ALL QUIET ON CASCO BAY

I’ve always loved the clean, uninterrupted lines of lobster boats, and like the traditionalists who say you can’t put an outboard on one, I balked when builders of Downeast-style boats said they were going to build outboard-powered models.

But in 2018, the Back Cove 34O made me soften my stance. It looked good to my eyes, and to others as well. That fall, at the Newport Boat Show, the 34O was named the best new powerboat under 35 feet. I drove the 34O, and besides being easy on the eyes, she handled really well.

So, when Back Cove dunked Hull No. 1 of the 39O in November 2020—the Rockland, Maine-based builder’s second outboard-powered model—I was keen to wrap my hands around her steering wheel.

Within a week of her launch, I was in Portland, Maine, to join Capt. John Tammany of Coastal Carolina Yacht Sales aboard the first 39O. (It’s pronounced three, nine, O. The O stands for