BREAKING THE MOLD

Uno Mas.

The first hull built at the new facility was the 60-foot

Like all of Bayliss’ subsequent yachts and many of his Carolina peers’ custom builds, her hull is cold-molded, with diagonally planked layers of okoume plywood followed by fiberglass and epoxy. “I have 100 percent confidence in cold-molded boats. It’s not the fastest way to build, but it’s the best,” he says. ¶ Nonetheless, his confidence was tested, as his design was a departure from those of his local peers. Bayliss’ vessels have less flare, with a softly broken sheer line and transom tumblehome — Bayliss calls them a cross between a South Florida convertible and traditional Carolina sport-fisherman. ¶ There were a lot of sleepless nights early on, but, dedicated to his vision, he finished the project. “Failure was not an option,” he recalls. Nearing completion, the builder had her pulled out of the shop. When he saw her in the sunlight, he knew he had a winner. ¶ Since she launched in July 2003, Uno Mas has consistently raised fish and placed in tournaments. Bayliss shares the opinion that a cold-molded boat will catch more fish, as the wooden hull dampens noise and minimizes vibration. Uno Mas has also raised hell: Twin 1,650 hp Cat C32s propel her to a top-end of 44 knots and a 38-knot fast cruise. ¶ To date, Bayliss has launched 20 boats ranging from 30 feet to the 90-foot, 5,200 hp, 38-knot Singularis.