Sportfishing boats for cruising?

In the Sportfish segment there is a lot that changed in that 2000 to say 2007 time frame. Mechanical to Common Rail Diesels. Gelcoat issues for a few builders during that era as well. I like a Sportfish for cruising but you would want to get a good understanding of the segment before buying.

Attributes of what make trawlers good cruising boats are their hull shape (full or semi-displacement), fuel capacity, fuel consumption, and live-aboard conveniences such as water maker, inverters, good stowage, longterm refrigerator/freezer storage. etc.

We had a "convertible" (sportfish wannabee with amenities) before, and now we have a sedan bridge (longer bridge deck, aft) and both have suited us for cruising.

Dinghy storage can be an issue... on any boat. On our styles = Stern? Bow? So far, we've loaded the dinghy on a davit on the swim platform, and the current version of that includes a hydraulic swim platform. Pros and cons with stern carry. (As with bow carry.) More pros and cons with hydraulic lift. (Or bow davits.) Not insurmountable, but thought (and maintenance) required.

We usually only hang out in our cockpit when the boat and the current sun angle provides natural shade. Otherwise, and much more often were on the bridge... which is covered with a hardtop, enclosed, and air conditioned.

In our case, stairs to the bridge (not a ladder) is a mandatory feature. Makes it easier to carry a tray of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres up. (Vikings and Hatts you've seen likely don't have that feature.)

We often cruise at "trawler" speeds, but can/do go faster when sea states or other factors require. Diesel consumption at "trawler" speeds can be quite acceptable... and then on plane, it is what it is.

You can solve many potential problems during your shopping phases, so you're right to reach out and ask...

-Chris

I cruised quite a bit with my 53c. Really, my driving issue was two components: first was the valuable space "lost" to the fishing cockpit, be it living or storage or added amenities. Second was steps, everywhere. Hell, you had to go down a set of steps to remember why you were headed up a set of steps.

That being said, I never should have sold her. I should have kept her as well.

I did the cruising on a sport-fishing boat for 5 years, but on a small scale:
Albin 28TE. (TE for Tournament Express)
It worked out great: the big aft fishing cockpit was great for lounging and entertaining, very comfortable for one couple on longer trips, or 3-4 guys on short hops.
Economical doing trawler speeds @ 8,5 knots with the single inboard diesel, or run at cruise speed 17 knots to the Bahamas and back. The deep V hull handled the seas well for it's size.
I never fished a minute on that boat, but it did cruising very well, Dual Purpose indeed.

What would deter me from using a sport fishing boat to cruise is the lack of light belowdecks. Most sport fishing boats more than a few years old have no portlights in cabins under the foredeck. I find the cabins a bit dark and claustrophobic. Additionally, most sport fishing boats have just a small bow rail or even no bow rail on the foredeck. Not ideal if you are trying to anchor or handle midship and bow lines in an rolly open anchorage that is common in the Bahamas.

I am often surprised at the high running angle of many sport fishing boats that thunder by my place on the ICW, with their bows high in the air and their sterns deep in the water producing prodigious wakes. The engines are really straining to push the boat at a good clip at such an inefficient attitude.

Some don’t know how to use the trim tabs… but yes 15’ of water or less is not good for running fast . But many still do it.

Wow , you really got a lot of the long time extremely knowledgeable people to respond to your post.
Everyone has great points .
He are some of mine that came to mind.
First off , I have the same feeling as you do towards the Sportfisherman boats.
They are very attractive with the eye and the speed is sure nice .
But it comes with a price and aggravation .
Big engines maxed out , HP and RPM wise= big money , big fuel bill and possibly big down time .
The manufacturers you mentioned are packing all they can, motor wise, into those boats you are looking at.
Those engines in the vessels you are looking at , were run hard in general . Some with open check books and good service.
Many with closed check books and poor service .
Also many of the boats were run by a hired Captain and crew , who could care less , for the most part , on how hard they were run. Only worry was how to get to the fish …fast.
In tournaments you are fishing against the clock, lines in -lines out at “X” time and day. It’s all about speed.

Yeah , no dual helm, little natural light bellow, where to put the tender?, tight space, poor access in the engine room, higher insurance rates, much more fuel..

I would be cautious when looking at used Sportfish boats.
Consider the boats furtherst away from the popular Ocean inlets …
Buy a SF from the Chesapeake, or Great Lakes…lol.

The various trawlers offer everything you want. Many have transom swim platform with transom door to get to the water or tender.
Many have hoists and davits to store the tender.
Many have dual helms, aft cockpit deck with overhang bridge deck ti keep you out of the sun etc.
Trawlers, in general have much more room in the engine room for service and access to all the engines and mechanicals.

And they usually have nice low Rpm low stressed engines , non turbo, that just chug along and run forever.
Helps to keep that aggravation level down, no matter how much money you care to spend.

It's not all that difficult to find a convertible with portlights in all below-deck cabins/heads, full bow rail... and the biggy... even a front window for the saloon.

Might not be Vikings or Hatts or Cabos, but some are out there.

-Chris

My Sportfish has a port light in each of the 3 staterooms. Master even has two of them. Great for light and getting nice ventilation thru-breeze on the one day a year I don’t have rain. I do not have a front window in the salon though. Doubtful I would buy another Sportfish with a front window. Too prone to leaks and you lose a lot of space for galley cabinets or similar. My galley has a very large commercial refer/freezer setup that is up high and fwd in the galley and would not be possible with a window.

We traveled on sport fishers we owned to S Fl, Keys, and Bahamas. Of course we fished and liked the speed, fuel was much less back then too. I think an enclosed bridge SF would make a great cruiser too. Surprising how economical a sport fisher with big engines can be at 8 knots. Had a Hatt 50C with 3412's that burned a little less than 8gph at 8 kts! Fuel burn went up fast beyond that speed!