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2006 Hydra-Sports 2900 Vector Express Predator Green Length 29′ 8″ 

 

• Beam 9′ 8″ 
• Twin F250 Yamaha 4-strokes 
• 300 gallon gas tank 
• Raymarine C120 Chart Plotter, Sounder, 4KW Radar, ST 6001 S1G Autopilot 
• HDFI fishfinder & M260 1KW in-hull transducer 
• Kohler 5 KW Generator 
• Outriggers Taco Grand Slam double rigged w/ center rigger. 
• 3 gravity drained fish boxes 
• 17 rocket launchers 
• 4 flush mounted rod holders 
• 35 gallon live well 
• Raw water wash down 
• 5 batteries (2 per engine and 1 generator) 
• 3 spreader lights (2 aft 1 forward) 
• 7000 BTU AC/Heat 
• Hardtop w/ enclosure 30 gauge 

My impressions of our boat.  The good and bad.

 

1. Ride: My first trip offshore to the Norfolk Canyons (73 NM each way) in 3-4 foot NE head seas I thought it was a rough riding boat. I even knocked the white of our crew’s teeth.  But since then I’ve learned to adjust the tabs and trim and speed to make it a pretty smooth riding boat. It has huge tabs that help keep the bow down in head seas. The 23 degree deadrise smooth things out a bunch but makes it tab sensitive particularly when pax start moving around while underway.  There is a sweet spot and does take some trial and error to find but once you do, everything is A-OK. 
2. Fishability. This boat is very fishable, both offshore and inshore. With a center rigger and double rigged outriggers, I’m able to easily fish 9 lines. Fair amount of cockpit space for when you get multiple hookups. 3 big above the waterline fish boxes. In a pinch you can use the livewell as a 4th fishbox. I don’t like the in floor fish boxes on other boats as they always seem to collect water. The 300 gallon tank makes sure you can range any fishing ground you might be going after. I do wish there was a better bait prep area.  The aft sink is almost of no use because of it’s size.  With toe rails and combing pads just at the right height, fighting fish is no problem.  With any outboards, you have fish around them.  On the troll it’s not that big of an issue as we can turn the boat in the direction we are fighting the fish to keep the fish away from the engines.  While drifting or anchor, it’s a different story and can prove challenging.    
3. Family factor. The cabin is comfortably laid out but not huge. The bunks are nice when someone wants to go just lay down for a little while. The cockpit is well laid out for riding in comfort with seats for 6 pax. My wife likes the cooktop located in the cockpit vice the cabin as she says cooking in the cabin, even with the air on, will overheat the cabin making it uncomfortable. With the generator going (burning 0.5 gallons an hour at half load) you can run the AC and any appliance while fishing.
4. Performance. With my twin F250 Yamaha 4 strokes, I’ve found the numbers published on the Yamaha site for this boat is very accurate.
5. Storage. Storage is limited and they could have done better in my opinion. There is good storage under seats in the main cabin but I’m forced to use the aft cabin as a storage area. There are 3 drawers and 3 tackle storage areas but I think there could be more. And there is no good place to put a trash can. But I’ve had boats with tons of storage and they tend to get filled them up which means you are loading up with weight and buying more gas if you drive around half your house on your boat.
6. Electronics. The package I have is awesome, Raymarine C120, DSM 300, M260 shoot thru-the-hull transducer, temp sensor, 4KW radar, and ST 6001 S1G autopilot. Don’t know how I lived without autopilot before. These electronic packages are available from the factory. Most boats you have to buy them aftermarket which means to me when something goes wrong, I only have to call the dealer to fix them.
7. Heavy. The boat is heavy pushing 11,000 lbs. It can be towed but needs a triple axle trailer and big tow vehicle. I do not have a trailer but may get one in the future.In summary, the boat does exactly what we want, mostly a fishing platform but can also do overnighting and cruising.   

   http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/products/perfbull.aspx. (At least for the same conditions.)  But with 6 pax, 300 gallons of fuel, loaded with all the gear needed for a full day of offshore fishing, of course the numbers go down but most always stays above 1 MPG unless I’m in really big head seas and have to drop to 20 knots or less, then it may go to 0.8 MPG. Of course I try my best to avoid days like that but sometimes things turn for the worse once you’re out there.

Twin Yamaha 250 Four-Strokes.  Awesome engines. 

 

 

 My Taco outriggers are double rigged and I secured them with an adjustable bungee you can get from most any hardware store.  Minor adjustments in tension of the lines are a snap. 

 

 

 The color of the hull is predator green.  We really like the color.  It was offered in 2006 by Hydra-Sports but for some reason, is not offered any more.  Here is shot after a coat of Interlux Premium Box Wax w/ Teflon.  I think with any dark colored hulls, they will require frequent waxing to preserve the color. 

 

 

 We have a Delta quick set anchor on a Maxwell windless with controls on the bow and in the cockpit.  Our hos on the bow love this feature especially when we reposition often.  The quick set anchor works much better in the bay bottom than the danforth that came with the boat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The release clips are Rupps Nok-Outs.  I was using Taco premium release clips and was not totally happy with them.  Many times, the clip becomes warped after a few good hits and takes some doing to reshape it to make it work again.  The Nok-Outs have the roller clip and the top knob makes major tension adjustments while the bottom knob makes minor adjustments. 

We have 3 gravity drain fish boxes.  The forward fish box is huge and usually serves as the primary fish box when targeting big fish like tuna.  The only issue I have is this fish box is forward so when a gaffed bleeding tuna is brought forward, often time the blood gets splattered everywhere. 

Here is the mid fish box that we mostly use for drinks.  But we have had to move the drinks to make room for fish….the fish have priority.

Transom fish box.  It normally serves as the ballyhoo storage area but have given it up for fish too. 

The boat has Taco 250 Outriggers double rigged and a center rigger.  I normally put a green machine bird combo on the WWFB on the center rigger.  Deadly on YFT.  I normally keep them fully extended at this angle as I don’t like trying to deploy them when rocking and rolling on the fishing grounds.  I have been in some rough seas and they have not bent at all.  Occasionally, one will slip down but just got to put it back up and tighten it down.  They just fit under the CBBT extended like this. 

ICOM 422 VHF gives us full DSC capabilities including positions requests.  Give us a hail using our MMSI number 338-018-823. 

The radio is very high up and hard to see the channels, plus Lanie can hardly reach it so I installed the ICOM Command Mic II giving us all the functions (minus DSC) at the dash so it’s easier to hear, see, and use the radio. 

Raymarine C120 chartplotter puts the Navionics Gold charts (or fish and chips bottom charts), 4 KW radar, and fish finder in one screen.  The fish finder is an Airmar M260 shoot-through-the-hull 1KW attached to Raymarine DSM 300 giving us high definition bottom even while underway at 30 knots.  The autopilot is Raymarine ST 6001 SG1.  I’ll tell you, once you’ve installed autopilot, you won’t go back.  First it allows me to focus on the water ahead and not whether or not I’m on course.  Plus it makes trolling painless.  We can troll for stripers at 2 knots or tuna at 7 knots and it maintains it’s heading even in heavy wind, chop, or current. 

In the bilge area is a Kohler 5 KW gas generator that runs off the main tank.  She burns about 0.5 gallons per hour at medium load.  Having heat or AC and use of the microwave is really nice while out fishing.  We also enjoy steamed middle neck clams on the cooktop when the fishing is slow.

Our cooktop is in the cockpit and not the cabin.  We thought this was an unusual choice but Lanie actually likes it because a burner in the cabin can get real hot real fast even with the AC going.  So for us, it’s a winner. 

Baitwell – Insulated – 35 Gallon Recirculating With 1100 Gph Pump And Light

And here she is all tucked away in our slip awaiting our next adventure.