Bluefix Boatwork NorthCape custom craft

“There are plenty of big sportfishers that can go backwards fast, but few marques have the manoeuvrability of a Bluefix Boatwork’s NorthCape custom craft.”

This is the mantra of the team at Bluefix Boatworks, a boatbuilding company based in Opua, Bay of Islands and headed by Brad and Charlotte Rowe.

Some of the top captains and anglers agree, and once they have seen the boats in action, they are hooked – apologies for the bad pun, but this is exactly how it happens. Word of mouth is their best sales tool. The top echelon of international light tackle anglers and specialist captains are a tight bunch, so word quickly spread around the world’s angling hotspots of the ‘new boat in town.’

Charlotte, the company’s managing director, says word has certainly got around, with 236,000 social media hits a week.

“We have 50 million dollars of work on our books,” Charlotte says. She crunches the numbers while Brad concentrates on delivering to their client’s boats they can be proud of.

“Brad has a passion for boats and is focused on building the best. He is painfully unwavering when it comes to getting things done right.”

Light tackle anglers want a vessel that is nimble, sea-friendly, and quick, and these characteristics of the NorthCape range are shared across the whole range, which comprises 34-, 40-, 43-, 47-, 51-, and 58-foot hull configurations.

The Rowe family are no strangers to sportfishing record books and so appreciate exactly what is required in a top-performing thoroughbred of the sportfishing boat world. The bloodlines are clearly there to see.

Bluefix Boatwork NorthCape custom craft, Rowe’de’O. // Supplied

Brad’s first vessel, Bluefix, quickly became a household name amongst Bay of Islands fishing families and the angling fraternity. It was a custom-designed 24ft trailerable boat, built while Brad was completing his apprenticeship and launched on his 21st birthday.

Stepping up in size, the NorthCape range was born with the Rowes moving to larger Opua premises and bigger boats (the very first NorthCape 34, now in Costa Rica with Gary Carter, a light tackle legend, came out of their Kerikeri shed prior to the move), and included a NorthCape 40 to Melbourne, Australia, and a NorthCape 51 to a very keen fishing family in Opua.

‘The difference is we can go backwards at 10-11 knots and turn in our own length.’

Their demonstrator, a NorthCape Custom 43 Rowe’de’O, is a perfect example of ‘horses for courses’.

“The US market is all about going fast. Some of those big sportfishers cruise at 32-34 knots; we top out wide open throttles at 30 knots. The difference is we can go backwards at 10-11 knots and turn in our own length.

“We currently have orders through to the end of 2028. We have a carbon fibre NorthCape Custom 43 in build for a mothership operation; a NorthCape 51 off to Cape Verde as a replacement for the Dogs Bollocks, a carbon fibre NorthCape 49 replacement for Bryan Toney’s current Hawaii-based vessel Snafu, and a NorthCape 58 off to Cairns, Australia,” says Charlotte.

Bluefix Boatworks is currently concentrating on new builds only. Until recently its bread and butter was a mixture of refits and repowers, new build sportfishing boats, and commercial fishing craft. More recently it has been new sportfishing builds only.

Rowe’de’O makes an impressive 11 knots in reverse and can turn within her own length. // Supplied

The Rowes place a big emphasis on strong leadership and a range of skill bases so that much of the work can be completed in house.

“We have our 40 staff, including contractors, boatbuilders, eight apprentices, and one finisher, split into three teams.

We believe in bringing as many young people through the apprenticeship system as possible. Our three team leaders are all under 30, are specialists in different fields, and all did their apprenticeships with us,” the Rowes explain.

Bluefix Boatworks’ lineup of boat builders includes two females, something the Rowes are proud of and actively encourage.

One thing that makes working at Bluefix Boatworks desirable is the innovative technology used there – epoxy foam core and full resin infusion across all components and flat panels, ensuring exceptional strength and stability.

L-R: Charlie Rowe with fishing buddies Tane and Torrence Reid with one of the biggest northern bluefin tuna to be caught in the Bay of Islands. Brad Rowe (right) with Charlie Rowe, Torrance and Tane Reid and Torrance’s impressive 211kg northern bluefin tuna, caught aboard Rowe’de’O. // Supplied

“Full epoxy composite is the most stable boatbuilding material available,” Brad says.

Then there is the attention to detail with each hull, as the name suggests, customised to the owners’ needs and specifications. Each hull and superstructure is hand laid.

“We have a NorthCape Custom 43 built out of carbon fibre. It has lugs and a lighter construction that will allow it to be lifted on and off a mothership.”

Asked if there was another boat builder Brad drew inspiration from, he named G & S Boats for their boats’ exceptional performance and sea-keeping attributes:

“These boats have proven themselves worldwide.”

Rowe’de’O is a perfect example of customisation to suit the owner’s needs. It fits many great features into its 43ft hull length, with very few compromises made due to her size.

The family enjoys spending time away on live-aboard trips, fishing 15 kg and lighter line classes.

The family enjoys spending time away on live-aboard trips, fishing 15kg and lighter line classes. What better way to test your product than a multi-day trip? Making this all possible is plenty of storage space, especially refrigerated storage, and 3100 litres of diesel (she burns 80 litres a side when cruising at 23 knots). An under-deck fish hold is automatically fed ice, and a Seakeeper 6 gyro takes the worst out of a sloppy sea or overnight anchorage. The seawater needed for six different onboard functions is delivered via a bespoke manifold which requires a single strainer and skin fitting.

Included in the galley is an induction hob and a dishwasher, along with air-conditioning, while those enjoying the comfort of the saloon can stay in touch with the cockpit action via a sliding door and a drop-down window. There is plenty of sleeping accommodation, including a double berth forward and a second cabin with two bunks. The finish is what you would expect from the most lavish of superyacht interiors, featuring leather and American oak throughout.

The right combination of speed and agility to chase down a big fish is something most sportfishing boat manufacturers strive to achieve, but Bluefix Boatworks does it with a combination of several technologies working together.

Access to both sides of the twin Cummins engines is good. // Supplied

First is the ‘wake adapted’ drive train – five-bladed 29-inch props, which convert the power generated by twin Cummins QSC8.3 600hp diesels via twin disc 2.01:1 gearboxes and 2.5-inch survey-compliant shafts. Secondly, bespoke foils add lift to the hull, and thirdly, a radically curved transom pushes water down and along the tumblehome sides to help keep the cockpit dry.

Any water splashing into the cockpit is quickly disposed of, sucked out via the scuppers when charging in reverse. On the fishing front, a Black Marlin tower is a great asset, especially when tease-and-switching billfish. The flying bridge features a full array of electronics, delivered via three recessed Garmin 841 12 XSV MFDs, which are replicated in the tower and can be accessed via a remote in the cockpit. There are two customised navigator and helmsman chairs on the bridge, with a refurbished Murray 130lb game chair taking pride of place in the cockpit.

Much of the Rowes’ fishing efforts are with stand-up gear, in which case the chair is swapped out for a custom-built freestanding rocket launcher.

Livebaiting is one of several weapons in the Rowe’de’O armoury, so there’s a glass-fronted livebait tank centrally located in the transom, incorporating two generous tuna tubes.

For the crew, maintaining the vessel’s functionality is aided by a generous-sized, uncluttered engine bay that many bigger boats would be proud to call their own. There is easy access to both sides of the motors.

While the Rowe family are justifiably proud of what they are producing, they aim to create a legacy that will outlast themselves and also their children. They are partway there, with offspring Charlie and Lindi both featuring prominently in the Bay of Islands Gamefishing Club and New Zealand Sport Fishing Council record books.

And as for boatbuilding, well, tucked away in the corner of the workshop is an older, stripped-down fibreglass Haines Hunter V198 that is about to morph into a functional sportfishing trailer boat, thanks to Charlie’s fledgling boatbuilding efforts.

“Charlie shares Brad’s passion. Going through school, every book and exam paper had a sportfishing boat drawn on it. His dream job is to become a naval architect, but you can be sure Brad will make sure he approaches it the right way!”