Everglades 243cc: Bob Dougherty’s Opus
Looking for the finest 24-foot fishing craft on the water? Here's a good place to kick off your search.
June 26, 2014
If you set out on a mission to find the best 24-foot center-console fishing boat that money could buy, the Everglades 243cc wouldn’t be a bad place to start. After all, it’s based on the 24-footer that launched Everglades Boats in 1999, and its design consists of perhaps the finest lines designer Bob Dougherty has ever drawn (and that’s saying something).
It’s easy to see why the 243cc is Everglades Boats' best-selling model, especially once you spend a day fishing on one. I was lucky enough to do just that last month as the boats.com team filmed the first episode of Got Bait?, a new fishing show.
Lenny Rudow and the boys head out on a sweet Everglades 243cc, a capable bay boat and all-around great fishing machine.
Bulletproof Construction
The first thing to understand when it comes to Everglades Boats is the amount of attention that goes into the design and construction of each model, including the 243cc. Every Everglades boat is built entirely of composite materials including multi-directional fiberglass cloths, six-pound density closed-cell foam, and vinylester resins, utilizing Everglades’ patented Rapid Molding Core Assembly Process (RAMCAP). RAMCAP is a process by which foam parts are poured separately from the boat in their own molds versus being poured and cured in place after each hull has already been laminated. This ensures a perfect, uniform fit.
After the hull is laid up, these foam parts are set in place with adhesive, and then a hull liner is placed on top of them. Last, the hull, foam parts, and liner are placed under intense vacuum pressure, which ensures a tight, rigid, one-piece part. The decks are assembled the same way before being matched up at what is the beefiest hull to deck joint I’ve ever seen. (The local dealer provided me with a cutaway view of that masterpiece.) The result? It’s an incredibly tough, wiggle-free boat that begs to be abused in rough water.
Dougherty’s Legendary Design
As far as design goes, it’s difficult to dispute Bob Dougherty’s impact on the boating world. Back in 1960, Dougherty began work at Boston Whaler, most famously helping with the company’s iconic 13-footer. After 30 years at Boston Whaler, Dougherty was let go by new ownership and he set out to build his own boats—the impetus for the now popular Edgewater brand. He eventually started molding hard tops and other fiberglass parts for various boat manufacturers using the RAMCAP method before designing and building the iconic 24-footer that would kick off Everglades Boats.
The Everglades 243cc also has a great deck layout replete with casting platforms, fish lockers, and plenty of seating for when friends and family are aboard.
The 243cc has sort of an odd appearance for boat this size, in that it has an extremely low freeboard, which creates its bay boat look. But don’t let that low freeboard fool you. With a 37-degree entry angle and 19 degrees of transom deadrise, this isn’t just a bay boat, it’s an extremely capable machine in the ocean, too, with an impeccable ride and impressive performance. Couple those construction techniques I discussed earlier, and you have a boat that can take you where the fish are at a remarkable clip. It’s also unsinkable, and remarkably lightweight at only 3,500 pounds.
Power Plant Options
Standard power on the 243cc is a single Yamaha F250 four-stroke outboard, while a Yamaha F300 is optional. Honda BF250 and Mercury Verado 250 outboards are available as options. Performance, especially with the big-bore, 4.2-liter Yamaha F300 our test boat was equipped with, is quite impressive. While I wasn’t able to hook up monitoring equipment, Everglades’ own performance data shows a 50.1 mph top end at wide-open throttle with the F300 strapped on the stern. An efficient cruise speed comes at 26.8 mph and 3500 rpm, where the big Yamaha sips 7.9 gallons per hour. The boat is quick to launch out of the hole, planes in about four seconds from a rolling start, and power comes on smooth, right up to the 50-mph mark. Opt for the standard power plants and you’ll see top-end speeds in the 40-mph range, according to my local dealer.
| Performance Data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance data courtesy of Everglades. | |||
| RPM | MPH | GPH | MPG |
| 1000 | 6.8 | 1.3 | 5.23 |
| 2000 | 9.0 | 3.6 | 2.50 |
| 3000 | 14.8 | 6.4 | 2.31 |
| 4000 | 33.4 | 11.4 | 2.93 |
| 5000 | 42.5 | 17.1 | 2.49 |
| 6000 | 50.1 | 26.1 | 1.92 |
| Power | Single Yamaha F300 four-stroke outboard, swinging a 15.5" x 17" three-bladed stainless-steel prop. | ||
Fishing First
This wouldn’t be one of the finest fishing boats on the water without a slew of fishing-friendly features, and the 243cc doesn’t disappoint. Back aft—almost centered and highlighted as if it were an altar of some sort—is a 36-gallon livewell. And it’s not your ordinary livewell, either. The lid has better gasketing than a heavy-duty refrigerator; the interior is gelcoated blue to keep your squiggly offerings happy; and there’s even an integral LED light for early morning and late evening fishing operations.
Two fold-down jump seats complete an expansive casting platform at the stern, while another large casting platform forward provides additional access to the water. There are some powder coated aluminum rails forward, but they’re nicely designed not to catch lines. Pop-up/fold-flush cleats complete a very line-friendly deck layout. Have some wahoo, mahi-mahi, or kings to load up for the grill shoreside? A 75-gallon, self-bailing, in-floor fish box will keep them fresh, along with a 70-quart cooler situated just forward of the center-console. There’s also plenty of room for rods all around, and there are even two lockable rod stowage lockers situated on port and starboard up forward.
The 243cc proved to be a great platform for flounder. Check out all that room Lenny is taking advantage of on the stern.
Options to expand your fishing capabilities include a trolling motor mounted on the bow, an eight-foot Power Pole for skinny water holding, a T & H Atlas jack plate, outriggers, and more. You can even add a crow’s nest steering package with an ingenious sliding hatch/seat that’s great for spotting surface fish such as cobia. Mind you, those options are expensive, but adding them truly rounds out the fishing capabilities of the 243cc.
Deck and Layout
As with all Everglades boats above 23 feet, the center-console unit, hardtop, and supporting metal tubing are nothing short of artwork. The center-console is surrounded by tempered glass, and the windshield can even be lowered (a patented Everglades design). The leaning post features sturdy powder-coated metalwork with a fold-down bolster, comfortable upholstery, and a Yeti cooler underneath that is mounted on a sail track for easy slide-outs.
There are plenty of seats to keep family and friends happy during potential evening cocktail cruises or backwater explorations, too. You’ll find two jump seats aft, a richly upholstered seat/leaning post aft of the helm, a cushioned cooler seat ahead of the center console, and a nice, plush seating area in the bow. The gunwales are bolstered with more upholstered foam, and there are lots of places to hold on for dear life when the hammer is down, thanks to plenty of powder-coated hand holds and supports. What about relief when nature calls? That’s accomplished by way of a porta-potty mounted under the center-console. It’s a bit tight in there, but it works.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 24'3" |
| Beam | 8'2" |
| Draft (hull) | 1'4" |
| Deadrise | 19 degrees |
| Displacement | 3,500 lbs |
| Fuel capacity | 80 gal. |
| Water capacity | 9 gal. |
Is there anything negative to say about this boat? Well, not much. The lower hull profile means the 243cc carries 32 gallons less fuel (80 gallons total) than the 23-foot model. That will limit your oceanic explorations slightly, with a 244-mile range at cruising speed, but considering most buyers will use the 243 as a bay boat, it shouldn’t be a deal-breaker by any means.
The only other real negative I found was the price, which starts at around $80,000 but can be pushed well over $100,000 if you load it up with options and electronics. And it's actually really difficult to be angry about the pricing, considering the kind of pedigreed boat you’re getting and all of the items that come standard at that $80,000 starting point.
Obviously, I’m a fan of the Everglades 243cc. Between the copious fishing features, family-friendly accoutrements, legendary Everglades construction, and Bob Dougherty design, there’s a lot to love. Take one out for a day of fishing and you’ll soon be extolling its virtues, too.
Other Choices: For other high-end center-console bay boats in this size range, consider the Grady-White 251 Coastal Explorer or the Pathfinder 2600 HPS Bay Boat. Other comparable center-console choices in this size range include the Cobia 256CC or the Everglades 255cc.
For more information, visit Everglades Boats.
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