Lest you worry about the integrity of the gasketing and latches on the in-deck boxes aboard the Cabo 52, here's a test you can perform to assuage your fears: Open one of the huge fish-box hatches. Then let it slam closed. All hatches fit to such close tolerances that all you'll hear is a whoosh. It wouldn't wake an infant sleeping on the mezzanine seat.

At 5 to 7 knots, the wake remained perfectly clear. Above that to about 15 knots, the tunnels channel subsurface turbulence, keeping it confined to two distinct lines. Outside these you get clear trolling alleys.

Cabo offers tons of rod storage aboard the 52. In addition to the open-air holders around the cockpit, the under-deck pantry in the galley also provides considerable built-in rod-storage racks. You'll find the most impressive rod repository, however, in the companionway belowdecks. A beautiful glass-door closet with architectural lighting, black-velvet lining and handsome teak trim showcases your boat's most striking fishing assets. High-quality tackle is — after all — art!

Design and Construction
As you'd expect from a company with the engineering reputation that Cabo has, the interior qualifies as luxurious without being ostentatious. I love the distinctive Cabo teak cabinetry with its renowned crosshatched ventilation strips hiding not only regular storage, but also additional rod storage on either side of the forward berth.

Other belowdecks appointments include Corian counters, a four-burner cooktop, and Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer drawers, and they all draw power from the unusually well-engineered wiring. All Cabo distribution panels and engine compartments qualify as works of art in the engineering realm.

This hull consists of ISO/NPG gelcoat, vinylester resins and stitched biaxial fiberglass sandwiching Core-Cell — all vacuum-bagged for a perfect laminate. The flybridge deck gets end-grain balsa coring and polyester resins. The skeleton of the 52 boasts foam-cored fiberglass stringers combined with   fiberglass web framing. And finally, marine-plywood bulkheads covered with satin-finish teak veneers provide the vertical structural support.

If you had any doubts about the continued high quality, innovation or growth of Cabo Yachts in this global economic maelstrom, rest assured that the company couldn't be in a better position for the turnaround.

LOA......54 ft. 11 in.
BEAM......17 ft. 9 in.
DEADRISE......16 deg.
DRAFT......5 ft.
WEIGHT......50,000 lb.
FUEL......1,400 gal.
MAX POWER......Twin 1,675 hp Cat C32
 ACERT diesels
MSRP......$1,622,200 (Base boat
 w/ twin 1,015 hp Cat diesels)
 $2,241,456 (Tournament edition
 w/ twin 1,675 hp Cat diesels)

Cabo Yachts / Adelanto, California / 760-246-8917 / www.caboyachts.com