You say you want a fishing boat that’s anything but average? A real head-turner that can handle Chesapeake Bay fishing on its worst days, fish with the best of ‘em, and is built to your own personal specifications? Sounds like it might be time for a custom boat built right here in Chesapeake country. Here are five (wildly different) top picks.
Composite Yachts CY 26
Available as either a single-screw inboard or with a single or twin outboards, the CY 26 will make a classic boat lover’s mouth water—but delivers the latest and greatest construction and all the performance you can hope for in a modern center console boat. Drop 500 horses on the bracket and you’re looking at a 60-mph top-end, and the boat can be configured to fish however you’d like. Composite Yachts has in-house design capabilities and the ability to laminate just about anything you’d want, so keep the bow open, put seats up front, or incorporate a casting deck as you please. Offshore anglers can add in a rigging station, family anglers can get a head in the console, and trollers can get rodholders lining the gunwales and rocket launchers lining the hard top. It’s all your call.
- LOA: 26’5”
- Beam: 9’6”
- Draft: 1’6”/2’0” (outboard/inboard)
- Displacement: 5500 lbs. (approx.)
Mathews Brothers 40
If classic Chesapeake Bay deadrise lines get you excited, a Mathews Brothers 40 should grab your attention. The interior can range from workboat to yacht-level, laid out with the helm/galley/seating to your own personal tastes. Down below choose between a centerline berth or V-berth, and a head with or without a separate stall shower. Cherry trim below and teak trim above are standard. Angling accouterments can include rocket launchers, an aft steering station, or even a flybridge, and power comes via a single or twin diesel inboards.
- LOA: 40’0”
- Beam: 13’4”
- Draft: 2’10”
- Displacement: 15,000 lbs.
Chesapeake Light Craft Peeler Skiff
Wait a sec, why have someone else build you a custom boat when you could build one yourself? That’s the idea behind the Chesapeake Light Craft Peeler Skiff, a fishing and crabbing machine that you can buy in plans-only form or as a pre-cut kit. Wood parts are CNC-cut with predrilled holes for stitch-and-glue construction, and you can also order optional parts like a console, nonskid decking, and more.
- LOA: 15’2”
- Beam: 6’0”
- Draft: 6” (hull only)
- Displacement: 313 lbs. (hull only)
Weaver 50 Bay Built
Each and every custom cold-molded boat is unique, and they also have a unique feel on the water—often out-shining their fiberglass brethren when it comes to taking on angry seas. Weaver builds the 50 with encapsulated Douglass Fir stringers, layered Okoume ply, and a layer of Kevlar under a layer of E-glass. Inside, the boat can be personalized as you like. Yet the lines of the 50 Bay Built aren’t an unfamiliar sight to Chesapeake anglers, as there’s one in service as a charter on the Middle Bay. If there’s a prettier charter boat out there, we haven’t seen it.
- LOA: 51’7”
- Beam: 15’0”
- Draft: 4’2”
- Displacement: 32,300 lbs.
Judge Chesapeake 27
We know you’ve already seen the Judge Yachts Chesapeake 27 fishing on the Bay, because there are a bunch of ‘em out there including a number of light tackle guide boats. True, the Judge 27 isn’t as custom in nature as the other boats we’ve included here, but if you bug Bill Judge long enough, he’ll build your boat more or less just how you like it. (Sorry, Bill). And these are proven fishing machines, for a wide range of styles from light tackle casting to open water jigging to trolling. Don’t take our word for it, just look around out there.
- LOA: 26’4”
- Beam: 8’10”
- Draft: 1’0”
- Displacement: 5700 lbs.