Don't tell me fish are stupid those three dorado knew exactly what they were doing. The one on the port line crossed to the starboard, the one on the starboard line crossed to the port, and the one in the center zipped back and forth over both other lines. They tried their best, but fish just don't stand a chance against anglers who are masters at dancing in the cockpit of the Buddy Davis 45 Express. With 108 square feet of maneuvering room, we were able to dodge and weave around each other, uncrossing the lines and sealing the fishbox fate of those mahi-mahi. No, this isn't the biggest cockpit in its class, but with an engine room entry tucked under the stairs and no pipe work or extra seating hitting the sole, Buddy Davis makes awesome use of every inch of space. Sorry, fish.

MACROFILAMENT. Don't think you can only admire the fishing lines on this boat. Check out the sightlines from the helm. Many large express sportfishing boats suffer from a loss of visibility as the boat comes onto the plane. To overcome this problem, the 45 Express has an unusually tall bridge-deck. The design works-360-degree visibility at the helm is maintained throughout the rpm range. There are other benefits to this high bridge-deck as well. Looking aft from the wheel, I could gaze over the cockpit and watch the anglers do their work, which helped me keep the boat perfectly positioned to help them land their catch.

Also, since the bridgedeck is higher, headroom in the engine room is, too. For a 45' express cruiser, this engine room is about as good as it gets, with plenty of space around the powerplants and well-loomed and marked plumbing and wiring. Plus, on competing boats, you don't always get crash pumps, electric priming pumps, and an oil exchange system, which all come standard aboard the 45 Express.

The tradeoff? That tall bridgedeck creates a steep entry into the cabin. It's not uncomfortable climbing the stairs, but it's a long way down. Buddy Davis recognizes this issue, and says it is designing another stairway that won't be quite as steep.

To further enhance sightlines, keep the boat more level as it comes onto the plane, and improve stability, Buddy Davis looked at its old 47's hull the foundation of the 45 Express and shifted the center of gravity about 10 percent forward. Does it work? Inclination never rose above three degrees; on some competitors, it hits seven or eight. Another design change is a keel reduction. The result is handling that mirrors boats half this size. A twitch of the wheel is all it takes to make a course correction or dodge a crab pot, and a half-turn starts the boat coming around quickly.

Despite these improvements, the most dramatic difference between the 45 Express and the 47 lies in their weight. The 47 weighed about 45,000 pounds, whereas the 45 Express weighs 34,500, right in line with the Cabo 45 ($670,000 with twin 680-bhp MANs) and the Viking 43 Express ($679,000 with 800-bhp MANs).

How did Buddy Davis lop off so much weight? Besides eliminating the fly bridge from the 47, which was a convertible, Buddy Davis used coring on the 45 Express. The hull bottom is solid fiberglass, but the rest of the boat is cored. Divinycell is used in the hull, Baltek in the helm deck, and Nidacore in the decks and bulkheads. Stringers are also cored with Divinycell and are capped with steel at the motor mounts. Does the boat's strength suffer as a result? No. In most cases coring actually increases strength and boosts sound insulation and vibration dampening. On the 45 Express, your ears and legs will notice the difference immediately. When we ran 24 miles offshore in three and four footers, the loudest sound I heard, other than the diesel engines chugging along, was a coffee mug rolling around on the dash. Vibrations? Nah. The superstructure is one molded piece, so there are no joints rubbing between the cabin, foredeck, and bridge. The cockpit is also one piece of fiberglass. You know that crackling sound you hear when some fiberglass boats smash into a wave? You wont on this boat.

SPACE RACE. Even with the fighting chair mounted to the plate laminated into the cockpit deck, we had plenty of space. But the Cabo 45, with 114 square feet, and the Viking 43, with 113 square feet, have even more room aft. So wouldn't the diehard angler think more is better? Well, there are things other than sheer space to consider. Check out the fresh- and raw-water washdowns, for example. They're rigged with quick disconnects. Say goodbye to cross-threaded hose ends. Also look at the transom shower, which has hot and cold running water to provide a warm rinse when you want one or a cool spray if you so desire. And those pretty teak covering boards? They're standard, even though most competitors charge extra for them. All the other things you demand, such as the cockpit bait freezer, integrated fishboxes, drink cooler, and lighted circular livewell, are here, too. Now pop open those hatches above the livewell and bait freezer. Each has six separate tackle compartments. Each is also large enough to stack several Plano trays, and they're easy to reach from cockpit level. I didn't like the placement of the rocket launchers in the cockpit, however. They're unreachable from deck level, and to get rods in or out, you must climb onto the bait freezer.

Give yourself a chance to become accustomed to the cockpit layout and one thing you'll notice is the engine room entrance. To access it, raise the steps to the bridgedeck they swing right up on the gas-assist struts. Some boaters don't like to have the entry located here, because they cant move between the bridge and the cockpit while it's open. But an above deck entry elsewhere means sacrificing a cockpit unit like the livewell or the bait freezer. That, in my opinion, makes the raising stairs a great entry. Before you say anything, I know, some of you have had the experience of flooding a cockpit in the heat of battle and are wondering if such an entry will allow water into the engine room. I had the same question, but it was laid to rest as soon as I took a gander at the well-designed gutter-and-gasket system.

Of course, when you pop open the entry, what first catches your eye is the teak-and-holly deck. Nice touch. The second thing will be the glow coming from inside. The entire engine room is finished off in Awlgrip, as is the 45 Express' exterior. This boat is a looker. Like other Buddy Davis boats, it has tomblehome aft and a huge flare forward. Most competitors have less flare and few have any tumblehome at all. How does Buddy Davis do it? Hinged, spilt molds are the secret; they swing open so the boat doesn't have to "pop" out of a fixed mold, which prevents most other builders from adding tumblehome.

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