2022 Miami Boat Show 25’ Center Console Offerings from Contender, Dusky and Blackfin (123k to 192k)
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- čas přidán 16. 02. 2022
- For 2022, the Miami Boat Show returns to the Miami Convention Center. The last time I attended in 2020, the Show was outdoors at Virginia Key and I have to be honest, I miss that "Florida" feel of the Show.
In this video, my good friend John Sweeney and I looked at offerings in the 25 foot center console category from Dusky, Contender and Blackfin.
Which one would you pick and why?
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Thanks for taking us with you, from Long Island in the windy not too cold 😎.
Wow the Blackfin rep was so excited to present his boat, guys at the show said he had liquor on his breath. Great job sir
All this boat talk got me so excited to get ours back in the water and start fishing again.
Thanks for the tours
I love the videos you do and watched a lot of your videos before I bought my boat last year. Im so glad I went with Cobia seeing the prices for what you get now. Cobia has SO much value. I know prices have sky rocketed but thanks for always giving cobia props.
Blackfin all day long and not even close. Dusky was impressive for a price point boat and loved that coffin box.
Thanks for the tour John-having your Pal Sweeney with you definitely adds some comedic value here.He is a good sport jumping down in that fish box.I have to agree with you about the indoor venue-the”in water” show last time is definitely nicer.
Thanks John. It really did feel more like the New York show with the indoor setting. Not that there’s anything wrong with the New York show, but when in Florida, it’s nice to look at these boats out in their natural element.
@@jiggingjerks yeah-it may as well have been the show they do at Nassau Coliseum.I’m sure it would’ve saved you a bunch of money too.
Noticed your staying away from the bigger brand boats in these videos John.Was Grady White and Boston Whaler not there?Of course they are ludicrously priced but it would be nice to see any new features they may be including in these categories.
FYI-it’s 55 degrees and raining at 630 AM and the winds blowing 65mph on the east end.
@@johnm5714 I heard about that crazy weather, stay safe. Grady and BW were there. I kinda covered Grady at Stuart so I I didn’t go near their booth. BW was having some major announcement and they had cameras and the area roped off.
Wish the Contender had friction hinges and a divided forward kill box. Sick boat, love seeing them come in the inlet.
I like the contender. My wife and I looked at the blackfin about a year ago - 150k then, but no electronics. She really liked the blackfin.
Excellent channel! Would love to see a 25-28 bay hybrid comparison if you have a chance. That seems to be the "do it all" boat style of choice these day. Thanks in advance!
Thank you for the kind words. That one is coming next I think. That seem to be the most popular option at this show
For me I would go the Contender. Just for fishing with all the Boxes. As for family and fishing definitely the Blackfin
That contender 25T is a great boat for its size class. When I was looking to upgrade, I was originally looking at the cobia 256, but then fell in love with the 25T (23T for the years I was looking at) the only thing that kept me from going with that boat was what I could get for the price. Ended up buying a 2012 25 competition with a 2019 300 Yamaha that someone I knew was selling. For the same price I paid for that boat, a 23T contender for that price would have been 6-8 years older, original engines with 1k+ hours. The 25 competition is the same hull as the 25 classic contender from the 90s, just has a different layout. If money wasn’t a problem and I had to pick from those 3 boats I would go with the 25T contender too.
The Comp is a great boat. I seriously considered their 31 when I was shopping in 2019
Thank you for all the time you put in bringing us great content. Setting aside the dead rise and the Contender’s finish inside the console and hatches, how does Sweeney’s 21 Pair stack up? With the bracket, the 21 Pair is probably around 2 feet shorter than the Contender overall but the Pair’s layout makes it look like it has about as much fishing room inside.
It’s actually very similar (setting aside the things you pointed out) and I’d guess 2 feet is right.
I’m 5’7” on a good day, Dusky automatically eliminates me as a buyer with that design 😆
Remember the Dusky is build to order - my 278 had (ftom the factory) 160 gal capacity and the lower console. Its semi custom and your Dusky can be built around your preferences - and you can include as many or as little of the 100 different options. I showed my 278 no love and I couldn’t imagine fishing a boat any harder - yet every spring it would clean up like new and be ready for another intense fishing season. Since they are factory direct only, the savings of not having a dealer are passed along to the consumer - thats why their pricing is so good.
I toured their factory a few years back and agree with everything you said. It’s weird they would bring one with that console and the smaller tank to the show. I’m sure it’s something potential buyers would pick up on quick….
No perfect boats. Always something. Little improvement goes a long way..... Thanks. J J....
All these 25 footers need a small collapsible fresh water sink. I would put it somewhere in the back.
Contender all the way with twin 150 mercury.
Thanks for the tour John but on a side note I'm just wondering what brand of braid do you recommend for fluke fishing? Anything new to the market or just the tried and true?
I swear by Suffix 832 10 pound test. It’s the only braid I use
@@jiggingjerks Thank you.
Good stuff. Wish the video was a little longer to cover some great valued boats at the 2:15 mark. :).
Ha! We did go in there but got distracted by the Waverunners
Excellent video. Please try and get the 340Z from Seavee if you can.
Unfortunately I didn’t see Sea Vee inside. Not sure if they were perhaps in the outdoor area. It’s possible I just missed them too - the convention center is huge
I appreciate it. Thank you. Wish I was there.
Did you stop by Ft. Pierce while on your journey?
Sadly no
That’s some head on Sweeney
Hahaha
Seems 25' are all now rigged with twin 150s or twin 200s. What are your thoughts on this considering your 25' Cobia had the single 300
It is a great question. We originally bought the Cobia with a single because we wanted simplicity and ease of maintenance. If I had to do it all over again, I would definitely do twins. Where we fish, Montauk, the following seas are brutal and the single didn’t have the torque that made those trips comfortable. Lots and lots of throttle play dealing with a following sea. Of course, it is perfectly adequate if that is not an issue for you. That was the only negative in my opinion to the single. Well, I think the twins are more fuel efficient as well. The Yamaha F 300 is a bit of a pig once you get above 4200 RPM.
@@jiggingjerks how do you like the cobia? shopping for my first boat which isn't easy in this market. Regulator23 , contender 25T, and cobia 26 r all on my list. trying to narrow it down a bit. Love the layout of the contender as I really dont need FS and would prefer the extra space to fish. If price and availability weren't an issue though id probably go with the regulator, but theyre very hard to get right now and expensive.
@@snwbrdng3456 the Cobia was an awesome boat and has a very underrated ride but the forward seating does rob fishing space. Between those options, I’d go Contender if you can find it. This is going to sound sacrilegious but I HATE HATE HATE Regulators forward seating. The Cobia at least let you walk up to anchor - the Regulator has that wrap around seating which is a deal breaker in my book
@@jiggingjerks couldn't agree more. I wish more manufacturers would at least give an option to ditch the forward seating. I appreciate the input. Has not been a fun environment to try to find my first boat in.
Does Sweeney know what 25T means? It is a Tournament style meant for serious fishing thus the monster fish box up front that would be loaded with ice for the catch that day. Additionally, most guys with just throw blocks or ice or bags whole in there until the box starts filling with fish.
I tried to explain in the vid - he has the same set up on his boat and I understand what he meant. Yes, if you’re exclusively using offshore, it’s awesome but if your just catching a few small fish it could be a pain to deal with. As I said in the video, the solution to that would be the rear fish boxes which are much smaller
@@jiggingjerks Correct, on the rear boxes for daily small catch.
You can add more fuel capacity on the dusky as an option
I know but I think it’s twin 60 gallon tanks so not much more. I may be wrong but that’s what I remember the option being when I toured the plant
@@jiggingjerks You can do twin 60 twin 100 or 100+60
Please remember that Dusky is a semi custom boat. They will help the customers with the layout of the boat. They sell factory direct.
Totally get that and thought this was a great deal. Just can’t understand who, outside of NBA players, would opt for that tall a console
I still remember looking at their advertisements in Florida Sportsman and Saltwater Sportsman magazines when I was a youngster living in Miami. I’m 54 now, yeah they have been a good Florida built boat for generations.
@@BMWQC I toured their factory back in 2016. They are first class people. They build a really good boat for a really good price just don’t understand why at a major boat show they would bring a Boats with that type of console. Unfortunately, it leaves an impression on potential buyers.
@@jiggingjerks yes I definitely understand that. The only reason I could think of would be that maybe the customer spec’d it that way. Must be one tall customer!! Do you have any experience with Stamas? Another family owned Florida builder.
@@BMWQC some of my best fishing memories are on my friend’s 31 Stamas Express. Super wide and stable and amazing fishing platform. I have some videos I need to finish from Miami with the newer Stamas
blackfin all the way
Sea Hunt Gamefish 25 would have been a good comparator in this size class
Surprisingly, I didn’t see them there. To be fair, the show is huge
I have a SH, and while a good boat, it is not something to compare to a Contender.
Did you make it over to the Cobia booth
Yes. Have a ton of footage but no audio. My mic crapped out - I’ll most likely show the boats with voiceovers
@@jiggingjerks
Ok
Look forward to seeing the footage
25 bluewater
been interested in that boat lately as I like that there is no FS. Any input on that boat?
As I watched, I think the Dusky didn't have a windshield.
Yup. That’s a fairly cheap option if you go for the low profile one
Dusky only had a 100 gallons of fuel. What the hell? That's a no go for me.
I believe you can upgrade to twin 60 gallon tanks but that’s not much better
For the price dusky imo.
Not impressed when the manufacturer can’t build a T Top that is inter grated into the console. They look like a complete after thought.
I like your videos but the boats you are suggesting are top of the line and way overpriced for a family boat, kinda seem like a boat snob, Robalo, key west,seapro are all great family boats and cost way less than a snooty Blackfin, just being realistic,most families don't want to spend more on a boat than their home is worth
I hear you Toby. This vid was specific to 25s and Key West and Robalo don’t have a real 25. I did cover both brands in other size class videos and I really do like both of them.
You're terrible, Sweeny get in the box and he does. I know you've been friends a long time, but....
Oh there’s worst than that in upcoming videos