 |
| The Fishermen 210 is a bay boat that can handle big waters. |
|
Bay-Leaver: Dargel Fishermen 210
You need a boat that can run through the shallows for redfish and specks one day, and then pop out the inlet on a quest for cobia and kingfish the next? Then you need a shallow draft bay boat with enough beef to take on open waters. Dargel’s Fishermen 210 is just such a machine, a Texas-built semi-V design that has a static draft of nine inches—yet when I tested it, I felt comfortable running through the inlet and into the ocean. We had a steady two foot chop as we cleared the rock jetties, but the Dargel kept me dry and didn’t rattle my teeth out, something many bay boats would do while cruising at speeds in the mid 20’s. When we returned to flat water we opened up the throttles, and cruised at well over 30-mph.
I found the Dargel’s handling excellent, and we zipped across shallow flats, carved turns through tight cuts, and even pulled a hair-pin without touching ground or the prop blowing out—including with the jack plate tweaked up. At all times, the boat felt solid underfoot thanks to construction techniques like a foam-filled fiberglass stringer grid system and a hand-laid fiberglass hull and deck. True, the black and gray spackle interior might not be the cleanest look in town, but the advantage here is an easier clean-up than you’d have with a linered boat. Console rails and grab rails are stainless-steel, and the console itself is heavy-duty, constructed to support a person’s weight so you can stand on it to get an elevated view while sight-fishing. If this is something you plan to do often, you can get the upgraded “Guide” version of the console, which is 42” wide and 10” taller than the regular one.
Speaking of fishing: there’s a port-side livewell, six vertical rodholders, and a 94-qt. swing-back cooler seat. Back in the bay, forward and aft casting platforms add to the boat’s multi-species functionality. Rodboxes are locking, and there are plenty of other stowage compartments for accessory gear. Another stowage bonus: fuel. This boat can carry 57 gallons (an upgrade; 34-gallons is standard), which is significantly more than many 21-footers can haul. Check it out, and take one for a ride. Before you know it, there’s a good chance you’ll become a bay-leaver.
|