Dave Ferrell of Marlin Interviews Jeff Burton

https://www.marlinmag.com/jeffburtonproject:

DF: We know all about your NASCAR career. Where did you grow up, and did you do any fishing and boating as a child?

JB: I grew up in southern/central Virginia. I didn’t do a lot of saltwater fishing, but we did a lot of pond fishing and fishing on the lakes. My middle brother is a big fisherman, and my dad used to take us striper fishing in the Chesapeake Bay. I grew up fishing a lot, but by far the most was done in fresh water. We had a 24-footer that we had on the lake, and we’d pull it up to the bay and go striper fishing. We always had a boat around and spent a lot of time on the lake.

DF: When you first decided to buy a boat for your family, what were you looking for? What’s your idea of the perfect boat?

JB: I’m really a boat nut. I like to sit down and draw boats; I just think they are beautiful, and I love the places they can take you. I’ve become bored with being on a lake. As big as any lake is, you can always find the end of it. It’s really easy to see all of it. We owned a motoryacht for about three years and got a real taste of the lifestyle, spending a lot of time in Florida and New England; we made a few intercoastal trips as well. I like to fish, and my son likes to fish. He’s 9 and as a matter of fact, we got him on some nice dolphin this past weekend. He’s keeping count of all his bonefish, and so far he’s up to 14. He’ll fish all day with me.

So while he and I like to fish, my daughter, who’s 14, and my wife like to cruise. They like to visit new places and move around. And so do I. So my dilemma was, what can we find that can do both things well – and the boat needed to be something I could operate safely myself. That drove the size of the boat – the fact that I wanted to run it myself. So that was the first compromise. If a captain or somebody else were to run it, then I would have built a big one. But since I’ve done most of my boating on the lake, I wanted to ease into it a little bit. So that was really the first parameter; it had to be something we could operate ourselves. From there, it came down to the fishing and cruising aspect.

So I did a bit of looking around and saw a lot of nice fishing and cruising boats out there, but very few crossover boats. For cruising I like Downeast-style boats. They are all one level; there are no ladders; you’re close the water – I really like that. But they don’t work for fishing.

I wanted a boat that we could fish and cruise, but one that did both things really well. So this boat has a lower steering station and elevated, forward-facing seating in the salon. That way everyone can see out. To me, there’s nothing more aggravating then cruising along in a side-facing seat and looking at a wall. So we tried to come up with a design that would be comfortable while under way, sitting at the dock and at anchorage. That’s what drove the final design. The pods also helped make that happen by allowing more interior space as well.

DF: Is there any feature on this boat that you’re especially looking forward to seeing?

JB: When Caterpillar told me they could hook up the pods, it was a no-brainer for me. With the CAT engines, you get the great reputation, the performance and the ease of maintenance. But it was really the ease of operation, docking, etc. that sold me on the pods. They give me a comfort level to operate boats that I didn’t have before. I drive a car at 200 miles an hour on the weekends, but approaching the dock can still be a bit intimidating. When the wind is howling and the current’s ripping, it seems like everybody is watching. There’s never anybody around when there’s no wind and no current – ever!

I got on the CAT demo boat, a 44-foot Sea Ray, and when they told me to go ahead and dock it, it looked like I’d been a captain my whole life. I was like, “Look at me, Mom – no hands!” I’m a big believer.

Another big thing for me was the noise factor. That might sound silly, but I’m around a huge amount of noise every day – and I don’t like it. But with the way the exhaust system works on the pods and the smaller engines that you can use, everything is quieter.

And like I said before, the salon and lower helm are very exciting to me. There’s nothing fun about being up on the flybridge in January in North Carolina. I didn’t want to have to be up top driving the boat with the rest of my group down below. I wanted to be with my family. And that was the whole idea behind the lower steering and the big windshields. I personally believe you’ll start seeing these lower stations with more windows coming back. You can definitely put a lot more hours on a boat that you can operate comfortably in any weather.

DF: How did you come across Jarrett Bay?

JB: A long time ago I was introduced to Randy Ramsey through a mutual friend. I did a little business with the company, watched how they did things for a while and saw them grow. I paid close attention to what they said they were going to do and what they did do, and their ability always spoke for itself.

DF: Do you have any tentative plans for when she’s all done? Got a name in mind?

JB: We have a home on the ocean in South Carolina just south of Charleston, so it will certainly spend some time there and some time in the Bahamas. We really like to spend the spring and summer down there. Were just going to play it by ear.

I don’t have time for tournaments; that’s something I’ll probably do when I retire from driving. There’s just no way I can do that right now. I love to compete, but fishing for me is relaxing. The minute I turned fishing into a competition, I’d become possessed. I don’t want to be possessed about it. If it’s rough and I don’t want to fish, I don’t want to have to go.

I’m working on a concept for the boat’s name, but the actual name hasn’t come to me yet. I’ve got a good idea but just haven’t found the right words that capture it. I’m sure it will come to me.

Learn more about the Jeff Burton 46′ Jarrett Bay project…