2025 Fishing Boat Buyers Guide
Welcome to the Fishing Boat Buyers Guide, we present 26 saltwater fishing boats for 2025, including offshore center-consoles (both monohulls and cats), bay boats, walkarounds, express sport-fishers, and dual-consoles.
Throughout this year’s guide you will discover a wealth of comparison advice on topics that vary from hull types and propulsion to marine battery technology and boat windshields—all detailed by the editors of Salt Water Sportsman and Sport Fishing. Our editors also compare and contrast new-boat research methodologies, boat financing in today’s market, and ways to add optional accessories.
Builder Showcases
These offerings from 21 manufacturers represent the best of the best in the fishing-boat world. You’ll see center-consoles, catamarans, bay boats, hybrids and more, complete with all the facts and figures you need.
Albemarle 30 Express
About the Guide
Should you find yourself giddy with anticipation at the prospect of buying a new offshore center-console or other fishing boat, join the club. For many saltwater anglers, purchasing an offshore- or inshore-fishing machine represents one of the biggest decisions of their lives. Once the deal is done and outfitting complete, this boat will become your key to adventure, glory and creating memories that last for generations. For that dream to come true, however, you need to put in some due diligence in researching the boat and marine accessories that meet your expectations, style of fishing, and budget.
In our guide, we feature a wide range of fishing boats. Use these profiles, images and video links as starting points. Narrow your wish list to those models that seem to best meet your angling and boating needs and desires. The next steps should include field research. Find out who carries the brands that interest you. Visit as many dealerships and factory-direct builders as possible within your driving range to compare value and premium brands. This will help narrow your list further. These articles are created to help you choose the right power and equipment, and how best to store or trailer your boat between trips. Sea trials are key to pulling the trigger, and in this content, we deliver our editors’ professional tips on making the most of sea trials to evaluate the boat, power and accessories, and whether you should slip, hoist, dry-stack or trailer your new fishing boat.
So, what does this experience and dedication do for you?
- One, it provides you with performance tests you can trust.
- Second, you get insightful commentary that can only come from professionals who can view a given boat through three lenses: what it is in itself, how it compares to other similar boats, and where it fits in the universe of all boats.
- Third, with the compilation of this annual Boat Buyers Guide, our team of staffers and contributors gives you a means to compare a number of boats of the same type.
