Humphree fins reduce roll on California classic sportfishing yacht

Tangler underway © Humphree

Tangler is an 80-foot sportfishing yacht designed by Tom Fexas and built by Knight and Carver in 1999. The current owner, Mark Hazen, invested heavily in upgrading all the boat's facilities and systems when he acquired the vessel.

Most recently, he replaced the boat's existing hydraulic fin stabilizers with a pair of Humphree all-electric all-speed fins. He's very pleased with the result.

"We're now achieving 90 percent roll reduction under way and 80 percent at rest with the Humphree fins," said Hazen. "And their rapid response times are impressive."

"The new electric fins also take up much less space than the hydraulic drives inside the engine room, and require very little maintenance, since we don't have to mess with leaky hydraulics," he added.

Hazen said Tangler typically puts in over 1,000 hours of use per year, running out of its home port in Redondo Beach, Calif., for fishing and diving day trips locally, as well as offshore runs for major tournaments off the coast of Mexico. They often tow a 34-foot catamaran astern.

"A comfortable, stable ride is a 'must' for Tangler's crew and passengers," said Hazen. "And so is reliable, trouble-free equipment that can take a beating. That's exactly what we get with Humphree's fins."

Hazen noted that the boat's separate gyro stabilization system is very slow to spin up to full speed and is less responsive than the fins.

Hazen reports that when trolling or drift fishing, they normally put the fins into stern-anchor mode and shut down the main engines to save fuel. The generators keep the fins operating with a slow paddling motion, pushing the boat through the water at one or two knots. At anchor, they set the fins for the zero-speed stabilization mode and shut down the gyro stabilizer.

"On a recent trip we fought against 30+ knot winds and 10-foot seas on the bows day and night, and the Humphree fins kept us firmly on an even keel with minimal rolling motions," Hazen said.

Hazen commented that he was also very happy with the technical expertise and support he received from the Humphree engineering team in the U.S. and the factory in Sweden. "It's impressive the way Humphree stands behind its products."

Sean Berrie, CEO of Humphree USA, observed, "We are experiencing a growing number of retrofit orders for our fin stabilizers on sportfishing yachts on the Pacific Coast. The owners and captains all talk to each other, and they boast about the effectiveness and reliability of the Humphree stabilization systems in reducing roll and making for a smoother, happier experience at sea for everyone on-board."