Center Console Angler Magazine: Boat Reviews - SOUTHPORT BOATWORKS COMBINES A CLEVER DESIGN WITH EXCELLENT FIT AND FINISH IN THE 28 TE

THE COMPLETE PACKAGE

SOUTHPORT BOATWORKS COMBINES A CLEVER DESIGN WITH EXCELLENT FIT AND FINISH IN THE 28 TE.
BY JOHN BROWNLEE

In the few short years since the company burst onto the boatbuilding scene, Southport Boatworks has built a substantial reputation for producing quality boats. They may not offer many models (yet), but everything that comes out of the factory exudes quality. The 28 TE is the latest center console from Southport, and it is no exception to the rule.

I tested the 28 TE (short for “Tournament Edition”) courtesy of Southport’s south Florida dealer, Marina One, in Deerfield Beach. The boat’s excellent fit and finish become readily apparent as soon as you step aboard—almost every surface that’s visible is finished in premium gelcoat, and everywhere you look, there’s exemplary attention to detail. Take the boat’s builtin coffin box forward of the console, for example—the lid rises on gas rams, and is finished underneath, of course. But there’s also a sturdy rubber gasket that fits into a moldedin recess in the box itself, ensuring a tight fit. Little extras like that set this boat apart from the competition.

The coffin box contains a lot of storage capacity, and it also houses a transversely mounted Igloo cooler, perfect for storing bait. Forward of the box, a deep 725-quart storage space beneath the deck will likely be used for stowing extra gear, but it could also serve as a fish box because it’s both insulated and macerated. At the bow, an anchor locker contained an electric windlass, and the boat’s anchor mounted via a built-in receiver cut through the bow, an increasingly popular design.

The 28 TE console features a roomy head compartment below, one that even big guys won’t be hesitant to enter. The boat comes with a Vacuflush head and a 12-gallon holding tank as standard equipment. How many manufacturers offer that? It also comes with a 20-gallon fresh water system, standard, and all of the hatches on the boat stay firmly opened either via gas rams, or with clever magnetic retaining devices, another nice touch.

The boat’s tackle center will be the center of attention for fishermen. It has a 45-gallon livewell in the starboard side of the unit, supplied by a standard 1100 gph raw water pump.A bait box sits on the centerline, and to port, a sink with both fresh and raw water facilitates easy bait rigging and cleanup. The rigging area is illuminated by red LED lights for nighttime fishing, and three hatches along the aft edge of the tackle center contain tackle drawers and trays, plus a storage area just the right size for a five-gallon bucket.

The 28 TE's tackle center provides lots of storage, a large livewell, and a sink

Stainless steel rails beneath the gunwales in the cockpit provide a firm toehold for locking yourself in while fishing in rough water, and they also have round receivers built in to securely stow lead downrigger balls, or you could use them as drink holders—take your pick. Stainless, low profile rails in the bow provide a sure handhold when moving fore and aft, and the boat has a level deck from bow to stern, a design much appreciated by serious fishermen.

In the cockpit, a second sub-deck fish box lifts out when you need access to the bilge area, and drains through a macerator connected by a hose. The boat’s transom bulkhead has two transom gates, one port and one starboard. Two storage trays atop the bulkhead will be useful for stowing tackle or loose gear. The 28 TE has lots of rod storage too, with racks for ten rods beneath the gunwales, a six-rod rack along the aft edge of the transom bulkhead, and eight upscale Gemlux stainless rod holders mounted flush in the gunwales.

C. Raymond Hunt Associates designed Southport’s hulls, and each boat was designed specifically with Yamaha four-stroke power in mind, yielding a finely balanced overall performance package. The hull features a continuously variable deep-vee design with 22 degrees of deadrise at the transom. It gets on plane quickly with twin F250 Yamahas, and runs 41.3 mph at 4500 rpm, while burning only 28.4 gph total, according to Yamaha’s Performance Bulletin. Wide open, the 28 TE hits 53.9 mph at 6000 rpm.

I drove the boat on a stormy spring day out of Deerfield Beach, but the chop we encountered never got us wet, nor could we make the boat pound. The 28 TE is an exceptionally dry and well-balanced boat, and with the optional powerassisted Teleflex steering, it drove like a car. It’s one of the better handling boats I’ve driven in some time.

Southport certainly doesn’t rank as the largest center console builder in the market, but there’s little doubt that they build one of the finest products. The 28 TE features a winning combination of design, fit and finish, and performance that put it right at the head of the class.

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