If you’ve ever been on a Pair Customs boat (or read one of our review of the Pair Marine 24 DV) you’ll already know that one of the best things about these fishing machines is that they’re built uber-tough. From the 1.5” cored stringers to the hand-laid biaxial cloth hull to the rigid pipework these boats are as rugged as they come. After peeking around on their new 28 we weren’t surprised to see that this model is built with that same attitude. But we were very surprised when we looked at Mercury’s Boat House Bulletin on the boat—when rigged with a pair of 300 Verados, it clipped past the 60-mph mark. And when set at a reasonable 4500 rpm cruise the boat zipped along at 45.6 mph. Rugged? Heck yes. But, a performance boat, too? Evidently.
From the angling perspective the boat carries on in the usual Pair Customs tradition, with a large livewell in the transom (40 gallons, and a second 45-gallon well can be added at the leaning post if so desired); fishboxes in the deck; and gobs and gobs of rodholders. Four stainless-steel flush-mount rodholders come stock in the gunwales but don’t let that fool you, because remember, these boats are highly customizable. The one we checked out had eight in the gunwales, five rocket launchers plus a pair of kingfish holders on the T-top, four more rocket launchers on the back of the leaning post, four more running up the sides on the supports, plus racks under the gunwales. The best thing fishing-wise, however, is the layout with an open and unencumbered cockpit, plenty of pass-through room next to the console, and relatively narrow bow seats that are just wide enough for a pair of passengers to sit or recline while facing forward and kicking back against the swing-out backrests.
Another angling highlight is the tackle station integrated into the back of the leaning post. It has three large tackleboxes, two bulk stowage drawers, and there’s still enough room underneath for a cooler or for five-gallon buckets standing upright. Having to haul a ton of gear aboard every time you go fishing? Forgeddaboudit.
The boat can be had with cruising perks like a filler to turn the bow into a sunpad, a head inside the front-entry console compartment, a 13-gallon freshwater system, a forward console chaise, a fold-out transom bench seat, and even diamond stitching in the upholstery. But the biggest comfort feature of all comes stock: a Seakeeper Ride attitude control system. We’ve found these to reduce roll and pitch by half or more in similar boats, something cruisers and anglers will all appreciate alike.
Ruggedness? Check. Performance? Double check. Fishability? In spades. One might not be enough—we’d better get a pair.
Pair Customs 28 Specifications
- LOA – 28’2”
- Beam – 9’3”
- Displacement – 5800 lbs.
- Draft – 1’10”
- Transom Deadrise – 22 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 226 gal.
- Max. Power – 600 hp
- Area Dealers – Brown Dog Marine, Trappe, MD, (410) 310-8931.