Call Today for Current pricing and availability at 631-668-5900 http://www.outislandsportyachts.com/index.asp See The Boat test.com for a boat reviews of this boatIn the early days of sport fishing, boats were not designed as much as they evolved. Wooden boats, which were individually crafted, were altered with each successive hull until the ideal proportions were derived. Through years of trial and error boats such as Hemingway’s Pilar incrementally became the sportfisherman of today.With the prevalence of fiberglass and mass production techniques, this evolution process has slowed and in some cases regressed. For example “tumblehome” hull sides, where the cockpit is wider at the waterline than at the coveringboards, was common on wooden boats. While ascetically pleasing, this feature is actually utilitarian. With tumblehome, when the mate handles a billfish, he is reaching directly underneath his shoulders, rather than awkwardly back toward his feet. Unfortunately, tumblehome is difficult to incorporate into a fiberglass mold; therefore it has all but disappeared in sportfish design.Outside of a few custom yards such as Rybovich, Scarborough, and Merritt, one of the few places to find an uncompromising sportfish design is in the Carolina charter fleet where many boats are still built of wood, one hull at a time. That is until today. Out Island Sport Yachts has introduced a 38 foot Express Fisherman that is true to the “Carolina Custom” design heritage while utilizing modern, low maintenance construction techniques. While her sharp entry, flared hull sides, and high bow are decidedly that of a Carolina boat, her designers have incorporated the best features from the entire sportfish family tree, such as a “Palm Beach” helm console with single lever controls for easy maneuvering on a trophy fish. Her curved transom backs well into a sea and aids in fighting fish from a chair.Tumblehome sides, a transom door, and two large fish boxes help to handle the catch. A baitwell is built into the transom and a huge tackle center incorporates a bait prep sink, drink cooler or optional bait freezer, and drawers for organized storage. The tackle center and cockpit feature rounded corners and smooth curves, and are devoid of nooks and crannies that collect debris. The non-skid surfaces are “popcorn”, a finish similar to the textured ceilings in many homes. While this profile generally works well and is easy to clean, the non-skid pattern on the test boat could be a bit more aggressive.Fishing involves the whole boat, not just the cockpit; therefore everything has been designed with maintenance in mind. This is particularly true in the engineroom. All corners are radiused. Fiberglass surfaces are smooth gelcoat and painted with industrial Imron™ for easy clean up; and overhead sound insulation is covered with perforated, powder-coated aluminum panels. The bridge deck raises on hydraulic rams and the storage lockers in the seats have removable inserts, providing unsurpassed access to the entire engineroom. A small hatch forward of the helm is convenient for engineroom checks and light maintenance.The prototype we tested had a fixed engineroom ladder that obstructed access to the front bulkhead, but according to the manufacturer, future boats will be equipped with a removable ladder.One feature typically not found on a Carolina boat is the Out Island’s deep-vee hull. Seventeen degree deadrise at the stern and thirty degrees forward of the engines cut through the seas well. Our test boat, equipped with optional 500 horsepower Yanmars, or Cummins 480 cruised comfortably at 32 knots, able to leave many larger boats in her wake even when the wind picks up.The cabin sleeps four with a double bed forward and a convertible dinette to starboard. The galley to port features a microwave, two burner stove, and refrigerator. Aft of the galley, the spacious head incorporates a separate sh |
