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Boat of the Day

A collection of our all-time favorite boats

By Staff

Updated: February 11, 2015

Mako 18 LTS

INSHORE ATTRIBUTES: The 18 LTS features the company’s patented Rapid Planing System transom, which helps boost holeshot and top speed, as well as provide for smooth handling. It also translates into straight tracking when poling the flats. Inside, you’ll find raised, non-skid fore and aft casting decks, spacious storage areas, aerated forward-console livewell, helm seat/cooler and rod storage to ensure you have all the tools you require. See the entire gallery of 25 of the Top Inshore Center Consoles.

“Jarrett Bay’s definition of a fish-around is a unique crossbreed of a performance-based, traditional offshore center-console and a more traditional offshore walkaround,” says Zach Boslau, new-construction foreman. “There’s a fairly harsh gap between the two styles, with not many options in the market for anything in between.” See the entire gallery of the Best Fish-Around Offshore Boats.

Dream Boat: Jupiter 38. Brad Runyan, a Florida tournament captain, sold his previous Jupiter 38, which he had campaigned in a number of South Florida Tournaments, but plans to purchase and customize another one again in the near future. — I have found the hull to be very fuel efficient.
— With high-quality components throughout, it is easier and less expensive to maintain the boat in the long run.
— The design is very stylish, in my view.
— The design is very versatile, offering features for the family and serious fishermen. Estimated price: $400,000 See the entire gallery of dream boats from captains, here.

Billfish 39

While fishability is a key component of the fish-around style, Billfish Boatworks says that safety should also stand out, particularly as a consideration for far-offshore anglers and travelers. The ability to move completely around the vessel while remaining bounded by high gunwales offers protection to anyone negotiating the bow at night or in heavy seas. See the entire gallery of fish-around offshore boats, here.

SeaVee 430 Fish-Around

“On a walkaround, there’s a step up or two from the cockpit to a small, narrow side deck, which leads to the bow,” explains SeaVee designer Rob Kaidy. “This side deck includes a short, shallow bulwark. This arrangement makes it possible to readily access the bow for anchoring and other work, but fishing from forward of the cockpit is not possible. This is the fundamental difference — thus ‘walk’ and not ‘fish’ around.” However, because of that almost beam-to-beam cabin width, a walkaround can offer more interior volume — a facet many family anglers prefer. See some of the other best Fish-Around Offshore Boats here.

Invincible 42 Open Fisherman

This 42-foot-9-inch open fisherman employs a proprietary sea chest that feeds water to the wells at all speeds. Livewells in the sole aft and in the transom comprise 170 gallons. The transom well sports an acrylic lid to better monitor bait health. “For fast boats, it’s all about getting to the fishing grounds first. But it doesn’t help if you get out there and your bait is dead,” an Invincible spokesman says. “When a boat is on plane, there’s so much air under the hull that standard pickups are not able to grab enough water to keep the wells properly fed. Our pickups in the box are fully shielded. There’s always water in there.” See the entire gallery of Great Live-Bait Center Consoles, here.

Black Water 36 SF

Like all models built by this Miami, Florida-based brand, each **Blackwater 36 SF **is hand fabricated. “There is just no other way to achieve the highest quality possible,” says Blackwater’s Jose Fernando Camilo. “We use only the finest material and we never compromise on our standards.” That kind of craftsmanship shows in the boat’s fit-and-finish and styling, as well as in features such as a console designed to handle a large array of marine electronics and abundant onboard storage. With a level deck from bow to transom, this outboard-powered 36-footer offers a 9-foot, 9-inch beam, twin transom livewells and 24 degrees of deadrise at the transom. With 400-gallon fuel capacity, it can handle up to 1,200 hp. Fish ready, the 36 SF weighs in at 12,000 pounds. See the entire gallery of Great Center-Console Boats over 30 Feet, here.

Soon after this hull floated onto the market, it was named Boat of the Year by SF‘s sister publication Boating. Other experts dubbed the Express 330 a “category killer”. The boat has fuel efficiency, fishing and cruising amenities as well as speed, interior space and performance. Over the years, Grady has tweaked the hull, and it remains one of the company’s best-loved boats. With twin Yamaha F350s, it tops out over 50 mph; at cruise, it runs 27 mph and delivers 1.24 mpg. Read our 25 of the Decade’s Top Boats here.

While Pursuit now offers a 23-foot dual‑console vessel, its 265 was the first such design for the company and is its dual-console flagship at almost 26 feet in overall length. The company describes the vessel’s design as “specifically engineered for its anticipated use, with family fun, casual fishing, cruising and marine sport utility in mind.” That said, the 265 offers plenty of more-than-casual fishy features, such as cockpit lounges that fold up tightly to create open fishing space, under-gunwale rod storage, a tackle drawer under the freshwater sink, transom door, 19-gallon livewell and 31-gallon transom fish box. Pursuit says it initially designed the 265 for a single-engine application to improve efficiency and preserve more space around the swim platform. A single Yamaha F350 takes the boat to a top speed of 49.8 mph, achieving 1.49 mpg, according to Yamaha statistics. However, Pursuit now also offers twin applications: Twin Yamaha four-cylinder F200s generate a top end of 51.4 mph for 1.3 mpg. Check out the entire gallery of dual-consoles here.

Pathfinder 2400 TRS

If you’ve spent any time inshore on the Atlantic or Gulf coasts there’s a strong chance that you’ve seen plenty of Pathfinder 2400 bay boats. The most recent version, the 2400 TRS, melds hardcore-angling features, integrated deck seating and plush touch-points to make a luxurious fishing machine. At 23-feet, 11-inches long and 8-feet, 6-inches wide, the boat has room for plenty of passengers and the size to handle any bay chop, but still floats shallow. Though designed with fishing in mind, 2400 TRS owners value its inshore versatility whether skiing, snorkeling or island hopping. Photo courtesy of Pathfinder See the entire gallery of the top inshore center consoles here.

Everglades 355T

The twin 39-gallon insulated fish boxes flanking the 355T‘s 38-gallon transom livewell can be converted to a refrigerator and freezer as an option. An additional 120 gallons of insulated-fish-box capacity is built into the forward deck. All-composite construction with high-density, closed-cell, structural foam flotation renders the 9,500-pound boat (dry, without engines) virtually unsinkable. See the entire gallery of 25 Great Center-Console Boats Over 30 Feet here.

Yellowfin 42

Stepped-hull design came naturally to **Yellowfin Yachts’ **owner Wylie Nagler, who has a background in powerboat racing and tournament fishing. “There are basically two types of drag — water drag and wave drag,” Nagler says. “One, you can do something about, and the other, not so much.” Introducing air through the steps at the bottom of the boat reduces friction between the hull and the water, reducing water drag, he says. “Wave drag is when the boat hits a wave and it slows down. Steps really do not help at all in this situation.” View the entire gallery of six stepped-hull center consoles here.

Contender 35ST

Daryl Deka and Team Hardway run a Contender 35ST called Doing It All out of south Florida, winning top prizes in live-bait tournaments such as the Silver Sailfish Derby out of West Palm Beach. This past season they took the championship title in the Quest for the Crest Sailfish Series. Deka says their Contender features 48 gunwale rod holders and five electrical outlets around the boat to deploy multiple kites from any location. The team’s 35ST also comes with four wells — two standard 40-gallon tanks in the transom, a 55-gallon well in the aft deck and an 85-gallon well in the bow deck. Each is filled using its own 1,500 gph pump fitted into a sea chest. Read more about this Contender and some other great live-bait center consoles here.

Scout 300 LXF

Scout‘s brand-new 300 LXF — a forward-seating, center-console luxury model — comes with the company’s Nu-V3 high-performance fuel-efficient hull. The 300 is the fourth LXF, joining the 275, 320and 350. The new 300 features a C-Zone digital-switching electronics system, programmable from a remote key fob. It also comes standard with a hardtop and tempered-glass enclosure, Fusion stereo, and a deluxe leaning post with a livewell and tackle drawers. Designed for a maximum of 600 horsepower, the 300 LXF offers power-assist hydraulic steering and 212 gallons of fuel capacity. Forward and belowdecks, Scout provides cushioned comfort for the family with ample seating and a fully outfitted console berth. Beneath the bow seating, fish boxes complement the in-sole fish box. Additional standard items include dual swim platforms with a center walk-through, transom door, starboard-console storage for brushes and lines, an electric marine head, Lenco trim tabs, and flush-mount rod holders. SPECIFICATIONS LOA 30 ft. 2 in.
BEAM 9 ft. 10 in.
TRANSOM DEADRISE 20 deg.
DRAFT 22.5 in. See some other recent rollouts here.