AMERICAN CUSTOM YACHTS, INC., 6800 S.W. JACK JAMES DRIVE, STUART, FL 34997 • (772) 221-9100 Fax (772) 288-4993 Web Site: www.americancustomyachts.com E-Mail: acy@gate.net

VOLUME 38 - 2007

NEWS AND INFORMATION FROM AMERICAN CUSTOM YACHTSREMEMBER

ALWAYS

Custom Yachts International is the creation ofyacht broker Chuck Levert (at left) and ACYPresident Dominick LaCombe

While ACY continues the expansion of its Stuart yacht building and marine ser-vice facility, its affiliated companies continue to gain strength throughout the south-eastern United States.

Complementing its full spectrum of marine services, ACY’s newest affiliated com-pany, Custom Yachts International (CYI), provides a complete range of yacht brokerageservices, as well as charter management and buyer representation for new yacht con-struction. Headed by Chuck Levert, one of south Florida’s most respected yacht bro-kers, CYI will focus its attention on the luxury motoryacht and megayacht market. TheCYI headquarters is located in the heart of the nation’s yacht brokerage communityat The Quay on 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale.

“It was an obvious transition for us to enter into the brokerage business,” saidACY President Dominick LaCombe. “CYI is not only backed by one of the southeast’spremier yacht builders and marine service facilities, but also by three generations ofthe Chouest shipbuilding family in Louisiana. With seven naval architects on staff,these combined companies offer unparalleled knowledge of all size vessels.”

The new 30,000-square foot tower and elec-tronics facility is fully operational at Jarrett Bayin Beaufort.

New ACY Affiliate Opens Brokerage Office in Fort Lauderdale

BAT and IMS Going Strong in NC

With the final touches complete, the new Bausch-AmericanTowers and IMS American North Carolina facility is fully opera-tional and very busy, reports BAT President Tim Bausch. The new30,000-square foot waterfront complex, located at Jarrett Bay inBeaufort, NC, houses an ultra-modern tower facility, a hard topmanufacturing bay, corporate offices, an expansive electronics workarea, and a state-of-the-art showroom for marine electronics andentertainment systems. Giving BAT a decided advantage in NorthCarolina is a unique remote-controlled overhead crane. The crane

allows BAT to move large tower pieces in place for welding, elim-inating the need for scaffolding, while improving efficiency andreducing production time.

“This central location at Jarrett Bay gives us an excellent van-tage point to service vessels throughout the southeastern U.S. andmid-Atlantic States,” said Bausch.

For more information on ACY and its affiliated companies, call772-221-9100, or go to www.americancustomyacts.com.

BAT/IMS FACILITY

ACY Holiday Party Draws Record CrowdACY Holiday Party Draws Record CrowdIt took mass quantities of old world recipes to feedall the friends and family that flocked to ACY’s holi-day party on December 21. Catered by CarrabbasItalian Grill, a record number of guests dined onCarrabbas famous “chicken trio,” with a selection ofChicken Bryan, Chicken Rosa and Chicken Marsalacomplemented with an abundance of Ceasar salad andfresh Italian bread. The libations flowed freely andeveryone enjoyed the original country sounds of OneNight Stand featuring ACY’s own melody-makingmachinist Chaz Howard and his wife Desiree.

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTChris Finley

Seasoned ACY ace ChrisFinley was recently appointedstock room supervisor. With overeight years under his cap in thestock room and as a service writer,Finley understands better than

anyone the importance of having parts readily on hand tokeep jobs flowing on schedule. His responsibilities includetracking all parts in the computer system and keeping a con-stant inventory of items coming and going. Chris is current-ly assisting with the set-up of a new bar code system to keepa more accurate inventory.

“With the constant growth at American, my goal is tomake sure the stock room keeps up with its inventory of parts,”said Finley. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that all theneeds of the owners and captains are met.”

Following a difficult event last year in the wake of HurricaneWilma, the 2006 Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show did not disappoint.Putting their best razor treads forward, vendors seemed more thancontent to return to the frenetic pace of years past. ACY and itsaffiliates shared in the enthusiasm, greeting old friends and mak-ing many new ones.

“Overall, it was a great show,” said ACY President DominickLaCombe, who logged long hours each day. “Our new display waswell received and our tower and electronics companies did verywell – but most importantly, the weather was beautiful!”

ACY and BAT introduced a new display in Ft. Lauderdale, featuringa sleek laminate backdrop with built-in monitors and eye-catchingbacklit graphics.

The IMS display was a big draw with its show-stopping plasma TVsand state-of-the-art marine electronics.

ASK THE YACHT DOCTORS©

Q: I recently purchased a vessel without coveringboards. I have been advised to consider having teak cov-ering boards installed. What is the advantage?

YD: While a major consideration is increased aesthet-ics, teak covering boards also provide outstanding tractionduring boarding and off loading, and greatly reduce footprints. Also, with no need to repaint, teak is less expensiveto maintain with only routine sanding needed. At ACY, wecarefully inspect every piece of teak for matching grains, thencustom laminate them for a continuous appearance. Thereis no question that teak covering boards are an eye-pleas-ing and functional addition to any vessel.

This feature answers commonly asked questions posedto ACY regarding boat construction, maintenance and repair.Please fax your question to 772-288-4993, or e-mail it toacy@qate.net, in care of the “Yacht Doctors©.” If your ques-tion is selected, we’ll send you an ACY T-shirt. (To protectyour privacy, your name will not be used.) The doctors arealways in!

Teak covering boards are shown in the laminating and finishing stages on the Viking 61 YA NEVER KNOW.

Florida: 800-960-8476 • North Carolina: 252-728-7720www.IMSAmerican.com

MARINE ELECTRONICSMARINE ELECTRONICS

NEWSNEWS

Heritage 50

IMS outfitted this new 50’ Heritage with aSeatel® satellite phone system, a KVH® satellite TVand a custom audio package by Clarion®.

Morning DanceMock-Up

In coordination with the hull con-struction team, IMS created severalmock-ups of the bridge console for the new ACY68 MORNING DANCE.Constructed out of inexpensive woodand door skin, each configuration iscarefully critiqued and refined with a

final mock-up presented to the owner. Components will include a radar, colorsounder, and digital depth recorder by Furuno®, a Northstar® GPS, Simrad®autopilot, ICOM® VHF radios, a night vision system by Flir®, and TV at seaand sat phone by KVH®.

Sea Force IXGeared to aggressively pursue the

tournament circuit, the custom 80’ SEAFORCE IX (shown just after launching)has been outfitted with redundantcomputer-generated navigational sys-tems mounted in a VEI ® glass bridgeenvironment. Thanks to winning a

major prize from Simrad in the 2005 BBC tournament, the vessel sports thelatest autopilot, GPS, gyro, AIS and radio communication equipment. The satel-lite communications and TV system were provided by KVH®. The boat will returnto ACY in March to have a custom tower installed by BAT.

Nordhavn 76 This new 76’ Nordhavn ocean

trawler has been outfitted with a com-bination of Northstar® and Furuno®multi-function navigational equipment,giving the captain independent abili-ties in depth sounding, cartographyand radar through an array of screens

on the flybridge and in the pilot house. The vessel also features a complementof satellite communications, satellite TV and networking by Seatel®.

Sportsman 63In the process of being fully refurbished, SEA HAG,

a 63’ Sportsman custom Carolina sportfisherman,will receive a complete NavNet® package, along witha commercial VHS antenna and radio.

A new 64’ Lightning sportfisherman, handcraft-ed in Beaufort, will receive an extensive navigation-al, entertainment and communications package.Navigational components include a NavNet® VY2navigational system with a Northstar® 6100I GPS,and a VEI® Sea PC computer that can be displayedat the helm or in the salon. The salon entertainmentsystem includes a 42” Pioneer Elite® plasma TV ona motorized lift, a Pioneer Elite® DVD/CD player andan Alpine® docking station. Each stateroom featuresa Sharp® LCD TV and a Panasonic® DVD receiver.The KVH® communications package includes aTracvision® satellite TV, TracNet® wireless internet anda satellite telephone system.

FOX CompletesMajor ShowroomRenovations

FOX Audio-Video recently complet-ed several major upgrades at its state-of-the-art Stuart showroom. Replicatinga fully-automated residence, the show-room has been completely redecorated,new plasma TVs and speakers have beeninstalled throughout, and the home the-ater room has been remodeled with thelatest in JSP® theater furniture. Stop byFOX today and let home automationexperts Rich Randazzo and MarkZwicker take you on a mind-blowing tourof the latest in cutting-edge multi-media technology.

NEWSNEWSHOME ENTERTAINMENTHOME ENTERTAINMENT

772-781-3993 • 257 SE Monterey Road, Stuart

Crestron® CertificationClasses Offered

FOX Audio-Video is hosting a series of instruc-tional seminars for architects to obtain Crestron®home automation certification. A series of three one-hour classes will be offered teaching architects howto integrate Crestron®-controlled entertainment,security and lighting systems into their architecturaldesigns. For more information, contact MarkZwicker at 772-781-3992.

B & K Reference 50 S2®

Home Theater ProcessorFOX Audio-Video is proud to introduce the new B&K Reference

50 S2® home theater processor. Featuring completely upgradeablesoftware, this digital pre-amp/tuner processor delivers the finest audioand video reproduction available at the touch of a button. Moviessimply come to life before your eyes and ears. Combining ultra high-grade digital circuits with DigitalDNA™ processing from Motorola™,the Reference 50 S2® will deliver an unprecedented level of perfor-mance to your home theater system.

Boat Owners – There Will Never Be a Better Time to Upgrade Your Home Entertainment System!

For a limited time, FOX Audio Video is offering ACY vessel service vouchers of up to $2,500 with thepurchase of home automation services or equipment. For details, call Mark or Rich at 772-781-3992.

Now is a great time to add new life to your home and yacht!

Florida: 772-283-2771 • North Carolina: 252-728-7332

The SAFARI, a 77’ Hatteras enclosedbridge model, is visiting the Stuart facilityto have a fresh water wash down option

added. The tower was installed at the BATfacility in North Carolina.

BAT installed acustom half toweron this 68’ B&Dsportfisherman forHutchins YachtSales.

BAT recently completed full towers on two newCabos for Jarrett Bay Yacht Sales – a 40-foot-er and 32-footer (pictured). Congratulations goout to this outstanding yacht brokerage for beingnamed the Cabo Dealer for South Carolina.

BAT outfitted this new Cabo40 flybridgemodel with a half-tower for ToledoBeach Yacht Sales in Ohio. The pack-age included a molded hard top andcustomized inside bracing.

A full tower is under construction for a 60’Carolina-built sportfisherman. The finished hardtop is on the shop floor at right.

This 60’ Scully – thefirst Wanchese-builtsportfisherman tovisit the facility –came with a tighttime frame. BATturned around thisfull tower package injust five days! Bigthanks to Jim Polattyat Scully for puttinghis faith in BAT.

ACY is installing teak covering boards and a second generator on YANEVER KNOW, a 61’ Viking. ACY is also repainting the black maskand applying new transom lettering. The bottom will be stripped andrecoated with anti-fouling paint.

BONNIE B, a 68’ Hamilton motoryacht, is receiving a complete hull and topside paint at ACY.

ACY is performing tunnel, exhaust and running gear modifications tofine tune the performance of the BIG HORSE, a 50’ custom boat builtin South Carolina.

ACY is replacing the polycarbonate in the bridge windshield, then modifying and repainting the windshield frame aboard the GUARIMBA,a 72’ Donzi sportfisherman. The vessel will also receive routine bottommaintenance.

The ACY72 YELLOWBIRD came home for annual maintenanceto include a bottom job, paint touch ups and minor carpentrywork.

AMNESIA, a 45’ Rybovich, will have new cockpit coveringboards installed. The vessel will also receive a complete bottomjob, including the application of a barrier coat and anti-foulingpaint.

COMING IN OUR NEXT ISSUE ACY REVEALS PLANS FOR MARINE COMMERCE PARK

6800 S.W. Jack James Drive • Stuart, FL 34997

PATRIOT PRESS N E W S A N D I N F O R M AT I O N F R O M A M E R I C A N C U S TO M YA C H T S

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDWEST PALM BCH FLPERMIT NO 1946

ACY68 MORNINGDANCE

The deckhouse of the new ACY68MORNING DANCE is undergoing final fairing in preparation for primer application.The bridge, constructed separately on the shopfloor, will be installed once the house isprimed. The lower berths and bulkheads areunder construction, and the sizes of theaccommodations have been established.Interior mock-ups are underway, along withperspective renderings, so the owner can envi-sion the finished product.

90’ FREEDOMACY’s hull construction team is affixing

shear clamps to establish the shear line on thenew 90’ FREEDOM. All structural bulkheadsare in place, the transom has been framed out,and the deadwood for the struts and trim tabshas been installed. The bottom is now readyfor plywood application.