At last year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, Albemarle Boats and Spencer Sportfish kicked off a partnership with plans to build a semicustom, 53-foot convertible.
With design work and tooling completed, including a hull mold, the North Carolina-based builders announced that construction has started on the Albemarle 53 Spencer Edition at Albemarle’s Edenton manufacturing facility.
“Our team is truly excited as many months of planning are now coming to life,” said Albemarle director of sales and product development Keith Privott. “The 53 hull will be vacuum infused with vinylester resin and foam core, making 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.”
Hull #1 of the series will be a flybridge model that the builders said will look to combine Spencer styling with Albemarle’s quality and innovations. A 160-square-foot cockpit will be ready for anglers, with transom fishboxes, mezzanine seating and customizable molded boxes for storage and refrigeration.
Based in Wanchese and founded in 1996, Spencer Sportfish has delivered more than 120 custom sportfishing vessels up to 90 feet. Owner and president Paul Spencer sees the 53 as a return to the company’s earlier days.
“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,” said Spencer. “This project is a return to our boatbuilding roots, and we are really looking forward to having this 53-footer to offer.”
