Cabo 44 HTX Tout

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Sight lines can often be limited in express designs. The 44’s centerline helm pod, along with Stidd captain and companion seats, mount on a platform several inches higher than the helm deck, ensuring the skipper’s lines of sight are clear and unobstructed.

From the wheel, I could easily see both transom corners. Many express boats lack a clear view of the portside corner because the lounge backrest blocks the sight line. However, thanks to the raised centerline helm, the expansive six-person L-shape settee (with hidden rod stowage) never obstructs your vision while working fish or docking the boat. Other pluses include a portside fiberglass module housing a refrigerator and tool/tackle locker. Lay a towel atop this module and it serves as a great place to rig baits out of the weather. An optional electric grill fits under a hatch at this console’s after end.

Practical as it is, the hardtop also makes the boat’s lines pop. The words sleek and clean fall short. You’ll be pleased by the 44 HTX’s aesthetics each time you give it that last glance while tromping down the dock at day’s end.

You also won’t be able to see how this aluminum-reinforced composite structure is attached to the boat. There are no visible seams. Of course, Cabo’s workmanship and engineering set industry benchmarks. The laminate schedule consists of biaxial fabric set in vinylester resin that’s vacuum-bagged for great strength, stiffness and finish throughout.



Belowdecks, cruising owners will be thrilled. Cabo reaches new heights of function and comfort with the 44. The galley, arrayed across the aft-cabin bulkhead, provides the huge salon with a convertible six-seat settee, which doubles as a dinette, to port. Since the galley doesn’t take up one side, the head is located between the master, with its island-queen berth, and the guest staterooms. This provides more privacy than when staterooms share a bulkhead. 

My test boat featured under/over berths in the guest stateroom, but Cabo offers a revised layout that uses this space as a tackle room, complete with rod racks, a workbench and a leaping billfish etched in backlit glass. Whichever you choose, the 44 HTX’s cabin rivals the luxury of dedicated cruising yachts with its teak sole, book-matched cabinetry, solid-surface counters and ambient light from a multitude of skylights and hatches overhead.

If you’re looking for a boat that is designed to fish, yet has the amenities of a cruiser, put Cabo on your short list.

LOA: 47’7”
BEAM: 16’6”
DRAFT: 3’7”
DISPL.: 50,000 lb.
DEADRISE: 16 degrees
FUEL: 800 gal.
WATER: 100 gal.
TEST POWER: 2 x 1,001 hp CAT C18 ACERT diesels
STANDARD POWER: 2 x 715 hp Cummins QSM 11 diesels
BASE PRICE: $949,000

Test Conditions: Speeds were measured by GPS off Key Largo, Florida, in 3- to 5-foot seas and 15-knot winds, with 600 gallons of fuel, 50 gallons of water and five people aboard. Fuel consumption was calculated by the electronic engine-monitoring system. Sound levels were measured at the helm.

RPM   Knots    GPH     dB(A)
900   10.1     17.4    83
1200  11.6     33.0    87
1500  21.4     49.1    89
1800  28.7     67.4    93
2100  34.4     87.2    95
2282  38.1    107.2    97

Cabo Yachts, 252-637-2226; www.caboyachts.com