the board—on fuel economy, running into a head sea, riding in chop, top-end speed, ability to sit at anchor or drift side-to.”

That means Sprengel’s charter customers will be comfortable whether live-lining baits for striped bass, bottom-fishing for blackfish, or heading back into a stiff north wind after a tuna-filled trip to the offshore canyons.

And a canyon run won’t break the bank—Sprengel has found that with two Yamaha 250 outboards he can cruise at 45miles an hour fully loaded with ice, gear, and crew while burning around 1.4MPG. With the 300 gallon fuel tank, the North Rip 30 has incredible range.

A Fishing-First Deck Design

Sprengel is especially proud of the input he was able to provide on the North Rip 30’s layout and deck design, treating at it as an opportunity to address every single annoyance, complaint, or drawback he’s ever encountered on another boat.

His number-one complaint about most center consoles is the lack of places to store things. His new North Rip 30 has over 30 rod holders, a hard dry-storage electronics box, storage shelves built into the dash, and a tackle station/leaning post that is an organized angler’s dream!

The console has a massive stand-up head area that can also be used for storing lots of gear or larger objects like a deployable life raft. There’s also a massive insulated forward fishbox that has the option to segregate your ice or gear from your fish, and a lockable rod rack/harpoon storage system.

“The majority of center consoles on the market are produced in the south, and they have focused their layouts and performance features on the needs of those fishing and boating in their region. The needs of anglers in the Northeast differ from their counterparts in the southern U.S.,” explained Sprengel.

For example, Sprengel made the call to trade out two smaller bait wells, like those used in many southern fisheries, for a much larger 42 gallon oval stern-mounted one that can keep large baits like bunker, mackerel, and even bluefish alive.

The North Rip also has easy-to-deploy outriggers and large welded ears on both the port and starboard sides—to allow for use of a block-and-tackle lifting system for large game fish that can’t fit through the tuna door.

Another major annoyance Sprengel solved was the headache of cleaning up after a blood-and-guts filled fishing trip. Forward and stern quick-connect wash down stations mean there is no need for a long wash down hose, and everything on the deck channels sternward. There are no under-hatch mini-drains or any places that can clog with debris and leave behind puddles of filthy water to go rancid.

Captain Sprengel’s rig boasts additional bells and whistles including all-new Garmin chartplotters, 1000-watt through-hull and 600-watt stern-mounted transducers, an array of deck, T-top and underwater lighting, surround-sound audio, and a carbon-faced dash. If you’d like to see this North Rip 30 in person, USWatercraft will have her on display at the 2016 Providence Boat Show this year, and Captain Sprengel will be running guided sportfishing trips on her through his business East Coast Charters.

Contact Captain Sprengel with any questions or inquiries about charter trips at eastcoastchartersri@gmail.com. Contact Sales@northripboat.com with any questions or inquiries about the North Rip 30.

www.NorthRipBoat.com