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They make fishing boats, too?
That was the question I asked myself when I tested the first Vicem-built sportfisherman four years ago. (Based in Turkey, Vicem has 20-plus years experience in building custom cold-molded Downeast-style vessels.) At the time she was named the S&J Violator 54 ( see “Building a Contender,” March 2005). Now called the Vicem 54, she is a lightweight (44,000 pounds dry), tricked-out fishing machine that with 1,050-hp MANs, cruises at nearly 33 knots (38 mph) and tops out at around 38 knots (43.7 mph).
Several more 54s have been built since that test, and when I got word that Vicem had expanded its line with a 63-footer, I was curious to discover how the builder had evolved its battlewagon offerings.
The first thing I noticed dockside was that the 63 features the same broken sheerline as the 54, which gives her a sleek, porpoise-like look. She also has noticeable flare and a sharp entry like the 54’s 75-degree one. A fighting-lady yellow Awlgripped hull enhanced my 63’s modern aesthetics.
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Add teak covering boards and a 127-square-foot teak-covered cockpit (both optional as she’s a custom boat), plus a high-gloss mahogany exterior saloon door and bulkhead, and you have a striking, contemporary-looking vessel. However, her build is quite traditional, at least by Vicem’s standards.
Using mahogany acquired from Honduras and Africa and West System epoxy, Vicem lays out the hull jig right side up (so that interior and superstructure components can be built simultaneously), then applies three layers of the wood to the frame. The first layer of 1.4" (thick) x 2.1"(wide) planking is laid longitudinally. Next, second and third layers of planks, each measuring about .62" x 3.9", are laid at 45 degrees to provide shear strength. The layup is then saturated with epoxy, with epoxy filler added as needed, after which primer is applied and then finally Awlgrip paint.
Vicem’s goal for the 63 was a 73,000-pound displacement (dry), but she came in at 80,000 pounds. That extra 7,000 pounds likely cost her in performance. I recorded an average 2000-rpm cruise speed of 29.7 mph (25.8 knots) with her twin 1,550-hp MANs burning 114 gph (see “By the Numbers,” this story for complete test data). By comparison, the Jarrett Bay 63 we tested in March 2008 (“Nothing Rhymes With Orange”) is listed at 80,000 pounds, like the Vicem, but has 1,825-hp C32 Caterpillars that let her cruise at 42.2 mph with a fuel burn of 113 gph. To be fair, Vicem USA’s president Michael Landsberg admitted that my particular 63 is not as fast as some custom and production builds, but counters that she’s aimed more at family fishermen than hardcore anglers. And as a custom builder, Vicem will outfit this boat however you’d like. For instance, Landsberg says you could fit 1,800-hp diesels in the 63, which he claims will get you about three more knots at cruise. When I inspected the engine room, I confirmed that there is space for bigger motors. I also noticed that removing the engines would require cutting out that high-gloss saloon bulkhead.
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