The Famous Craft 2100 with a 225-hp Merc Optimax on the transom - hold on tight!
Wave-hopping over a two to three foot chop at highway-speeds, one thing was perfectly clear when I tested the Famous Craft 2100: This boat is put together like a brick. The heavy seas didn’t deter it one bit, and as we leapt from whitecap to whitecap the boat came down solid and rattle-free each and every time. That’s not the norm when testing boats made for skinny back-bay waters, but it’s also no wonder, when you consider the way this boat is put together: All-composite construction includes a vinylester skin coat over Divinycell-cored decks and a hull backed by foam-cored fiberglass stringers. I found more to file in the stout construction department when I checked out the hardware. Look behind every cleat, hatch, and fitting, and you’ll see aircraft-style Nylock locking nuts capping off the bolts.
The push-pole holder on the hullside keeps poles out of the way when not in use.
Two rodholders come on the poling platform, so trolling is an option, too.
Yet another surprise lays at the dash; it’s designed with plenty of room for electronics, unlike many boats made to run through the skinny stuff. In fact, there’s enough space that you could have your dealer flush-mount two full-size LCD screen GPS or fishfinder units, plus a VHF. That brings up another point, however, which will be problematic for many Famous Craft fans: the dealer network for this company is very limited, and you may have to travel quite a way to look at one. (Check their web site for specific locations.)
Our test boat was rigged up with an optional poling platform, which comes with a pair of rodholders. Between them and the two holders mounted in the aft deck, this is one flats boat you can also troll from. You’d rather live-bait? No problem. The 2100 houses a 35-gallon livewell in the aft deck and a 25-gallon well in the foredeck.
Performance is sporty, with a two-second hole-shot, seat-of-your-pants handling, and a chine design that throws water out and away from the boat effectively. In fact, we came in from our test cruise dry—a minor miracle, considering we were running a skinny water machine in seas like these. Then again, maybe its results like these that really do make a craft famous.
Observed performance notes w/2 people and half load fuel, 225-hp Mercury Optimax two-stroke outboard swinging a 15.5” x 17” three bladed stainless-steel prop:
Cruise RPM
Speed in MPH
Gallons per hour
Miles per gallon
Slow cruise/3500
33.0
9.4
3.5
Fast cruise/4500
44.5
13.9
3.2
Wide open throttle/5950
56.6
22.2
2.5
Contact HookedOnFishingBoats.com by e-mailing lr@geareduppublications.com. Copyright 2009, by Geared Up, LLC.
