A Buddy Davis yacht stands out in any crowd. The fluid profile and broad Carolina bow have been indelible signatures for almost three decades, even as construction evolved from juniper planking to cold molding to high-tech composites.

This 58-foot sportfisherman is one of five projects being developed with noted hull designer Don Blount using new production molds fabricated by Precision Shapes of Virginia. (For more information, see "Bionic Boatbuilding," this issue.) Using a single, large mold, the foredeck, cabin, and inner and outer bridge are laminated as a single unit, eliminating joints and secondary bonds in the topside. The new molds bring a slightly gentler contour to the bridge face and softer edges on the superstructure. But the bow has the same flare and the hull the same entry as the Buddy Davis hallmark. Cored construction is used throughout the superstructure and interior.

Blount has developed a new hull form from the waterline down. It has a deep entry forward with convex surfaces aft and wide chine flats. The bottom is a solid fiberglass laminate from the keel to the chine, with foam coring from the chine up to the sheer. All through-hull transducers are flush-mounted in the keel to cut drag and reduce the possibility of damage.

Standard power is a pair of 1,400-hp Caterpillar diesels that should deliver a top speed of 36 to 37 knots with the yacht fully loaded and outfitted. Cruise speed is around 30 knots.

Two interior layouts are offered. One is a three-stateroom, three-head arrangement, with a double berth and a single berth in the bow, a master stateroom to port, and a guest stateroom with bunks to starboard. The alterative is a four stateroom, three-head layout offering a double berth in the bow and bunks in each of two staterooms on the starboard side. Either way, the interior is custom finished.

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