HookedOnFishingBoats.com

Epic 22SC – High Tech Center Console Bay Boat

“The space is the most under appreciated aspect that you don’t ‘see’ on the showroom floor. 22’4” in length and 102” beam sounds good – until you put a 10, seven and three year old on it to go fishing. Then, you really appreciate how much room there actually is. There was absolutely more than enough room to stand on the forward casting deck and fish, while the girls meandered around the aft deck and the console doing what girls do… fish, play, fish, play.

Below all that decking is a well designed stowage space, there are lockable rod holders, a large forward compartment/fish box, and an anchor locker with some nice details: a molded rack to hold the anchor; an internal cleat for securing the line; and, the deck lid is notched to allow to anchor line to come out and the lid will still close. Another great feature is the large jump seats in the rear.

All of the rod holders have drains with tubing that sends the water out of the rod holder and into the back of the boat. The steering column has a tilt feature that makes finding the right steering position very easy. The console is recessed at the floor so your toes don’t stub it. I was also pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to control with the 80-lb Riptide electric trolling motor. Because of how light the boat is, the trolling motor has no problems handling the current or the wind.

As for speed, even with my wife and the three girls, we ran 46 mph across the lake with a light head wind. By myself, I’ve hit 51 mph. It has a hydraulic jack plate that I am still trying to learn how to make the most of, but I’m confident it will go a little faster, once I master the jack plate and trim. The hull has a slight Carolina flair, perhaps not as noticeable as a boat like the Blackjack 224, but the only way I think I’ll ever get wet at the console is if it is raining. I went through a 15 to 20 knot head wind, across the white capping open water of the large part of the lake, racing to beat a thunderstorm that snuck up on me, and it shed every bit of water well to the outside of the boat. As far as the ride itself, it cut through that chop as well as one could want. Of course, it was a little bumpy, but the hull did a nice job staying on course and I was not fighting the chop through the steering. And, there were no rattles, no latches clanging, the hatches stayed secure and my drink stayed in place on top of the console.

Trolling shallow is a breeze, and 15” to 18” of water is no problem. Nice way to get to those large mouths holding in the lilly pads up on the shoals, and you should see the bass boat guys waiting in anticipation for me to get stuck… and then the frustration I see on their face when I cruise right on through to the spots that used to be impossible to get to.