It’s hard to look cool in a minivan. It’s also hard to look serious about sportfishing when you’re in one of the many modern “family fisherman” boats that throw fishing into the back seat. Enter the new Jupiter 29. It looks slick and sporty, provides what the hardcore angler in you wants, and doesn’t kick the family to the curb either. Think of it as an SUV that can mow down the neighborhood station wagon.
Take the cushioned bow, for example. Comfortable backrests and numerous cupholders make it a great spot to hang out and enjoy the sunshine, but flip those seats to discover twin insulated overboard-draining fishboxes with room to stow enough tuna to feed the extended family. Then there’s the large macerated box in the deck, which could swallow up a 200-pound tuna. In the console you’ll find a roomy head with a vanity and freshwater sink, but that console also extends upward so it can accommodate twin 15″ displays. Every inch of the boat is exquisitely finished. Joints are blind, cushions are piped, the exterior is finished in Imron, and most of the hardware is blind-fastened. Pipework is curved and styled to match the boat’s lines, and you won’t find a rough edge or wavy fiberglass anywhere. A mahi-mahi just threw blood across the deck? No problem: Both fresh- and raw-water washdowns come standard.
Other features that will raise your temperature include twin lockable rodboxes in the deck that will hold up to eight rigs, a 45-gallon livewell behind the leaning post that’s rounded and painted in bait-calming blue gel coat, and a well-insulated drinkbox in front of the console.
What about performance? We pounced through Port Everglades Inlet and ran at three-quarter throttle into a 4′ head sea without any rattles, pounding, or excessive spray. The key lies in the Jupiter’s small pad in the stern along with a 24-degree deadrise; the combination helps the boat ride atop the seas. That deep-V bottom rolls a bit when drifting in a beam sea, a trait common to this hull design. Of course, real men will take that tradeoff, especially when they know that in the Jupiter 29 they’ll look and live like the hardcore angler they truly are.
