Some center console boats are built to skim through the waves and some are built to hop across them, but a rare few (these days) are built to squash waves underfoot like bugs. Let me share my Pair Marine story: The first time I was aboard one of their boats, I was so impressed by how sturdy it was built that to demonstrate it on video, I decided to stand on the gunwale then jump down and slam my feet on the deck. It worked great so far as the video went, since it was obvious that nothing shuddered or vibrated one iota. Unfortunately, I also learned that jumping off the gunwale and slamming your feet down onto a rock-solid deck is, well, like doing it on a rock. Ouch. On the bright side, through my aching knees I did learn that without any doubt, Pair Customs are built like a brick you-know-what.
Cast off the lines and charge into a chop, and you’ll soon discover that their boat’s stout build shoves the waves right out of the way — and does so without the hollow drumming noise so many modern hulls produce. The key is the construction, which incudes two-inch-thick core in the stringers, biaxial 24-ounce fiberglass, and two-inch core in the transom sandwiched between layers of solid fiberglass. And on the Pair Customs 24 DV Center Console this transom is graced by a bracket, so the outboard is moved far aft to provide an improved center of gravity. That helps smooth out the ride even more, while also maintaining maximum fishing space in the cockpit. In fact, note that although this boat is called a “24” that’s a hull-only number; LOA is actually over 27’.
This is a hard-core fishboat, with a full complement of armaments. There are four standard-issue flush-mount rodholders in the gunwales with the option to add plenty more, four rocket launchers in the leaning post, and five rocket launchers in the outrigger-ready top plus two kingfish holders. The back of the post has a tackle station with four Planos and two drawers. There are three fishboxes in all, one forward and two in the deck, and the transom has a centered livewell. Fuel capacity is bodacious, too, at 150 gallons, so cruising out to bluewater will be well within this boat’s capabilities.
Drop a Suzuki DF300 on the transom and performance is eye-opening with a top-end busting right past the 50-mph mark. Throttled back to 4500 rpm you’ll be cruising in the mid- to upper-30s while getting around 3.5 mpg. And if you can stand to run at a more relaxed pace of 3500 rpm in the upper 20s, the 24 DV gets an eyebrow-raising 4.3 mpg.
Built as tough as they come? Check. One hundred percent fishability? Check, again. Awesome performance? Triple check. But if you feel the temptation to take a Pair Customs 24 DV Center Console for a sea trial, don’t jump down and slam your feet on the deck — that’s a battle the boat’s going to win.
Pair Marine Customs 24 DV Specifications
- LOA – 27’4”
- Beam – 8’6”
- Displacement – 4300 lbs.
- Draft – 1’8”
- Transom Deadrise – 22 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 150 gal.
- Max. Power – 450 hp
- Area Dealers – Brown Dog Marine, Trappe, MD, (410) 310-8931.