Yachts

16 Top Fishing Tenders

Check out these sport-fishing boats from brands like Pursuit and Grady-White!

By Patrick Sciacca

Updated: June 1, 2015

Pursuit C 280

Deep-V hull for wave-busting? Check. A 48-knot top end with twin 250-horsepower outboards? Indeed. The Pursuit C 280 is also towable, stowable and angler-friendly with a 52-gallon livewell, two 29-gallon in-deck fish boxes and a 45-gallon in-transom box. Pursuit Boats

Southport 33 TE

Southport’s 33 TE has a maximum rating of 700 horsepower. TE means Tournament Edition, and the 33 is rigged with an in-transom livewell, a console rigging station, two in-deck fish boxes and a 100-gallon foredeck coffin box. A variable-deadrise hull form makes for smooth seas on rough days. Southport Boats

Everglades 435CC

Got deep-V? This boat does. Twenty-five degrees at the transom — and the ocean should fear it. You can hang up to 1,400 horsepower off the back. It has 200 square feet of fish-fighting space. Tackle amenities include a bait-prep station, 10 tackle drawers and 300 gallons of livewell, fish box and freezer space. Everglades

Grady-White 191 CE

Skinny-water fans will appreciate the 191 CE’s low gunwales and 14-inch draft. Redfish, however, had better worry. The builder’s SeaV² variable-deadrise hull is designed to dispatch chop. And when the day’s done, bench-style seating forward and aft converts to a lounge setup by adding removable backrests. Grady-White

SeaVee 340Z

SeaVee’s 340Z has a slip-through-the-sea, foam-core fiberglass hull. When this boat ramps up, its running attitude remains steady (no bow rise). It’s quick too, with twin or triple outboards. The steps are designed to be out of the way of water feeding into the livewell pickups, ensuring frisky baits all day long. SeaVee

Boston Whaler 420 Outrage

It’s been 57 years since Boston Whaler’s founder, Richard T. Fisher, introduced the 130 to boaters, taking the market by storm and launching his company. Following proudly in that wake comes Boston Whaler’s largest vessel to date, the 420 Outrage. This born-to-fish center-console comes standard with quad 300-horsepower Mercury Verados, which give it a 43.5-knot top end, and it can handle a total of 1,625 horsepower should you want to attempt time travel. Joystick steering enhances close-quarters maneuverability. Want to overnight away from the big boat? There’s a full cabin. Add outriggers and freezer plates and fill the console’s six tackle drawers, and it’s time to go fishing. Boston Whaler

Scout 300 LXF

Style meets function. The LXF in Scout’s new flagship stands for luxury sport-fisherman. In addition to plush guest seating both forward and in the cockpit, and a supportive bolster-style helm seat, the 300 LXF is tech-filled with its CZone digital switching system. From a key fob, you can control engines, batteries, lights and more with a finger touch. This center-console also has a stylish and patented T-top hardtop with a tempered-glass enclosure. No matter how many fish you catch, there will be room to stow them with fish boxes in the deck as well as forward under the seating. It can move too. With twin 350-horsepower outboards, the 300 LXF reportedly tops out at 58 knots. Scout Boats

Regulator 34SS

Run deep. That’s what the solid fiberglass Regulator 34SS was born to do. It can handle up to 900 total horsepower, and with its max setup, it reportedly hits 54 knots on the pins. On the angling side, it’s hard-core with in-transom livewell and fish box as well as two more fish boxes under the forward seating. Regulator Marine

Intrepid 475 Panacea

Named for the universal god of remedy, the 475 Panacea should cure what ails you. And it’s taking fishing tender comfort to new levels with 16,000 Btu air conditioning, a 5 kW diesel genset, an electric cooktop and a V-berth and table belowdecks. Spearfishermen will appreciate the swim ladder and side dive door too. Intrepid Jim Raycroft

Hell’s Bay Marquesa

A technical skiff that will put you on those permit and bonefish. Hell’s Bay

HydraSports 5300 Sueños

Meet the world’s biggest center-console, which, for HydraSports, makes sense. The builder has sold more than 140 42-footers, so there’s a market for owners looking to step up, and it’s towable for the megayacht crowd. Got big motors? Try quad 557s from Seven Marine. That’s 2,228 total horsepower! HydraSports

Contender 32 ST

The single-level deck should instill confidence in any angler as he works his fish 360 degrees around this boat. Contender’s 32 ST has a twin-step hull design that provides an agile ride. Maximum horsepower is 700. Hard-core anglers may want to add outriggers and an extra livewell or two. Contender Boats

Jupiter 41 SB

Attention, fish: You can’t run or hide. The Jupiter 41 SB has 1,200 horsepower, making it wahoo fast. And with that tower, we can see you too. The sea-friendly hull is hand-laid fiberglass with a deep-V design from the builder with naval architect Donald Blount. The 41 can accommodate five guests in two cabins. Jupiter Marine

Edgewater 388CC

Triple 300-horsepower outboards give this center-console a 54-knot top end. EdgeWater Boats

Yellowfin 26

Fly anglers: Rejoice! Forward and aft casting platforms. Single-step hull. Yellowfin

Hunt 32CC

Classic New England style meets serious center-console fishability. Hunt Yachts

There is a place where the horizon meets the sea. It’s where the fish are. Ardent anglers will run from sunrise till sunset to get there, to satisfy their piscatorial pursuits, to scratch that ever-present fishing itch. It’s because of this on-the-water gene that fishermen seek out the best platforms from which to chase their quarry. Of course, the itch will return. Great anglers count on it.