80-foot Roscioli yacht
The buzz around tournament circles is that if you see Big Gin heading your way, you had better run! She is big, she is fast and she is in a league all her own.

This super sportfish is truly a marvel of modern times. Already, only three years into her career representing Orange Beach, Alabama’s Kenny Mclean in prestigious events from Baja to the Bahamas, Big Gin is just beginning to reveal to her former Hatteras 65 owners what she is truly made of.

Designated the Donzi R80 (no relation to Donzi Marine), Big Gin is hull #3 in a series of 80-footers’ splashed since the turn of the century. She was designed and engineered from the keel up as the flagship of Roscioli’s world-class fleet. Bob Roscioli, banking on nearly five decades of industry leading experience, not only succeeded in melding brute power with global ‘cruisability,’ but wrapped it all inside and out with the most lavish custom crafted sportfish yacht imaginable.

Whenever you see a custom vessel of this caliber it is a sight to behold, and Big Gin is no different. Her sleek, sexy curves stand out from the crowd. Her expansive teak cockpit and well-appointed battle station have everything it takes to compete against the very best. She is fished hard by demanding big game anglers who appreciate the complete tackle center with rigging station, multiple bait freezers, wash-down systems, onboard ice-maker, two livewells, hydraulic triple spreader outriggers and her full arsenal custom tackle- all of which seam together in the pursuit of the oceans’ greatest gladiators.

Gracefully stretching just over 80 feet long and a beamy 21 feet wide, Big Gin displaces more than 125,000 pounds while maintaining classic sportfish lines that glisten in the sun. When not at rest, she roars across abyssal seas with the prowess of an unchallenged predator. Her turbocharged performance comes from a pair of DDC/MTU 16V2000 electronically controlled 1800 horsepower power plants housed in a shimmering engine room so clean, you could literally eat off the floor. Feeding her thirsty locomotives, multiple tanks combine to carry 3200 gallons of diesel for long range cruising at nearly 30 knots- a staggering speed for any yacht of this length.

Keeping the horses company are twin 32kw Northern Lights gensets producing enough juice to light a small city. And just to insure extended sustainability, Big Gin desalinizes her own salt water at a rate of 1500 gallons a day!

Interestingly, even with all of this heavy equipment on board, passengers barely hear a thing. Not because all of the machinery is tucked away below deck in a concealed video-monitored engine room, but because Big Gin was ingeniously crafted incorporating sound reduction technology with vibration isolators and soundproof flooring.

What Big Gin’s captain, Marlin Brown, finds most impressive is that for a yacht with her shear breadth, this 80-footer’ is agile and maneuvers with amazing grace. Brown added, “Even though she is huge, she is nimble and runs circles in own wake. She handles like a giant sports car with responsive steering and throttle control with explosive acceleration that can only be described as awesome!”

In the shadow of her towering flying helm, one of four complete control stations, Big Gin’s climate-controlled bridge houses a command-center like no other. It’s here, just fore of the secondary upper-level salon with 42” flat screen, where a dazzling array of sophisticated navigation, fish-finding and communication equipment come together to insure safe expeditions and successful encounters. Northstar, Furuno, Nobletec, ICOM, you will find them all here in redundancy. Helmsmen also have access to a satellite communication system, multiple VEI monitors and auto-pilot with gyro compass. Plus, every pump and every mechanical system on the entire yacht is monitored by a computerized management system located right here at the captain’s fingertips.

Of course, her bridge is only one of her many attractions. Big Gin’s luxurious fit and finish and plush accommodations pamper owners and guests in five-star elegance. Designed for comfortable living during extended tournament circuit campaigning, Big Gin’s main salon, master and V.I.P. staterooms were all custom crafted, appointed and finished to suit her owners’ specifications. Captain’s and crews quarters are also spacious, comfortable and complete with full baths, of which there are a total of five throughout. A gourmet galley with stainless steel appliances and island-bar keeps her privileged passengers well fed and the libations flowing while a state-of-the-art multi-media audio/visual system with seven flat screen televisions keeps everyone entertained in between competitions.

Today, Big Gin fishes the world’s most fertile waters with regular visits to the Abacos, Virgin Islands, Mexico, Panama and beyond. Placing in the money and breaking hearts wherever she goes, she will continue to set the standard that all other custom sportfish yachts strive to achieve well into the new millennium. She is Big Gin, and she personifies the pure essence of a Hot Yacht.

(Yachts depicted are not gratuities reviews or in any way an exchange for advertising considerations).