BOAT REVIEW - Pelagic Boats 43 Walk Around Sport Fish
 The
Weekly Fisherman team recently enjoyed a sneak peak
at a new, copyrighted boat design called a Walkaround
Sportfish. She’s still under construction, so we’ll
be writing a follow-up to this review once she’s completed
and we have an opportunity to fish her. Capt. Randy
Towe is the mastermind behind Pelagic Boats and the
new 43 Walkaround Sportfish. Together with “Skinny”
and a collection of contractors, Randy’s Pelagic Boats
designed and built the first - of what seems destined
to be many – sport fish with a 360-degree level deck
walk around.
Upon arrival at Randy’s,
and getting our first look at his creation, my first
impression was…“What a cool design. I’ve never seen
anything quite like it, and I can’t wait for the
opportunity to fish her.” I also tried to think of
comparable boats to provide you an idea of what she’s
like. There are similar designs, but nothing quite
does this boat justice for comparison purposes. A
few come to mind so best I can do is call her a hybrid
including some elements from some you may have seen.
(E.g. Contender’s Fisharound, Rybovitch’s new Margaritavitch,
and Egg Harbor’s Predator.) For the size and price
range there really is no comparable vessel. Check
out the photos and form your own opinion. I think
Randy is on to something likely to change the sport
fishing boat market with his design. I can see this
machine catching the eye of competitive tournament
anglers, long-range charter captains, as well as
well as individuals looking for an efficient fishing
platform with creature comforts. Randy told me he’s run the boat to his favorite distant fishing spot (“The Promise Land”) with
plenty of fuel to spare, as well as enough room for
the crew and anglers to catch some shuteye and get
in out of the weather. And they got to test her out
in some pretty nasty weather on the way home.
 The attention to detail
applied thus far is impressive, and in fact, hull
number one was recently put under contract while
fishing the Pompano Rodeo. I can’t wait for the chance
to fish her, and provide you a better idea of the
boat’s capabilities and design details. If you’re
interested in seeing this innovative new design,
look for Capt. Randy Towe and Skinny on Quit Yer
Bitchin this summer in any major South Florida tournament
or the BBC.
Hull number 2 is slated for completion to make
the 2005 Miami boat show.
Boat
Specs
LOA 43 Ft Beam 15 Ft Draft 42 inches Deadrise 9 degrees
at transom
Weight 29,000 lbs
Fuel 950 gals
Water 200 Gals
Power T Man730 hp diesels
Speed 28 Kt cruise
36Kt top speed
Base Price $895,000 |
In the mean time,
if you’re interested in
a Pelagic Walkaround Sportfish, or a
charter with one heck of a captain & boat
builder, give Capt. Randy a call at
305/394-2667 or check them out on the
web at www.pelagicboats.com.
See ya on the water…
Capt. Ned Hammond
Nedlyh@weeklyfisherman.com
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