Beam: 8’6″
Draft: 1’0″
Displacement (approx.): 3,600 lb. (without power)
Transom Deadrise: 16 degrees
Bridge Clearance: ⅞” (with hardtop)
Fuel Capacity: 83 gal.
Max Horsepower: 300
Available Power: Single Evinrude, Mercury or Yamaha outboard to 300 hp
More Information: crevalleboats.com Picasa
Bay boats have proliferated in recent years. Most, however, have retained the angling equivalent of a game face; they’re serious fishing machines. So is the Crevalle 25 Bay. Yet designer and company partner Nick Engels also gave this bay boat a softer side, revealed in touches such as a 40-inch-wide bench seat with an angled backrest that hides under the 80-inch-wide aft casting deck.
Most bay boats offer an expansive forward casting platform, and the Crevalle 25 Bay is no exception. Measuring 73 inches at the widest and 50 inches along the centerline with toe rails for safety, the 16-inch-tall bow deck gives you plenty of room to fish. But that’s not all. With the forward seating package, cushions and a pair of backrests convert the bow to an inviting sun lounger. The backrests can be reversed to create a pair of aft-facing seats. A step-down head within the center-console — a feature you won’t find on many bay boats — lets the family feel comfortable about spending a day on the water. The midcockpit gunwales are also relatively tall for a bay boat — 21 inches. We’d like to see coaming bolsters for comfort.
There’s a pair of 28-gallon release wells, plus a 12-gallon baitwell forward of the console. You can use this well as a cooler for drinks or frozen bait. A portable 72-quart cooler resides under the aft deck; another is nestled under the leaning post. An insole locker contains a special frame for stowing the ubiquitous 5-gallon bucket. The helm area features a storm-gray finish to reduce glare, and a fiddled top keeps items from sliding off. The 32-inch-wide helm panel will accommodate a 12-inch multifunction display.
Lockable rod stowage for up to 10 sticks means you won’t be undergunned when fishing. There are also four vertical rod holders abaft the helm seat, and under-gunwale racks for more rods on each side. Order the optional hardtop and you’ll get four more vertical rod holders.
Everyone will love the seven-seconds-to-30 mph acceleration, as well as the 54.1 mph top speed when powered by a Yamaha F300 outboard, which was mounted on a SeaStar electrohydraulic jack plate with a 6-inch setback. We ran it at the 3-inch elevation mark.
Crevalle has succeeded in creating a top-quality bay boat that you can fish hard on Saturday and then, with a bit of reconfiguring, take the family out for a leisurely cruise in on Sunday.
Comparable Model: Contender 25 Bay
