Boat Review: SeaBorn FX24 Bay

I've been fishing out of a SeaBorn FX24 Bay boat the last few trips and thought I'd produce a review for those of you who are looking at purchasing a new boat and getting out on Amelia Island waters
this spring.

You can visit the website, scroll to the bottom and see all the specifications and you'll see that this boat's is 23'9" and 102" wide (that's over 8 feet!) which gives you a huge front deck for you and your buddies to fish from.  Although the maximum horse power rated is 300HP, the boat I used had a 250 Yamaha 4-stroke and it easily cruised down the intercoastal-very smooth- and it jumped up on a plan quickly. I never pushed it over 40mph but it felt like it could go a lot faster! The FX24 has a 68 gallon fuel tank which means you could probably fish a whole week without needing to refill.

This boat was equipped with a 80lb Minnkota I-Pilot trolling motor (I'd go with a 112lb-the 80 did fine in low current but struggled with the faster stuff) and it also had one Power Pole on the stern. I've never used a Power Pole but found that it was a good tool to anchor in shallower water, and very quite!  The trolling motor batteries were mounted in the console which is accessed by an easy-to-remove panel under the steering wheel. There was a convenient plug mounted on the side of the console for charging.

In addition to the six rod holders incorporated into the console - three on each side), there were two
holders at the stern, one on the starboard ad one on the port for spare rods that you would have at hand. I take 8 rods with me when I have 4 guests so it was great to have storage for them. Then there were two rod holders under each gunwale, and the icing on the cake were lockable rod holders on each side of the bow. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up to a restaurant on the river or trailering and wish I could lock up my rods. If I'm trailering I take them off the boat and cram them in the front seat of my truck(and risk snagging the headliner or leather seat). If I'm on the water, I'm just hoping there are no thieves around. My rod/reel combo's average $280 each and the loss of 6 of them would really hurt! So having a place to lock your rods would be great!

As mentioned, the front deck has plenty of space for 2 or even three anglers to fish from. The rear
seats fold down to make a nice platform on the stern to fish. This boat can easily fish 4 anglers plus the Captain. There's plenty of storage hatches with stainless steel hardware that shut flush. There's an anchor locker that stows the rope, chain, and anchor then next is a large locker that holds all of the life vests, throw cushion, first aid kit, foldable fish net, and trolling motor power cord. The second locker is actually a built in, insulated two-compartment cooler. One side holds the drinks and food while the other side holds the fish! No slimy fish stuff on your drinks!

Having two live wells is great! The first is located in front of the console; you can keep bait in there or you can shut the cock off and use it for storage or as another cooler. The console is sleek and waterproof. I noticed that there are no open holes on top of the console for water to drip down onto your batteries. This boat was outfitted with a state-of-the-art Simrad fish finder/chart plotter (I didn't delve too much into that but switched from depth to chart easily using a touch screen menu). The console also has a nice little glove box to store your keys, wallet, trolling motor remote. For the helm seat, the owner had a big cooler, matching cushion,  with swing back rest. I used it as a "dry box" storage to keep my Captain's bag, Captain's book, ditch box, etc.  so it was easily accessible.

The battery switch was located under the starboard side rear seat and in the center of the stern deck was a live well with a clear lid and a light inside the well. We ran the well constantly while fishing which kept our live shrimp alive but was quite enough that it didn't scare the fish. There were more storage behind the seats where dock lines, bait net, bumpers, and a small bucket were kept.

Have you noticed I keep mentioning the storage? When you go to look at a boat you need to be thinking, "where in the heck am I going to put everything?"  You don't want anything on the deck while fishing.  When you hookup with that fish of a life time, you don't want to be tripping over tackle box's, bait nets, loose coolers as  you battle that fish from the bow to the stern, port to starboard, and back to the bow again!  This SeaBorn FX24 has enough storage for your rods, your tackle, your life saving gear, your bait, your drinks and food - it's all stored away - it's a fishing machine!   Find a Dealer HERE and get out on the water this spring for some great Amelia Island fishing.