Albemarle 360XF Express Sportfish

Source: Capt. Peter B. Wright, Sportfishing Magazine

The Albemarle Sound, a large, shallow, enclosed body of water between the North Carolina mainland and the infamous Outer Banks, can quickly become a treacherous waterway when winds no stronger than a brisk breeze whip up a short, steep chop. Then, try to get out of it. Carolina boaters have only a few inlets open to the Atlantic, and all have nasty reputations.

If you find an inlet not too rough to negotiate, you still must run a minimum of 30 miles through the ocean to reach the fabulous big-game fishing grounds that make the area famous.

The fact that so many of the Outer Banks’ anglers and charter captains use hulls built by Albemarle Sportfishing Boats speaks volumes about their seagoing capabilities. They have a reputation for being the smallest acceptable twin-diesel boats for plying these waters. I have had many impressive trips on Albemarles when far larger rigs stayed in port.

Performance
As a result I expected to like the new 36′ Albemarle Express (360XF) I recently sea-trialed at the Miami Boat Show. The weather was too nice to really test her true abilities, but the 15-knot southeast breeze and outgoing tide enabled me to assure you she is dry. (And you got that from me, not a publicity hack!)

I managed to get a small amount of spray onto the windshield when I slowed down to 16 knots and quartered into the wind, but not a drop while going head-to at any speed and not while running over 20 knots and quartering the choppy (but not really rough) sea.

Throttling up the pair of 575-hp Caterpillar C9A diesels, I found a perfectly respectable top speed at 37.8 mph turning 2,360 rpm while burning a total of 53.5 gph. Optimum cruising speed computed out to 23.5 mph at 1,750 rpm using 24.6 gph. At that speed, figure just a hair less than a (statute) mile per gallon. Without considering a standard 10-percent fuel cushion, that speed offers you a range of approximately 460 miles.

Years ago, some of Albemarle’s deep-V hulls heeled over dramatically when you turned sharply at cruising speed. With later model years, that problem has disappeared. This 360 leans gracefully into a turn and carves a 180-degree course change in just over three boat lengths. Handling for fighting a hot fish harkens back to the old Bertram 31 days when no fish could keep up with the boat. This might still represent the ideal size for a hard-core offshore fishing machine.

Fishing
People who fish shorthanded, as well as gregarious types, will appreciate the raison d’etre of this express. A centerline helm pod on the bridge deck affords unobstructed, 360-degree vision, and the cockpit is a mere three steps away with no ladder to negotiate. From the sociability aspect, your guests never leave your side, thanks to lounge seating port and starboard with dry storage underneath.

The cockpit boasts a livewell, an insulated cooler and a tackle/bait-prep center along its forward extremity, and a 56-gallon fish box built into the transom. Another large fish box hides under the cockpit sole. A plate laminated into the cockpit deck allows installation of a rocket launcher and/or big game chair.

Design and Construction

People tend to put 7 pounds of spuds into 5-pound bags, but the 360’s engine room was spacious and easy to work in. I am always a tiny bit uneasy about relying on electric or hydraulic lifters to access an engine room, but once I raised the helm deck, it proved a great engine room for preventive maintenance.

I could easily reach all filters, and Albemarle fitted a 2-way Reverso-brand oil-change pump to both main engines and the genset by means of a simple manifold. And check on centerline for the oil dipsticks. There were both 110- & 12-volt engine-room lights.

An induction (“crash”) bilge pump mounts to the port engine only. I liked the three separate battery banks, one for each main engine and another for the genset and house low-voltage needs. Today’s electronically controlled engines rely on dependable sources of DC power.

The luxuriously appointed living quarters sport a queen berth and an additional, optional single in the forward V-area. A convertible ultraleather sofa expands into a double berth in the galley/lounge area. Albemarle also provides a shower, marine head and hand basin to port and a cooktop and Corian countertops along the cabin’s aft bulkhead.

With or without a better-designed tower, this highly maneuverable, dry-running boat represents an excellent choice for a serious billfishing angler or charter captain!