Two legendary North Carolina boat brands—Albemarle Boats and Spencer Yachts—have announced a partnership that will result in a new semi-custom 53-foot Carolina-style sport fisher, the Albermarle 53 Spencer Edition. At this writing, design work has been completed, molds finished and construction has gotten underway at Albemarle’s Edenton facility. The 53 Spencer Edition will be the largest boat model in the Albemarle line.
The first 53 will feature a flybridge configuration with classic Spencer styling and a hull engineered for high cruise speeds—with the seakeeping ability that characterizes both Albemarle and Spencer. The interior will boast an open salon layout, three staterooms, and two heads.
Topside, an island helm arrangement, forward facing lounge, and bench seating will offer abundant accommodation and excellent visibility from the bridge. For fishing, the 160-square-foot cockpit is complemented by a transom fishbox, transom door, and a mezzanine design with engine room access and molded boxes that can be customized to accommodate a variety of storage and refrigeration.
“Our team is truly excited as many months of planning are now coming to life,” says Keith Privott, director of sales and product development for Albemarle, who notes that the hull will be vacuum-infused with vinylester resin and foam core. “This will make it our strongest, yet lightest design to date. The entire boat is loaded with innovative details and features that will set new standards in the world of sportfishing and allow our customers to go further and do more.”
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Says Paul Spencer, president of Wanchese, North Carolina-based Spencer Yachts: “While our custom boats have gotten increasingly larger in recent years, I have always appreciated boats in the 50-foot class and recognized their true competitive tournament ability. This project is a return to our boatbuilding roots, and we are really looking forward to having this 53-footer to offer.”
For power, the first 53 will feature twin MTU 1,600 hp turbo-diesel inboards, but this sport fisher can also be ordered with twin Caterpiller 1,000 hp D12.9 turbo-diesels or twin Caterpillar C18 1,150 hp twin turbo-diesel inboards.
The first Albemarle 53 Spencer Edition is scheduled to debut at the Bahia Mar in-water venue during the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, October 27-31. To learn more, visit Albemarle Boats.
