Dual console fast fishing boats tend to get overshadowed by their easier to walk around center-console brethren.
But Georgia-based Sailfish Boats has had big success with its 245 and 276 DC models. So for this year’s Palm Beach boat show, the builder is unveiling a new flagship dual console, the 30-foot Sailfish 316 DC.
Part of the appeal? That towering windshield and sturdy, oversize hardtop offers plenty of protection from the wind and sun for family members less enthusiastic about handling a rod.
The windshield itself is one of the highlights of the design. Extra tall, its said to offer 25 per cent more visibility than a typical dual console’s screen. And it features a new sliding center panel that eliminates the need to flip over a heavy pane of glass.
Slide across the glass panel, open the lower door section, and it’s an easy step into the spacious open bow with its cushy U-shaped seating, built-in cooler and multitude of cup holders.
And this new Sailfish 316 DC is also hugely family-friendly. Our favorite new feature; the so-called “sandbar cooler” that’s built into the swim platform.
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Anyone bobbing around the boat can help themselves to a cold one without having to clamber back into the cockpit.
Powered by either twin 300-hp or optional 350-horse Yamaha or Mercury Verados, the Sailfish 316 DC can hit a top speed of 45 knots with the base engines.
Like most of Sailfish’s other offerings, the 316 features the company’s acclaimed Variable Degree Stepped (VDS) hull design.
With its three distinct hull steps, it’s designed to balance stability at rest, with performance and a smooth ride.
Sailfish 316 DC specification
LOA: 30ft 6in (9.3m)
Beam: 9ft 9in (2.9m)
Engines: 2 x Mercury Verado 300hp
Top speed: 45 knots
Starting price: $302,914 (£230,214)
