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CUSTOM RIGGED
THE HIGH-TECH BONADEO 31 COMES JUST LIKE YOU ORDER IT
BY KARL ANDERSON.
Stuart, Florida is the home of many top-quality custom sportfish builders. Boats from Whiticar Boat Works, Garlington, Jim Smith, Mark Willis, Gamefisherman and American Custom Yachts have fished the world over for years in the worlds hottest sportfishing grounds. Bonadeo Boat Works started as a dream to build a totally custom center console on par with what the big boat guys in Stuart were doing.
Larry Bonadeo and son Tony recruited noted Stuart designer Steve French to draw and engineer the 31. Built one at a time utilizing ATC Core-Cell, one of the finest core materials on the market today, the 31 boasts a solid riding, very quiet hull with no hull slap. Core-Cell is a high-density foam core sandwiched between an inner and outer fiberglass skin that is incredibly strong, provides good impact and shear resistance as well as positive buoyancy.
Bonadeo vacuum bags epoxy resin with a blend of fabrics including Kevlar, E-Glass and Carbon Fiber creating an incredibly robust and tough structure. The immense stringer system features deep and large longitudinal stringers that are integrally tied into the transom structure along with seven integral bulkheads that add an incredible amount of rigidity to the boat. All deck hatches are gasketed and have large gutters that drain to a central drain system which goes overboard.
Top: A teak helm pod offers a custom look. Above: Tony and Larry Bonadeo (l-r) have created a unique, custom center console (right).
The boat is well laid out with a large anchor locker on the forward deck that has a receiver to lock the anchor in place. A large integral forward U-shaped seating area has storage underneath for all kinds of gear. Cavernous port and starboard in-deck lockers alongside the console provide rod and gear storage in nicely finished compartments. A mammoth 17.5 cubic feet in-deck fish box is located aft of the leaning post/tackle center on the centerline. It can be rigged with a chiller system or plumbed for an Eskimo ice machine powered by an inverter or optional generator.
The transom configuration is unique on the 31 as well, with an integral platform that has a full height bulkhead holding the large circulating livewell on the centerline and a transom door on the starboard side. Access to the lazarette and bilge pumps is just forward of the transom bulkhead.
The leaning post/tackle center is built into the boat and features a nice seat with four rod holders across the aft end, and a concealed tackle locker with drawers and storage compartments for all kinds of tackle. This unit can be set up and configured for the way you use your boat.
The console features a forward seat with drink box underneath. Entrance to the console is along the starboard side and this console is unlike any other I’ve seen. It has excellent access to the back side of the dash, which features fully combed, neatly fastened and labeled wiring as seen on the finest big game rigs.
There is a head and has a fantastic pump room that offers excellent service access to all pumps and plumbing. There is also a huge storage area under the deck, accessed through the front of the head compartment. This area is so large it is possible to build rod storage, even bunks should you want them. There are also cabinets on both sides of the inside console compartment.
The business end of the console features a foldaway electronics dash so everything is stowed and away when not in use. Push a button and an electric ram lifts the dash place exposing the large dash area and whatever screens you require. A teak pod helm with single lever controls is another big boat feature that looks great on the 31 and is mounted on the centerline where it’s supposed to be.
The 31 has four gunwale-mounted rod holders, 12-volt power under the gunwale for downriggers or kites, fresh and saltwater washdowns, flush mount cleats and chafe gear. A towing bit is an easy addition since Bonadeo builds every boat with a carbon fiber reinforced stem. You can add the bit at any time without having to beef up the structure. She holds 300 gallons of fuel and anywhere from 40 to 60 gallons of water in her integral tanks.
The 31 has a big boat feel in its hardware and layout and especially in its ride. She responds well to trim tabs, turns crisp and clean with no slide-out, and she really cuts through chop with her deep forefoot. Even at speed you don’t hear any water running along the hull surface as in a solid glass boat, one of the many benefits of a cored hull bottom that few builders have embraced due to cost and time constraints. Our test boat was powered with twin Yamaha F-250 fourstrokes that proved a good package for the boat. At a 4500 rpm cruise, she reaches 31.1 knots while burning 20.4 gph and at 4800 rpm she lopes along at 32.8 knots while burning 22.4gph. This was a very nice speed for the boat, providing a comfortable ride and not pushing the engines at all.
If you would like to build your dream boat, the Bonadeo 31 is a great platform to start with—a good bottom, nice layout, good freeboard, fine looks and a custom boat feel and quality. And don’t let the 31 feet hold you back— Bonadeo is currently building a 34 for a client that should prove to be just as special a boat.