Fishing Boat Reviews

Our fishing boat reviews cover all types of boats ranging from big center console fishing boats to aluminum fishing boats, plus reports on outboard engines.

August 22, 2023
Some center console fishing boats are well engineered but poorly built, some are poorly engineered but well built, and some boats just plain take your breath away. You think you can find a single…
August 5, 2023
We ran across the Parker 2900CC at the Miami International Boat Show this winter, where it was on display at Yamaha’s dock sporting a pair of F300s. And it’s no wonder Yamaha wanted the boat there.…
July 21, 2023
Pop Quiz: How do you get the entire family excited about getting the bay- and ocean-capable center console fishing boat you’ve always wanted? The answer is simple: take them to see a Cobia 301 CC.…
July 3, 2023
What’s the ideal size center console fishing boat for plying the Chesapeake’s waters? Many would argue a 26-footer is perfect. It has room for plenty of anglers and the heft to handle choppy seas,…
June 20, 2023
Scout Boats has a new hybrid bay boat to their lineup, and the 281 XXS is not only their newest in this lineup it’s the largest as well. Par for the course for this builder, it’s also jam-packed with…
May 26, 2023
If you want a fishing boat for Chesapeake Bay fishing with a cabin protecting the helm your choices are pretty limited in this day and age. And if you also want a boat small enough to be easily…
April 30, 2023
For 2023 Grady-White expands its Coastal Explorer line with their biggest bay boat yet, the all-new 281 CE. This model line is aptly named. You want to explore the back-bays and creeks? With a…
April 22, 2023
World Cat has been on a steady march updating their line to the CC-X models, and the latest to get the update is the all-new 260. The number-one stand-out feature of the boat is, of course, the fact…
April 2, 2023
When you get a 25-foot center console boat with twin engines it seems reasonable to expect to be able to haul down to the beach and fish the ocean when the weather allows. And sure, you can do so on…
March 17, 2023
Parker Boats new 26CC is like a linebacker in the world of fishing boats. It has epically broad shoulders, surprising speed and agility, and the beef to plow right through difficult conditions. While…
March 9, 2023
Are you sick and tired of gentrified fishing boats with so many frou-frou features that they’re better suited for cocktail hour than casting? The gold-stitched seating, wine-chillers, and light-up…
March 1, 2023
Let’s face it, boaters: 22 foot center console boats with white hullsides, a leaning post, and a transom livewell are a dime a dozen. Except that in this scenario, the dime actually costs as much as…
February 21, 2023
The number-one trait many anglers look for in a fishing boat is versatility, because we want to fish for yellowfin tuna at the offshore grounds one day, go striper fishing in the bay the next, and…
February 3, 2023
Harkening back to last month’s Notes from the Cockpit column about how much fun small, inexpensive boats can be, we figured it would be a great time to make some picks among the easy-to-afford…
January 30, 2023
There are predators, and then there are apex predators. In whatever environment they may prowl, the hunters at the very top of the food chain are big, fast, agile, and armed with sharp claws or teeth…
January 24, 2023
A year ago this month Formula made the rather shocking announcement that they were entering the center console market, showing a pair of scale models along with artist’s renderings at the 2022 Miami…
January 18, 2023
You say you and your kids like everything about playing in the watery world from wakeboarding, to fishing, to rafting up at the sandbar? We’re not surprised, because being out on a boat is a whole…
January 12, 2023
What’s the worst thing about getting a boat that’s sized for fishing the shallows for speckled trout one day and cruising into the open Atlantic to try trolling for yellowfin tuna the next? Taking a…