The sun cracks the horizon. Warm salt air is at once intoxicating and relaxing. The still water ripples as you approach your fishing spot. It catches your gaze. Wavelets roll infinitely in all directions. Opportunity lies ahead. Where will your quarry pop up next? You slow down to neutral. Scanning the surface, you see ripples again. Quietly, you look around the boat for that go-to rod, perfect reel and must-have lure. You cast. A strike. Game on. That’s the thrill. It’s a heartbeat. It’s why we fish. Beneath your feet for this give-and-take fight is your sport fishing boat. Your platform for piscatorial pursuits. And the choice is as personal as that lure you just threw.
Grady-White Canyon 336
A hunt-designed variable-deadrise hull form and rugged hand-laid fiberglass construction should keep everyone comfortable on board the Grady-White Canyon 336. Twin 350 hp or triple 300 hp Yamaha four-stroke outboards will get you to the grounds in fast fashion. (Top end varies from 45 knots to 48.5 knots.) With an 80-square-foot cockpit, three insulated fish boxes and outriggers, this boat is ready to go. Fish not included.
Jupiter 34 HFS
Jupiter has been in the center console game since 1989 and has a big-boat pedigree. Its president, Carl Herndon, was also the founder and CEO of noted sport-fish builder Blackfin Yacht Corp. and the former president of Bertram Yachts. This 34 HFS benefits from that experience. Its entry is a wave-slicing 60 degrees. The hull transitions to 24 degrees at the transom. Supporting this design is a hand-laid solid-fiberglass hull bottom. Closed-cell PVC foam core is used in the hull sides for weight savings. Power options include triple 300 or 350 hp Yamahas. To make your 34 HFS ready to chase fish, opt for the custom T-top, outriggers, second livewell pump and prep center with mezzanine seating.
33 Mag Bay
Mag Bay might be a new name to you, but its legacy is not. The company was started by Michael Howarth, co-founder of Pacific Seacraft and Cabo Yachts, along with his son Barrett. This duo’s new venture is the Michael Peters-designed, twin-stepped hull 33 Mag Bay. For avid anglers and fans of Cabo’s build quality and fishability, this sleek center console could make your shortlist.
Intrepid 375 CC
Intrepid has been a longtime favorite on the tender scene, and deservedly so. This builder knows how to blend style and substance, as is the case in the 375 CC. The 375’s aggressive, straight sheer line and single-stepped hull design catches your eye instantly, denoting the boat’s performance potential. (It’s available with your choice of twin or triple outboards.) Intrepid will customize your 375 CC too. It recently installed a shock-mitigating helm seating system for one 375 owner with back issues, making even rough-weather rides floating-on-a-cloud soft. Everything from rod racks to double-pump livewell systems for live-bait, sailfish tournament fans to outriggers and fish boxes can be tailored to your needs.
Southport 33 33 LX
Towable or stowable, the 33 LX can handle up to 700 hp and should have a top end around 48 knots with the max option. Forward seating doubles as a casting platform when the bite gets hot and everyone is tossing jigs 360 degrees. You can also customize the leaning post for your tackle needs. Like to see the fish from below the surface? Add a dive-tank compressor and side dive door, then go for a dip. Southport Boats, southportboats.com.
Boston Whaler 350 Outrage
Just a hair under 52 knots is what the unsinkable, deep-V hull Boston Whaler 350 Outrage will do when armed with triple 350 hp Mercury outboards. If you choose triple 300s as seen here, the top end is still a remarkable 49.2 knots with time to plane around 7.4 seconds. A joystick option should ease handling around the mothership and the dock. The 350 sits at the upper end of the builder’s Outrage line, ranging from 19 to 42 feet length overall. Fishing fans will appreciate standard features such as the 23-gallon livewell, 14 rod holders (gunwale and transom), leaning post and bait-prep center with 40-gallon livewell and three in-sole fish boxes, to name a few. Noteworthy angling options include freezer plates for the fish boxes (they also require the generator option), radial outriggers, Raymarine electronics package with CHIRP sonar, tower and upper station. Timeless style is also standard.
Scout 420 LXF
Scout’s 420 LXF is a picturesque piscatorial platform with sweeping lines and a high-tech build. Its double-stepped hull is vacuum-bagged and epoxy-infused for strength without excessive heft. The 420 has a 15,800-pound dry weight, sans motors. A 28-inch draft makes this vessel skinny-water-fishing friendly. This center console can accommodate up to — wait for it — 1,675 hp. With quad 400 hp Mercury outboards, this huge fish-boat will approach go-fast speeds at about 62 knots on the pins, the builder reports. Cruise speed is said to be around 37.5 knots at 4,500 rpm. Triple 350s and quad 300s from Yamaha and Mercury are also available. Cushioned bolsters all around make stand-up fighting that stubborn fish easy on the knees. Add optional 18-foot Rupp outriggers, a Release Marine fighting chair, electric reel outlets for deep-dropping and a couple of fish box freezer plates, and you’re fish-ready.
Edgewater 248CX
Perhaps you are more of a gentleman angler than a hardcore tournament guy. If so, then Edgewater’s 248CX, which the builder calls a crossover vessel, could be the ticket. This dual console sports a deep-V hull design (21 degrees transom deadrise) and a single-piece infused fiberglass hull for a rugged offshore platform when you want it. A 64-square-foot cockpit offers space for the family to catch dinner together with elbowroom to spare. Power comes from a 300 hp Yamaha four-stroke outboard. Edgewater reports that the 248CX tops out around 43.3 knots and cruises around 33.3 knots at 4,500 rpm. Use live bait? A 28-gallon livewell is standard. Options include hardtop rocket launchers, colored hull and Garmin electronics.
Contender 35 ST
Battling multiple sailfish hookups on tournament day should be easy thanks to the 35 ST’s one-piece level deck. Twin raised livewells will keep those goggle-eyes frisky. Max hp is 1,050 to ensure you get lines in the water first. A hand-laid fiberglass hull gives the 35 ST a bluewater-capable backbone. Some fishing options include outriggers, T-top with rod holders, tackle drawers and a coffin box. Contender, contenderoffshore.com
Seavee 370Z
Redundant systems are key for vessel safety, especially when that vessel is chasing big fish over the horizon. To that end, SeaVee’s 370Z has a triple outboard, triple fuel-tank option with each motor fed by its own tank, mitigating the chance that a fuel issue will take down all of your motors at once. The tanks can also work together via a series of valves. Base power is triple 300 hp Mercury outboards offering a reported top hop around 56.5 knots. The cored fiberglass, twin-stepped hull has structural foam to add rigidity without weight. The 370Z comes in at 9,300 pounds dry weight without power.
Anglers can keep their catch of the day in the insulated fish box forward. Two 40-gallon transom livewells are standard issue too.
Bonadeo 37 Walkaround
This customizable fishing machine offers sleek styling, a wave-beating bow flare and a build to back up its promises. Bonadeo constructs this bluewater-bound walkaround’s infused hull with Kevlar, carbon fiber and fiberglass. She’s outfitted with triple 350 hp Mercury outboards, reportedly hitting about 52.2 knots at wide open. A queen-size berth belowdecks offers a place to snooze when the bite’s off.
Yellowfin 30 RHIB
Have it your way. Yellowfin Custom Yacht Tenders is ready to outfit the 30 RHIB upon request. Want space for inshore and offshore rods and all your go-to lures? Done. Maybe some room for your mask and fins when the spearfishing itch needs scratching? You’ve got it. If you can dream it, Yellowfin says it can accommodate. There are a couple of power options too. The 30 RHIB can be outfitted with outboard motors to a max of 700 hp, but a single diesel is also available. Maximum range is reported to be about 300 miles on 190 gallons of fuel.
This boat has a sturdy, resin-infused, cored composite hull made of Kevlar and Core-Cell foam. A rugged Hypalon collar is both UV- and petroleum-resistant.
Regulator 28
A lou codega-designed deep-V hull form (24 degree transom deadrise) should dice and slice the chop. Twin 300 hp Yamahas are said to propel this speedster to a top end of 52.5 knots, with a best cruise around 30 knots. Fish stowage abounds, including a transom livewell and fish box, in-sole cockpit fish box and another one forward. If you need more room, then you caught all the fish. Regulator Marine, regulatormarine.com
Hydra-Sports 3400 CC
With a blistering top speed of 54 knots when outfitted with triple 300 hp Yamahas, the Hydra-Sports 3400 CC has every right to put the word “sport” in its name. But the boat isn’t simply a pure racer. It’s built to fish one day and cruise the next.
For anglers, the 3400 CC has a tackle station, a roomy cockpit, fish boxes and a slew of rod holders all over the place. Guests can enjoy the boat’s exhilarating speeds from any number of vantage points, including twin helm seats, a convertible bench seat at the transom, a twin lounge just forward of the console and U-shaped seating in the bow. With features like these, the 3400 CC is a do-it-all boat that can truly thrill.
Pursuit S408 Sport
The largest in Pursuit’s three-model Sport line, the S408 Sport is big (42 feet 10 inches LOA) and beamy (13 feet). It has the 360-degree fishability of a center console, and its size allows for extras such as a salon belowdecks with berths for two and a galley. Triple 350 hp Yamaha outboards are standard (triple 300 Yamahas are optional). One notable add-on is the Seakeeper 5 gyro to help turn a rough day into a fish day.
Everglades 360LXC
Maybe there’s a night bite and you need a sport fishing boat to keep you and the crew comfortable until the fish turn on. Everglades built the 360LXC for just such an occasion. The bridge deck has a lounge area forward of the helm with a table that drops down for stretching out and napping, while keeping you within earshot of a screaming reel in the cockpit. There is also a 32-inch retractable TV. Two refrigerators ensure you won’t be away from the baits for too long. If you need to catch some real sleep after that big fish battle, two berths are belowdecks, one forward with a second under the bridge deck. A galley with microwave and fridge keeps the crew well fed in between bites. The full head with shower gets the fish scales off you before you start cooking the catch of the day on the cockpit grill. This 37-footer sports a seakindly deep-V, variable-deadrise hull form and can accommodate a total of 1,050 hp.
