Four outboards, four-across seating at the helm, four fishboxes in the deck, and lounger space for four people to stretch out in complete luxury in the bow—if you say double the fun is great but quadruple the fun is twice as nice, you’ll soon be checking out the new Sportsman Open 402. This isn’t only Sportsman’s latest model, it’s also the biggest boat they’ve ever built.
The Open 402 is large enough and luxurious enough that it makes the jump from center console boat to center console yacht, with all the perks and pleasures you’d expect from a 40’4” long, 13’ wide CC with an air-conditioned cabin in the console. Step down below and you’ll discover a queen-sized berth that converts into a dinette, a galley, and an enclosed head with a separate stall shower. Roughing it on overnighters at the canyon just became a thing of the past. But even down here Sportsman doesn’t lose sight of the fishing mission, incorporating a vertical rodrack for nine rigs in the sole.
The Sportsman Open 402 can be had with a wide range of engine packages all the way up to a whopping 1700 horsepower. The stock rig is a brace of 350s, which offers more than enough oomph. Set the throttles at 4500 rpm and you’ll be cruising across the water at over 45 mph. Nail the throttles and top speeds hit a hat-stripping 61 mph. And note that these are real-world numbers recorded with five people and half a load of fuel aboard.
Those rod holders we mentioned in the cabin don’t even begin to scratch the surface as we begin tabulating fishing features. The number one thing to keep in mind is that thanks to the sheer size of this boat, most of us will have four times as much angling territory as we’re used to. The cockpit is just plain huge, with coaming bolsters all around; a pair of 40 gallon pressurized aquarium-style livewells in the transom; six flush-mount rodholders in the gunwales plus seven rocket launchers on the hard top; under-gunwale electric reel outlets and gaff/mop racks; four macerated and insulated fishboxes in the deck; and a massive tackle station hidden behind the drop-down seatback in the aft-facing mezzanine seat.
More about that mezzanine seat: it has stowage and a drink cooler underneath which can be optionally refrigerated. With room for three, it’ll be the spot of choice to kick back in comfort as you watch the baits while trolling offshore. And as you pass over the pinnacles and canyon walls you’ll appreciate the fact that this boat comes with a pair of Garmin GPSMAP 9227 MFDs at the helm and an Airmar PM275LHW 1kW CHIRP transducer in the hull. Like other Sportsman boats it also features their SportLink electronics integration, so the Garmin displays are fully connected with all the other electronics ranging from the Apollo RA770/JL Audio sound system to the tank sensors. Additional techy touches include the Seakeeper Ride vessel attitude control system, a pair of Scanstrut ROKK wireless cell phone holder/chargers, multiple USB/USB-C ports, and an onboard Xantrex battery charger. Still, the highest-tech touch of them all may well be the boat’s construction. This is an infused boat with an infused stringer system, Sileather silicon marine fabrics on the cushions, and a digital switching system that gives you full control of the boat’s systems via swipes and taps on the touchscreens.
Why have merely twice the fun, when you could have four times as much? Why double the pleasure, when you could quadruple it? We may not be mathematicians, but these seem like simple calculations to us. And if you want the biggest, most luxurious Sportsman ever built, it’s time to put down the calculator and check out the Open 402.
Sportsman Open 402 Specifications
- LOA – 40’4”
- Beam – 13’0”
- Displacement – 19,436 lbs.
- Draft (min.) – 2’6”
- Transom Deadrise – 23 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 650 gal.
- Water Capacity – 60 gal.
- Max. Power – 1700 hp
For more information visit the Sportsman Boats, or in Maryland FishTalk supporter Riverside Marine, Essex, MD, (410) 686-1500.