They say that life is an adventure, but life is better—and the adventures are better—when you have a center console fishing boat to enjoy them on. And if you’re looking for a boat that’s sized, equipped, and built just right for Chesapeake Bay angling adventures, the Tidewater 232 CC Adventure is one you’ll want to check out.
When you do see the Tidewater, be prepared for a pinch of pizazz and a touch of tenacity you might not have been expecting. This model boasts a through-stem anchor with windlass, something you’d normally expect to see on larger, more expensive models. The hard top features a three-sided enclosure. A Seakeeper Ride system smooths out the seas. And when we jumped aboard a 232 CC at the Richmond Boat Show we were surprised to see touches like an inductive cell phone charger/holder, blue-glowing lighted drink holders, and multi-color lighted push-button switches at the helm.
A few other traits we couldn’t help but note: the boat has significant Carolina flare in the bow, more than normally seen on boats in this size range. And the hard top design is a real standout, with stereo speakers, courtesy lights, spreader lights, and an overhead electronics box all fully integrated, rather than being bolt-on additions. Detail work is excellent, too; consider the blind-fastened pipework supports, flush enclosure windows, and colored gelcoat underside. Tidewater’s design team clearly has not been slacking off.
That stuff’s all cool, but what we really need to know is how this boat fishes. And Tidewater rigs it right, with a 30-gallon insulated and lighted livewell in the transom, eight flush-mount rodholders in the transom and gunwales, four rocket launchers on the leaning post, and four more on the T-top. Take note of the under-gunwale rodracks, which are padded with a foam liner to prevent reels from slapping the fiberglass inwales.
One nifty way Tidewater gives you more cockpit space than the average boat of this size is the leaning post design. Instead of a space-eating large fiberglass unit (or minimalist bare pipework) you’ll see a svelte and compact but fully finished seatback. Tidewater minimizes its footprint, but it looks slick and there’s still room to slide a cooler underneath. As a result, when you fold away the transom bench seat there’s more elbow room on deck than you might have expected.
The 232 CC Adventure can be had with up to 300 horses and if you load on that much power streaking across the Bay will be an adventure in and of itself. You can look for a cruise in the 40 mph range and a top-end around 50 mph. Or, go mellow and run in the 30 mph range and the boat tops three mpg. But of course, most of us won’t pull that throttle back to mosey along at most efficient cruise. Hat-stripping speeds are just SO much more fun—let’s enjoy that adventure, shall we?
Tidewater 232 CC Adventure Specifications
- LOA – 23’8”
- Beam – 8’10”
- Displacement – 3800 lbs.
- Draft (hull) – 1’3”
- Transom Deadrise – 20 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 95 gal.
- Max. Power – 300
- Area Dealers – Jetts Marine, Reedville, VA, (804) 453-3611.