Form Redefined

Take everything you know — or think you know — about sportfishing boats and throw it away. The Eclipse TR-39 is a breath-of-fresh-air fishing machine that started with a blank sheet of paper rather than any preconceived notions. It is as unlike any other sportfisher as a bass boat is to a center console, yet it is purpose-designed specifically for serious offshore fishing.

Necessity, they say, is the mother of invention and that's exactly how this boat came about. An avid Californian who spends much of his time fishing in New Zealand simply wasn't able to find a boat on any continent that met his needs. They were all too big, too small, too slow, badly arranged, poorly built. So he founded Eclipse Yachts in order to produce, first and foremost, a boat that he wanted and that he believed other fishermen would want when they saw it.

A New Zealand company, the boats have just begun to trickle into the United States but the one uniform reaction of every serious fisherman who has seen the boat is, "Wow." Matt Lerner of Naples Yacht Sales, the Western distributor, has had a steady stream of game fishermen wanting to see the boat, and the publicity has all been by word of mouth.

Let's start with the heart of the fishing action: the cockpit. At 120 square feet, it rivals much larger boats and, with high coamings and a well-designed non-skid deck, it's safe and secure in all conditions. The center of the sole is reinforced to hold a fighting chair, while a circulating baitwell and fish box are under hatches on each side. The walk-through transom door is big enough to bring in tournament-sized critters, and a standard bait prep station has a tackle locker, knife rack, sink with hot and cold fresh water, and even a cleverly designed box to hold spools of leader. But that's only the beginning of the fishing features.

Imagine, if you will, that you've hooked an ornery one that is intent on circling your boat until he either wraps the line and pops it, or simply tires you out. On a conventional sportfisher, you'd clamber up onto one side deck with your rod and reel, stop to pass the gear around the outrigger, tiptoe up to the foredeck while hanging on to the rail, and then repeat the process coming aft on the other side. Not so with the Eclipse.

First of all, there are wide steps leading to each side deck, so the first hurdle is eliminated. The custom outriggers fold out of the cabin side above your head, so you need only duck slightly and keep on moving without having to pass the rod around the rigger. Not only are the side decks wide enough to walk normally without having to tiptoe sideways, but they've got high fiberglass bulwarks capped by a welded stainless-steel rail that runs from cockpit to bow nonstop. In most seas, you won't even have to hold on when you go forward. Once at the bow, you'll find the forward fishing chair, allowing your skipper to chase the fish going forward rather than trying to back down on the fish while you get drenched in the cockpit.

There's another circulating live baitwell built into the starboard bulwark so, even if you do lose a fish, you don't have to return to the cockpit to re-bait.

To eliminate potential line snags, there is a big anchor locker that hides a Simpson Lawrence anchor windlass, and another bulwark locker to port for deck gear and lines.

As much as we hate to admit it, most of our fishing time is spent sitting and watching lines disappear into the water astern. So why is it that conventional sport fishers all have their seats facing forward? On the Eclipse, they've made a quantum step forward by placing a comfortable bench seat against the forward pilothouse bulkhead, so your crew can sit in the shade, talk to the skipper without craning or shouting, and still watch for any telltale twitches in the lines. As a bonus, the pilothouse is both air-conditioned and heated, so you can have all-weather comfort while you hunt your prey. Of course, if you do feel the need to sit in the sun and bake, there is an aft facing cockpit bench seat as well.

The pilothouse has superb visibility as well as full headroom, which makes you feel like you're in a much larger yacht. The helm is tucked to starboard, with a raised bench and even padding on the cabin side so the skipper can sit sideways to watch both fore and aft comfortably. Neat idea. The dash was arranged by someone who realized that an array of electronics need someplace to go and, on our test boat, a comprehensive selection of Raytheons (color sounder, radar, chart plotter, GPS, VHF) and Navico pilot had been neatly installed in the fiberglass console without bothering the array of engine gauges.

If you want a bit of altitude to spot fish or simply enjoy the breeze, our test boat had the optional tower and, once again, here Eclipse started with a blank sheet of paper. Rather than climb precariously into the tower from the side decks, the ladder goes right up inside the pilothouse through a hatch, making access safe and secure even in rolling seas.

Once aloft, the view is spectacular and there's room for three sets of eyes (and the accompanying bodies) for fish spotting. The Hynautic steering and Morse controls are duplicated aloft, and we had a second VHF radio as well.

Step below on the Eclipse, and once again you'll be surprised. Our boat had Layout 2, which provides bunks for four including a private forward stateroom. At the base of the companionway steps is the galley, making it handy for fixing snacks without feeling like you're stuck below. In addition to the usual appliances, an ice maker is handy to the cockpit and the teak countertop is flawlessly finished.

To starboard is an L-shaped settee that converts to a double berth, and forward is an island double berth that can be closed off with an accordion door. To port is an all-molded head compartment that has a shower stall designed by someone who realizes that fishermen are often big people.

The Eclipse had so many clever features that it's hard to list them all. There's the removable table between the two settees in the pilothouse for indoor/outdoor dining, there's the huge bin under the forward berth (which hinges up easily on gas lifts), there's storage everywhere, including locking rod storage in the pilothouse, and even thoughtful touches such as the recess for the companionway door so it won't snag people or clothing.

Standard power on the Eclipse is a pair of Cummins 6BTA 5.9 diesels putting out 300-horsepower, but our test boat had the optional Caterpillar 3116 350-horsepower diesels. Access to the engines (and to the optional 6.5-kilowatt Northern Lights generator) is superb. For normal use, a doorway from the cabin allows you to check fluid levels, or the entire back of the pilothouse can be lifted to give full standing headroom between the engines. All of the installations are seamanlike and no-nonsense. You can easily reach the seacocks, shaft logs, rudders and all the other areas that builders too often hide.

Performance with the Cats was startling, and the Eclipse comes out of the hole like a waterski boat. In fact, I suspect you could probably ski behind it. Though it has trim tabs, you don't need them other than to balance out wind or weight. While running the performance tests with Sea's radar gun, we didn't use the tabs at all and the Eclipse ran flat and fast with no tab drag. We even handicapped the Eclipse with a full load of fuel (390 gallons) and all the usual gear on board, yet we still topped out at 34 mph at full throttle. Back off from that for fuel economy and long engine life, and you've got a comfortable 27-28 mph cruising speed that will get you out to the canyons or seamounts in good time.

Our test boat, with full electronics, Cat diesels, full fishing gear, generator, air-conditioning, ice maker, windlass and everything except the bottle to celebrate your catch, is priced at $394,000 commissioned in California. Compare that to the cookie-cutter convertibles that are the current standard for fishermen, and you'll see that this is a remarkable value even it weren't so innovative. But don't take my word for it — you have to see the Eclipse TR-39 to believe it.

Boat Specifications

Performance

Western Dealer

Naples Yacht Sales

5925 Naples Plaza

Long Beach, CA 90803

Phone: (562) 434-7278

Fax: (562) 434-0738