Designed to run the legendary water of Carolina's Outer Banks, the Buddy Davis 58 is a go-anywhere product of her environment.

While Darwin's theories on evolution and adaptability were conceived with living things in mind, it's not that much of a stretch to apply his observations to regional boatbuilding. Certain locales, due to their particular ties to the sea, haven given rise to unique types of boats, each with an instantaneous recognition as coming from that place. The New England lobster boat and the high, tuna-clipper-inspired bows of many boats from the Pacific Northwest are just two examples. Likewise, it's as easy to see how the challenging waters of Oregon Inlet, Cape Hatteras, and the Outer Banks gave rise to the Carolina sportfishing boat.

Local lore has it that the design began in the late 1950's when Manteo native Warren O'Neal built his first sportfishing boat. But it was charter boat captain and O'Neal protégé Buddy Davis who elevated the design to what some now call an art form when he built his own vision of the Carolina boat in 1973. The latest product of that lineage is the Buddy Davis 58.

The 58 is a direct descendent of Buddy Davis' 61, a boat that in the world of elite sportfishing vessels is held in high esteem for its superior seakeeping abilities and uncanny knack for raising record fish. "I had spent almost 10 years getting our61-footer just right when I decided it was time to replace it with the 58," says Davis. "We learned a lot from that boat and applied all the right things to the new one." In fact Buddy Davis built three 58s on a limited-production plywood mold to use as a baseline.

Like all Buddy Davis boats, the 58 is a product of the collaboration of renowned naval architect Don Blount and Davis. Blount was responsible for engineering, hydrostatics, and stability analysis for the new vessel, which resulted in a sharp entry for dealing with seas, convex surfaces aft, 15 degrees of transom deadrise, and large chine flats for quick planning on minimal power. Her pivot point is far enough aft to allow her a good ride in a following sea, and prop tunnels give this 70,000-pound vessel a moderate 5'6" draft and the ability to swing a pair of 34-inch-diameter wheels. Blount considers the pivot point known as the LCG, or longitudinal center of gravity as one of the most important aspects of the design of the Buddy Davis 58. "By getting this balance point, which is the center of weight for the boat, relative to the shape of the bottom results in a well-designed boat," he said. "It means an agile, efficient performer with excellent seakeeping abilities."

Her hull is solid FRP from the keel to the chine, with foamcored sides and a deck of vacuum-bagged Nidacore, which also provides sound deadening. A new stringer arrangement forward has outbound ledgers that add rigidity at the chine while allowing some flexing in big seas. (According to Blount and Davis, too rigid a structure can lead to excessive stress in vital areas in heavy seas.) The engine beds have one -inch encapsulated steel caps, and Davis makes wide use of Baltek and Nidacore to save weight. A new mold, created by Precision Shapes of Virginia, allows Buddy Davis to laminate the 58's foredeck, cabin, and bridge as a single unit, eliminating secondary bonds and joints in the bridge. Blount also figured largely in the 58's look, putting a slightly softer edge on the superstructure and bridge face, but leaving intact that trademark Buddy Davis bow flare, sweeping foredeck with teak toe rail, and gentle tumblehome.

Blount and Buddy Davis also designed a cockpit dedicated to the 58's primary mission. Measuring 12'10" wide by 10'4" long, it is equipped with a long list of standard features including circulating baitwell, in-sole fishbox with macerator pump, transom fishbox, in-sole line and fender stowage, teak covering boards, a pair of Glendinning Cablemasters, a top-loading freezer, and a built-in tackle center. Unfortunately, the top of its lid is flush with the bottom, so if you happen to keep your fingers there while lowering the lid: Ouch! Cutting a channel so it fits like a box would prevent that possibility. However, I was assured that this would be taken care of on subsequent boats. Cockpit options included a teak sole and coaming boards, an Eskimo E600 shaved-ice machine, electrical reel outlets, custom fighting chair, rocket launchers, rod holders, and Rupp triple box spreader outriggers. Also here is access to the Awlgripped engine room, where I found 6'2" of headroom and plenty of workspace.

The bridge layout allows the captain to keep an eye on all the action by positioning a pair of pedestal seats both with removable backrests well aft. The helm has enough room for an array of flushmounted electronics on a console that disappears with the touch of a button. Forward there's seating for five with additional seating for six to starboard. Stowage areas are supplied beneath the seats.

The only thing I found better than being at the wheel of the Buddy Davis 58 was looking over to my left and seeing Buddy Davis sitting next to me. I slid the single-lever controls forward to bring the twin 1,480-hp DDC-MTU 12V2000 Titan Series diesels to 2000 rpm, where my Stalker radar gun showed 36 mph (31.3 knots). "Go to the top, Ken," said Davis. And I did, hitting a top speed of 41.4 mph.

While sea conditions off of Stuart, Florida, presented nothing to challenge us, I held the 58 at 2250 rpm and almost at 40 mph put her through a series of tight turns, hard-over maneuvers, and with rudders amidships, straight tracking runs. We also did several backing-down routines. The 58 was agile and fast in her response to the helm, lost little rpm in the 360s, and tracked straight and true.

While she's all hard-core fishing on the outside, the Buddy Davis 58 is designed for comfort on the inside. The saloon has 6'5" headroom, and large windows admit plenty of light. A pair of rod lockers is in the overhead, and there's an L-shape couch to port. To starboard there's a credenza, and forward of that is the dinette. The galley is to port and features large Corian countertops, convection/microwave oven, four-burner electric stove top, and Sub-Zero undercounter refrigerator and freezer. Galley options include a dishwasher and trash compactor.

The 58 is offered with either three staterooms, as on my test boat, or four. Regardless, there are three heads. The forepeak has bunks in an over-under configuration. Aft of that and to starboard is a stateroom also with bunks, and the master is located amidships and to port. The fourth stateroom is aft of the starboard quarters. All have large stowage areas, including cabinets, lockers, drawer space, and closets that display fine joinerwork and matching grains.

Boats with that unmistakable bow flare, broken sheerline, and rakish profile slip down the ways of many Outer Banks builders, but those bearing the Buddy Davis name seem to occupy a special place in the hearts and minds of horizon-chasing, bluewater adventurers. The 58 is designed and equipped with all the refinements of her predecessors and proves that survival of the fittest need not be limited to living things.

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