But, is 110-hp enough for a 28’ boat? That depends on how patient you are. All things in boats are trade-offs, and the down-side to the incredible efficiency of this design is a slow cruising speed of 22-mph. Here’s the shocker: at this speed the Aspen gets 4.7 miles to the gallon – more then twice the efficiency of most modern 28’ boats, which would usually have twin 150-hp to 200-hp outboards and a best cruising efficiency of 1.5 to 2.0 miles to the gallon. If you can stand an even slower cruise of 17-mph you’ll see 6.5 miles to the gallon. On the troll at 5-mph you’ll go 13 miles before chewing through a gallon of fuel. And let’s not forget about the quality of the ride, either, because this boat is as smooth as they come when it comes to punching through rough seas.
Playin’ Hooky
So we know the Aspen will take longer to get out to the canyons, but you’ll burn less then half the fuel and have a comfy ride getting there. Performance is only half the story. What about fishability? Another benefit of the powercat’s design is a full beam, from stem to stern. Stand on the deck of the Aspen and you’ll feel like you have just as much deck space as most 32’ to 35’ boats. Handling half a dozen anglers will be no problem, and drift fishermen will love the ability to spread out along the gunwales. And remember: Graf came from Glacier Bay, which builds primarily fishing boats. He’s no stranger to designing livewells, fishboxes, tackle stations, and the like.
But there is another down-side to the single-screw arrangement: poor dockside handling, which translates into an inability to back and turn on fast-moving pelagics like billfish. When that marlin dances across the stern, you’ve got to be able to spin the boat to keep up with it. Luckily, Aspen effectively addresses this issue. A pair of Lenco 24-V stern thrusters and a bow thruster can be added to the boat for about $3,800. These should be considered must-haves, not only for fishing but also for docking the boat. Experienced captains will need some time to get used to spinning without opposing the throttles, but once that time is under the belt you’ll find the thruster-equipped Aspen responsive enough to deal with a ticked-off 500-pound blue marlin, a raging bigeye tuna, or whatever else you manage to raise into your spread.
Time Bandit
Like the design, Aspen’s construction is so modern you could almost say the boat is ahead of its time. Resins are all vinylester and isothalic, the layup includes a mix of S-glass, Kevlar fabrics, and cross-linked PVC cores, and the 2.5-inch thick stringers are constructed of foam-cored fiberglass with 3/8” steel reinforcements at the motor mounts. Now check out the seats; note the over-sized stainless-steel backrests and frames. The windshield is a cut above as well, since it’s real tempered glass (which doesn’t scratch) instead of the various plastic imitations we usually see on modern boats (which do scratch).
The fuel tanks are constructed of quarter-inch thick aluminum, grab rails are stainless-steel, and the props spin on two inch shafts. Every aspect of this boat screams over-built, hyper-engineered, and cutting-edge. Yes, you can find other fishboats that this is also true of. And just about all of them will have faster cruising speeds. But when it comes to fuel efficiency, the Aspen is the hands-down winner. In fact, it’s the first canyon-capable powerboat I’ve ever set foot on which is worth of the title: this boat is a real Green Machine.
Learn more about Aspen at www.aspenpowercatamarans.com
LOA – 28’4”
Beam – 10’0”
Draft – 2’3”
Dry weight – 4,900
Fuel capacity – 50
Max. HP – 110
Price – $73,900 for the base boat.
Observed performance notes w/6 people and half load fuel, single 110-hp Yanmar diesel inboard, swinging a 17” x 19” three bladed bronze prop:
|
Cruise RPM
|
Speed in MPH
|
Gallons per hour
|
Miles per gallon
|
|
Slow cruise/2000
|
11.7
|
1.7
|
7.1
|
|
Fast cruise/3000
|
22.0
|
4.7
|
4.7
|
|
Wide open throttle/3200
|
24.0
|
6.0
|
4.0
|
|
 |
| One hull houses a 115-hp Yanmar. |
|
|
