Though Hydrasports has always been known for performance, the recognition for style and features was likely forged by the company’s new “custom” strategy. When Hydrasports came under new ownership in 2012, it analyzed its orders and discovered that owners were selecting 90 percent of the available options. So it made those popular options standard.

Even so, elements of style — like hull and upholstery colors and counter-surface materials — remain in the owners’ hands, allowing them to add their thumbprint. These owner-selected style-appointments are skillfully applied in the building process. Other custom selections can include teak and holly soles, towers and electronics. The result is the personalized look owners covet.

Handling comes from a solid, hand-built hull and the choice of either Yamaha, Mercury or Seven Marine power. Also, a sharp deadrise cleaves seas, and a broad beam provides trolling stability.

Fishability was acknowledged in our survey. Each boat comes equipped with the best fishing options, like powerful livewell pumps and large tanks designed to keep bait lively by eliminating low-oxygen “dead spots” that trap and kill.

4200 Siesta

The word “luxury” doesn’t adequately capture the look and feel of the 4200 Siesta with belowdecks berth. Neither does “hard-core sportfisher.” By combining both in an elegant package of sexy lines and creature comforts, the Siesta qualifies as one slick ride. These styling cues are evident throughout the vessel. Even the hardtop’s powder-coated structure (with integrated tempered-glass windshield) complements the beautiful sheer and flaring bow for engaging style points.

The 4200’s helm station would be underequipped with the pair of chart-plotter displays of most boats. This one will take three with ease.

The tackle center is a thing of beauty, with slide-out tackle drawers, a slide-out cooler below, and a bait-prep station on top with nearly full-width cutting boards and a stainless-steel basin with freshwater supply. There’s a transom door handy for docking and a tuna door on the starboard side.

Comfortable seating abounds fore, and aft seating hides away when access to dual livewells is needed.

It’s a performer, too, clocking 54 mph with triple 350s and more than 65 with quads.

MORE INFO: hydrasports.com

The post HydraSports 4200 Siesta appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

Hydra-Sports 2500CC

Like many other admirers of the brand, I was hopeful Hydra-Sports would survive after its parent company shuttered the doors at the start of the recent economic downturn. Fortunately, others recognized its strong value too, and MasterCraft, the venerable water-sports builder, stepped in. The new Hydra-Sports 2500 center console is the result of that latest collaboration, and I’m happy to report the brand is back on center stage and better than ever.

Destin, Florida, was the logical place to test the hard-core fishing boat, and Hydra-Sports dealer Legendary Marine had a 2500 in stock for my sea trial earlier this summer. Their resident skipper, Jeremy Holcomb, and I started by checking the time to plane after exiting the no-wake zone in Choctawhatchee Bay. With twin Yamaha F150 four-strokes for power, the boat was up and cruising in four seconds. Hydra-Sports boats are known for their beefy construction, and the 2500 tips the scales at 5,474 pounds dry, so that’s impressive acceleration. And when the seas get nasty, those extra pounds are welcome.

With an aggressive bow entry and transom deadrise, this midsize center console is well-suited for offshore jaunts. Despite calm seas and light winds during our test, it didn’t take much to realize the boat’s potential. It punched through rolling wakes without hesitation. We tried to shake it loose in tight turns, but the stern stuck to the water like Velcro. I didn’t hear the slightest squeak throughout the test. Another sign of rock-solid construction? The heavy-duty fiberglass T-top, strikingly accented in pewter powder coat on the test boat, never budged an inch. No shakes, rattles or rolls with this model.

The 2500 is no speedster, although it has a very efficient hull design. We spun up to a respectable top end of 47 mph during our test. Dialing back to a miserly cruise, with just a little of the standard Lenco trim tabs deployed, we loped along at 27 mph at 3,900 rpm, sipping only 12 gallons of gas per hour in the process. That rate would put you well offshore without breaking the bank. Additional engine options include single outboards or twins up to Yamaha F250s.

Staying true to its angling heritage, the 2500 comes ready to fish. The aforementioned standard T-top has outrigger mounting plates (for the optional TACO Grand Slam set), an aft rocket launcher and side trolling-rod holders, plus an electronics box and ample lighting. Horizontal rod racks under the cockpit covering boards, along with four gunwale holders for trolling, will stow the day’s tackle. Convenient toe kicks and wraparound bolsters, which struck me perfectly just above the knees, are included.

There’s a 32-gallon livewell on the transom, plus you can add another 40 gallons of capacity when opting for the bait station with tackle storage and prep center. It’s integrated into the deluxe leaning post with flip-back bolsters. Two large insulated fish boxes straddle the bow. Drinks and sandwiches can be stashed in the Frigid Rigid console cooler seat facing forward. The folding aft bench will seat more crew while still providing quick access to the pumps and valves.

The oversize console panel is ready for the latest electronics. Raymarine and Garmin packages are offered factory-direct. A Sirius satellite-radio system and Clarion stereo are also available. With its Taylor Made tempered-glass windscreen, the helm has excellent visibility, and all the gauges and switches are arranged for easy access. The console opens to the spacious head compartment. At 6-feet-3-inches, I barely had to duck to stand upright down there. A portable toilet comes standard, which is always an appreciated feature with the ladies. For adding electronics components or servicing, the drop-down panel inside gives easy access.

Hydra-Sports boats have always been overbuilt, and the new regime didn’t change that philosophy. The rugged hull is hand-laid glass with Kevlar reinforcement. Biaxial and woven roving fabric is used, and the finish coat is vinylester gelcoat. All coring materials are composite. A bonded structural grid stringer system is behind that solid ride. All hardware is marine grade and built to last, including stainless-steel pop-up cleats and through-hulls. The fit and finish is also as before — quite nice.

If you’re looking for a well-executed fishing boat that will double for family outings, Hydra-Sports deserves a look.

Hydra-Sports 2500 CC

LOA……24’10”
Beam……8’10”
Draft……1’9″
Weight……5,474 lbs.
Fuel……176 gals.
Deadrise……23 degrees
Max hp……500
Base Price……$113,620 w/twin F150 Yamahas
_
Hydra-Sports: 423-252-1022 • www.hydra-sports.com_

The post Hydra-Sports 2500 CC appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

1209br_hydra

Back in the 1970s, some friends of mine got a new 25-foot Hydra-Sports. At the time, Hydra-Sports was one of the few production boat companies building a boat utilizing fully hand-laid Kevlar construction. Hydra-Sports has been more at the forefront of integrating composite construction technology and materials than just about any other production builder.

Then in the early ’90s, Hydra-Sports introduced an integrated structural-grid stringer system that is bonded to the boat’s hull with a methacrylate adhesive. Unlike a system relying on secondary fiberglass bonding to fasten the stringers to the hull, methacrylate provides a proven chemical bond with little preparation. Many companies use this system these days to bond not only the stringers to the hull, but the hull to deck joints as well. By bonding the stringers to the hull, the deck to the stringers and the cap to the hull, you end up with a very strong boat.

Hydra-Sports recently introduced a monster 41-foot center console, the 4100 Vector, which still uses the hand-laid Kevlar material that they marketed so successfully in the early days. A lot of folks believe that Kevlar saves weight, but it doesn’t necessarily affect the weight of the boat. However Kevlar does improve strength and puncture resistance, which is why it is also used in bullet-resistant vests for law enforcement and the military.

I got the chance to test the 4100 in the Florida Keys, courtesy of Plantation Boat Mart of Tavernier, sampling the boat’s performance with four 300 hp four-stroke Mercury Verado outboards. The 4100 is a massive boat, weighing in at 25,000 pounds rigged, and predictably, it rides exactly like it should for its power and weight. We saw a top-end of nearly 62 mph but seemed to find her sweet spot around 4,000 rpm, making 41 mph.

The weight and brawn of the boat help it ride well and make it comfortable and stable. On acceleration it comes on plane with little or no bow rise, which is really nice with so much boat in front of you from the helm. The boat steers easily and also handles very well dockside for its size, and the optional bow thruster made it really easy to move sideways along the dock.

The boat is laid out well, with a lot of good storage and practical use of space. Our test boat had a deck-mounted windlass and fairlead for the anchor; however, the boat has a molded-in anchor locker on the bow deck, as well as flush-mount pull-up cleats and a recessed handrail around the forward cockpit. The forward cockpit has U-shaped seating with storage below and a removable center-section insert that fills in the casting deck and doubles as a table. An optional refrigerated coffin-box seat comes mounted in front of the console.

The large console houses a fully finished head compartment with a sink, storage and access to the back of the electronics panels. The business side of the console is well thought through and laid out properly for a fish boat, with the helm mounted in the center, where it should be, and excellent access to all switches and gauges. The huge dash panel can hold three large screens, putting a lot of information at your fingertips. There are two molded-in footrests under the helm, one for sitting in the three-bolster seat and one for when you are using it as a leaning post with the seats dropped out. The leaning post and the second-row bench seat combine to provide comfortable seating for six under cover of the expansive fiberglass T-top. On the aft side of the helm leaning post, our test boat had a screen mounted to display movies or the nav screens at the helm. This is a great feature for passengers riding in the secondary seating.

Aft of the secondary leaning post, our test boat had the optional rigging station with tackle storage and a cooler, or you can select a fiberglass aft-facing seat. In-deck aft of the tackle center lies a huge access hatch to the lazarette, a fully finished bilge area with great access to pumps, fuel-tank management manifolds and other rigging equipment. Along the transom there’s a 45-gallon livewell with two 1,500 gph pumps and a fold-down seat. The transom door is to starboard, but the really great feature is the optional side dive door in the hull. The door opens into the boat, providing easy in-and-out access with the dive ladder.

Two forward fish boxes drain overboard, and two more located aft drain via macerators. The 4100 we tested had 46 rod holders, including gunwale-mounted and tackle-center launchers, and it also had 16 drink holders strategically placed around the boat. The 4100 comes loaded with these types of features and does a good job of placating the fisherman and his family. She holds 630 gallons of fuel, and if you go easy on those quads, you can get some serious range with her too.

The 4100 Vector is a beefy, well-built boat with features and flair to make island hopping and offshore runs a lot of fun. The family will no doubt like the amenities, and the fisherman will like the big-boat features. With four huge outboards, the 4100 is not for the faint of heart, but it’s no little center console either.

Hydra-Sports 4100 Vector

Length……41’7″
**Beam……12’2″**
Deadrise……23 degrees at transom
**Fuel……630 gals.**
Water……50 gals.
**Max Power……1,400 hp
Weight……25,000 lbs**.
Price……$417,450

Hydra-Sports Boats: 615-494-2090 • www.hydrasports.com

The post Hydra-Sports 4100 Vector appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.

The all-new 3300 CC Vector, which made its debut at the Fort Lauderdale Boat show in October, is the largest model to date in the Hydra-Sports stable. It’s big and comfortable, and dedication to the details of serious fishing is evident throughout. “This is the boat for the guy who wants sustained high-speed offshore operation,” explains Alex Leva, Regional Sales Manager for Hydra-Sports. Leva, an avid tournament angler, had a lot of input on the design and fishing features of the 3300. “It’s for the fisherman who wants to run 100 miles a day with lots of comfort, gear and people along with him,” he says.

Our test day found us cruising Tampa Bay amidst the outer bands of Hurricane Isidore. Seas were big and sloppy with a 25-knot wind behind them, but comfort was never an issue. Nor was dryness. The hull got on top of the mess and cruised nicely. This boat’s sweet spot is 31 to 35 mph, at which the manufacturer claims it gets just over a mile per gallon with the three Yamaha 250 HPDIs our test boat was rigged with. We ran the big, nasty stuff beam-to, which is the worst way to showcase performance, but the 3300 stayed up stable and level at 34 mph with a surprisingly dry ride. Punched to the limit, it flattened out and stuck to the wave tops, tight in the turns and steady.Hydra-Sports’ unitized construction creates a solid ride. Stringers and transverse bulkheads are methacrylate-bonded into the hull then foam filled for one-piece stiffness below decks.

The sweet spot at 31 to 35 mph held well even in the outlandish conditions. The Vector cruises at 41.4 mph at 4000 rpm and tops out at 60 mph at 5450 rpm, according to the manufacturer’s performance stats.

The helm is designed for comfort on long runs. Three, two-position convertible leaning post/padded seats combined with three different footrests offer a variety of position-shift options to match the ride and the conditions on the longest runs and toughest seas. An Edson-style tilt steering wheel and a throttle that puts your fingers right at the trim tab rocker switches show considerable forethought. There’s plenty of room on the panel for all the ten-inch screens you want.

The Carolina bow flare is pronounced, but the addition of wide covering boards, bolster and low-profile bow rail let you lock in securely on the bow deck without feeling off balance. Both port and starboard, a good rod length back from the bow, locking doors in the hullsides open to rod-stowage areas. These are for static storage, rather than rigged-and-ready holders. This storage capacity is one of the key features in the hide-everything-away-at-the-dock approach. This boat is built to lock up all the tackle you need, for a day trip or an extended cruise through the islands. The purpose, Leva explained, is to eliminate endless schlepping of gear and tackle at the beginning and the end of a fishing day.

“We stop a mile from the marina after we have been fishing,” says Leva, “and with 30 gallons of water we have enough to wash everything down and then stow it away. When we pull up at the dock it looks like we don’t have any fishing gear on board. And we are ready to go the next day.”

Under-gunwale rod holders in the cockpit have removable covers that swing in over the reels and lock up as well. All together, the boat easily holds 40 rigged rods, locked away safe and out of sight.

A pair of huge fishboxes port and starboard on the bow deck are piano-hinged with 316 stainless, completely flush to prevent catching the edge of a boat shoe or a toe. On the forward sole, a gasketed hatch gives access to a huge storage box. On the bottom of this hatch is a molded depression the same size as the bottom of a five-gallon bucket, to keep it from sliding around. Along the interior hullsides, opposite the console, are two bottom-hinged potato-bin-type storage lockers. Little details like these are found throughout the 3300 – simple things, too many to list, that make life easier when you’d rather concentrate on fishing.

In the console are the batteries and battery switches and over six feet of headroom. Behind the helm is a 55-gallon live well with bait-prep area that is a serious affair. Adjustable to three different water levels, live-well inflow is top to bottom via a 3500-gph pump that effectively moves 3000 gph through the tank. Matching outflow provides efficient water exchange.

The fold-away transom bulkhead seat is sturdy and drops down to provide access through the transom bulkhead. Throughout, all hatches and access panels are designed for ease of inspection and service.

Hydra-Sports, Sarasota, FL; (800) 264-8096; www.hydrasports.com.

The post Hydra-Sports 3300CC Vector appeared first on Salt Water Sportsman.