Everglades 290 Pilot
In the world of sportfishing boats, hype often surpasses reality. But the Everglades 290 Pilot lives up to its hard-charging reputation in big seas off the Florida coast.
By Michael Verdon
June 1, 2005
Fishing for grouper aboard the tough new Everglades 290 Pilot isn't supposed to involve stumbling
back and forth across the deck, mumbling like Ozzy Osbourne doing his reality show. But, neither
are the grouper supposed to be nipping tails off the baitfish every few minutes like a kid at a
cocktail party eating half a shrimp and then putting it back on the tray.
Grouper fishing is about dead-calm water, the catch and release of a monster. It's about brawn, not brains. But there you are, onboard the 290 Pilot on a wild winter's day, a dozen miles offshore from Florida's Ponce de Leon Inlet, ambushed by eight-foot seas and cold 30-knot winds, clearly outsmarted by MENSA-level fish.
But despite the negatives, you're having a grand old time on the water. Whoever said a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work must've been on a boat like the Everglades 290 Pilot. Because on many other walkarounds, that trip would've been miserable, on par with the annual job review or having your teeth cleaned.
It doesn't really matter that the fish are just sampling the bait because the new 290 Pilot and rough water are the real stories to this test. On the way out, small-craft advisories keep most boats high and dry inside the Inlet, and just the day before, one of Everglades' main competitors declined to take its new boat out in the rough stuff.
It's a real test when the 290 Pilot comes charging out of the raging Inlet at 40 mph and takes a 6-footer on the bow, landing hard on the next 6-footer with a jaw-shaking shudder.
But
instead of that brittle crunch that sounds wrong when most boats land badly off the waves, the
Everglades delivers a more solid thump, thanks to its foam-filled hull. The landing is also
relatively soft, considering the slopes of white-capped ocean swells coming in at odd angles. There
are another 15 miles of 6- to 8-footers, separating real boats from the pretenders, during the next
40 minutes of running to the sunken ship you'll be fishing.
The 290 Pilot's a fun boat to drive in big water, though you let Peter Pimental, Everglades' product engineer and in-house fishing guru, take it through the hairier bits beyond the channel. Your test boat is powered by twin 225-hp Honda BF225As, a good choice of power that gives the boat a top end of 50.3 mph in flatter conditions. But even in the rougher stuff, a friendly cruise of 3000 rpm at just over 20 mph is do-able. (At that speed, according to Everglades, it has a range of about 430 miles.) The boat has a sharp entry forward, with twin strakes and a hard chine that deflects water away from the topsides, and
21 degrees of transom at the deadrise, giving it a stable, dry ride overall.
It's not bone dry: About every sixth wave, the windshield gets hit with spray, as any boat would running 35 mph in these conditions. But Pimental keeps the throttle pinned three-quarters to the wall, confident in the hull he helped design. After a few downhill surfs, in which the stern doesn't shimmy, you are, too.
The hull is built for offshore running, but the pilothouse is the real key feature on this boat. In fact, it was the starting point for the design. Everglades father/son owners Bob and Steve Dougherty wanted to build a center console with an enclosed pilothouse for three-season use, even in areas like the Great Lakes or Northeast. The resulting design was so thoughtful it won an NMMA/BWI Innovation award this year.
It's the world's first convertible windshield (with wiper and washer) to keep rain and spray away, while the Jeep-style canvas/isinglass enclosure buttons it up into a snug pilothouse.
The white/gray canvas and isinglass are affixed to a stainless-steel frame that snaps into the aluminum posts on the hardtop. The snugly fitting two doors have lockable handles and magnets to keep rattling to a minimum. The aft portion can be rolled up, and the doors can be propped open to 45 degrees to regulate wind intake. While $1,200 might seem a bit steep for the system, it's worth it because it'll extend the season and make it possible to stay dry on days like your test. It also allows four inside the confines of the pilothouse ' though it'd help if four means a family with kids and not four big guys.
Speaking of which, the 290 Pilot proves surprisingly adept as a 'family fishing boat.' The pilot station holds kids snugly in bad weather, and for older family members, the two seats up front are one of the most comfortable waterfront views on any center console. The swim platform's set up with a retractable ladder for watersports.
Creature comforts like a forward head compartment and good freeboard along the gunwales (30 inches high at midships and 28 inches aft in the cockpit) increase the 290 Pilot's family-friendly feel. The head compartment has 83 inches of headroom, a forward-facing china toilet, macerator, and vanity with sink/
shower. It also offers rear access to the helm electronics for repair or simple installation of new equipment.
But the compartment needs a step since there's a 24-inch drop down from the deck to the floor. The window offers good light, but could use a tint for privacy. (While we're at it, how about a latch to hold the door open so it won't slam if the boat's rocking?).
The 290 Pilot is Everglades' largest boat to date (there's talk of a 35-footer), and it's the first offshore walkaround model from a company that's focused on bay and flats boats. Usually it takes a builder a generation or two to create a new model, but a look at the rest of the 290's features suggests the company got it right the first time. The cockpit sole has red LED lights that allow for night vision without interfering with the visibility of the electronics. The side-by-side seats in front (instead of the usual cushions on the cooler arrangement) are bucket-style, with headrests and powder-coated grabrail/armrests.
Helm and companion seats are a similar design, with bolsters that drop down for stand-up/lean-to driving. This could be the most comfortable seat configuration on any dedicated fishing boat. The dedication continues aft with the eight-drawer rigging station behind the seats, including fresh- and raw-water sink, full-size cutting board, and best of all, a 66-gallon livewell in the heart of the setup.
The laundry list of fishing features includes 18 rod holders and rocket launchers between the transom, gunwales and hardtop, 8-inch pull-up cleats, stainless-steel toe rails, electric windlass, lockable rod storage for eight rods (and under-gunwale rod racks for six rods), and two large fish boxes ' a 160-gallon insulated box forward and another 90-gallon box aft.
Coaming extends all the way around the boat, and there's a cool rear (19-inch by 44-inch) seat that folds up for a clean cockpit but opens up to allow access to the batteries. The engineers were once again thinking about creative solutions to limited space. As a result, there's about a 45-inch by 96-inch area of open cockpit space in the back, offering decent room for fishing or family cruising.
The 'I' word ' innovation ' gets tossed around a little loosely on new boats, but Everglades actually has a right to claim it. Bob Dougherty made his mark in the boating world as chief designer for
Boston Whaler for nearly 30 years, and Everglades, in its short three-year history, has won an unprecedented three NMMA Innovation Awards for its boat designs and RAMCAP building process.
Its patented Rapid Molded Core Assembly Process (RAMCAP) incorporates an all-foam hull construction, which Everglades says is unsinkable. Other builders also base their hulls around unsinkable foam. But instead of injecting liquid foam into an empty mold, as others do, Everglades pre-cuts and shapes a
6-pound structural urethane core foam (higher density than the 1.8-pound foams typically used) in the hull shape it wants. Everglades then puts the core (foam shape plus stringers) into a closed-vacuum mold where resin and fiberglass are applied to form a 'unibond' shape ' a solid-piece construction that muffles hull-slapping and delivers a softer, more solid ride.
Overall, the 290 Pilot breathes quality, from the 4.5-inch-diameter powder-coated rails to the lockable transom door to the slide-out 98-quart cooler system Dougherty and Pimental designed to keep the aft cockpit clean. On top of it all, it's a nice-looking boat, even from the stern, where most boats fall short.
The boat's available in white, yellow, green or blue trim, with an optional Team Everglades decal if you want to show its fishing pedigree. The 290 Pilot can run with the big dogs in the slop, but will always keep you high and dry ' even if the fish aren't biting.
LOA 28'7"
Beam 9'9"
Weight 5,000 lbs.
Fuel 200 gal.
Base Price $163,847
(w/twin 225-hp Honda BF225As)
Price As Tested $167,743
(w/twin 225-hp Honda BF225As)
Hull Warranty Limited 10-year transferable
NMMA Certified? No
Everglades Boats
544 Air Park Rd.
Edgewater, FL 32132
(386) 409-2202
www.evergladesboats.com
Test Data
Performance data was gathered with twin 225-hp Honda BF225As with 15.25-inch by 19-inch propellers, three people on board and a full tank of gas.
Top Speed 50.3 mph
Time To Plane 4.5 seconds
0-30 mph 7 seconds*
Decibels @ Idle 69 dB-A
Decibels @ 3000 rpm 82 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 89 dB-A
*data from Everglades
Standard Features
25-gallon freshwater tank, stern seat with access to transom, electric windlass, pilot station with curved bucket seats, tilting helm console, windshield wiper, hydraulic tilt steering, electric sliding helm panel, red LED lighting for night fishing, 18 rod holders and rocket launchers, 160-gallon insulated fish box forward, 90-gallon aft cockpit fish box, premier bait station w/freshwater and raw-water sink, 66-gallon circulating livewell, eight-drawer tackle storage and cutting board, head compartment, porcelain toilet with macerator discharge, freshwater sink/shower.
Options
Kingfish rod holders, Taco Outriggers, Pilot Station Enclosure, Team Everglades decals.
Grouper fishing is about dead-calm water, the catch and release of a monster. It's about brawn, not brains. But there you are, onboard the 290 Pilot on a wild winter's day, a dozen miles offshore from Florida's Ponce de Leon Inlet, ambushed by eight-foot seas and cold 30-knot winds, clearly outsmarted by MENSA-level fish.
But despite the negatives, you're having a grand old time on the water. Whoever said a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work must've been on a boat like the Everglades 290 Pilot. Because on many other walkarounds, that trip would've been miserable, on par with the annual job review or having your teeth cleaned.
It doesn't really matter that the fish are just sampling the bait because the new 290 Pilot and rough water are the real stories to this test. On the way out, small-craft advisories keep most boats high and dry inside the Inlet, and just the day before, one of Everglades' main competitors declined to take its new boat out in the rough stuff.
It's a real test when the 290 Pilot comes charging out of the raging Inlet at 40 mph and takes a 6-footer on the bow, landing hard on the next 6-footer with a jaw-shaking shudder.
But
instead of that brittle crunch that sounds wrong when most boats land badly off the waves, the
Everglades delivers a more solid thump, thanks to its foam-filled hull. The landing is also
relatively soft, considering the slopes of white-capped ocean swells coming in at odd angles. There
are another 15 miles of 6- to 8-footers, separating real boats from the pretenders, during the next
40 minutes of running to the sunken ship you'll be fishing.
The 290 Pilot's a fun boat to drive in big water, though you let Peter Pimental, Everglades' product engineer and in-house fishing guru, take it through the hairier bits beyond the channel. Your test boat is powered by twin 225-hp Honda BF225As, a good choice of power that gives the boat a top end of 50.3 mph in flatter conditions. But even in the rougher stuff, a friendly cruise of 3000 rpm at just over 20 mph is do-able. (At that speed, according to Everglades, it has a range of about 430 miles.) The boat has a sharp entry forward, with twin strakes and a hard chine that deflects water away from the topsides, and
21 degrees of transom at the deadrise, giving it a stable, dry ride overall.
It's not bone dry: About every sixth wave, the windshield gets hit with spray, as any boat would running 35 mph in these conditions. But Pimental keeps the throttle pinned three-quarters to the wall, confident in the hull he helped design. After a few downhill surfs, in which the stern doesn't shimmy, you are, too.
The hull is built for offshore running, but the pilothouse is the real key feature on this boat. In fact, it was the starting point for the design. Everglades father/son owners Bob and Steve Dougherty wanted to build a center console with an enclosed pilothouse for three-season use, even in areas like the Great Lakes or Northeast. The resulting design was so thoughtful it won an NMMA/BWI Innovation award this year.
It's the world's first convertible windshield (with wiper and washer) to keep rain and spray away, while the Jeep-style canvas/isinglass enclosure buttons it up into a snug pilothouse.
The white/gray canvas and isinglass are affixed to a stainless-steel frame that snaps into the aluminum posts on the hardtop. The snugly fitting two doors have lockable handles and magnets to keep rattling to a minimum. The aft portion can be rolled up, and the doors can be propped open to 45 degrees to regulate wind intake. While $1,200 might seem a bit steep for the system, it's worth it because it'll extend the season and make it possible to stay dry on days like your test. It also allows four inside the confines of the pilothouse ' though it'd help if four means a family with kids and not four big guys.
Speaking of which, the 290 Pilot proves surprisingly adept as a 'family fishing boat.' The pilot station holds kids snugly in bad weather, and for older family members, the two seats up front are one of the most comfortable waterfront views on any center console. The swim platform's set up with a retractable ladder for watersports.
Creature comforts like a forward head compartment and good freeboard along the gunwales (30 inches high at midships and 28 inches aft in the cockpit) increase the 290 Pilot's family-friendly feel. The head compartment has 83 inches of headroom, a forward-facing china toilet, macerator, and vanity with sink/
shower. It also offers rear access to the helm electronics for repair or simple installation of new equipment.
But the compartment needs a step since there's a 24-inch drop down from the deck to the floor. The window offers good light, but could use a tint for privacy. (While we're at it, how about a latch to hold the door open so it won't slam if the boat's rocking?).
The 290 Pilot is Everglades' largest boat to date (there's talk of a 35-footer), and it's the first offshore walkaround model from a company that's focused on bay and flats boats. Usually it takes a builder a generation or two to create a new model, but a look at the rest of the 290's features suggests the company got it right the first time. The cockpit sole has red LED lights that allow for night vision without interfering with the visibility of the electronics. The side-by-side seats in front (instead of the usual cushions on the cooler arrangement) are bucket-style, with headrests and powder-coated grabrail/armrests.
Helm and companion seats are a similar design, with bolsters that drop down for stand-up/lean-to driving. This could be the most comfortable seat configuration on any dedicated fishing boat. The dedication continues aft with the eight-drawer rigging station behind the seats, including fresh- and raw-water sink, full-size cutting board, and best of all, a 66-gallon livewell in the heart of the setup.
The laundry list of fishing features includes 18 rod holders and rocket launchers between the transom, gunwales and hardtop, 8-inch pull-up cleats, stainless-steel toe rails, electric windlass, lockable rod storage for eight rods (and under-gunwale rod racks for six rods), and two large fish boxes ' a 160-gallon insulated box forward and another 90-gallon box aft.
Coaming extends all the way around the boat, and there's a cool rear (19-inch by 44-inch) seat that folds up for a clean cockpit but opens up to allow access to the batteries. The engineers were once again thinking about creative solutions to limited space. As a result, there's about a 45-inch by 96-inch area of open cockpit space in the back, offering decent room for fishing or family cruising.
The 'I' word ' innovation ' gets tossed around a little loosely on new boats, but Everglades actually has a right to claim it. Bob Dougherty made his mark in the boating world as chief designer for
Boston Whaler for nearly 30 years, and Everglades, in its short three-year history, has won an unprecedented three NMMA Innovation Awards for its boat designs and RAMCAP building process.
Its patented Rapid Molded Core Assembly Process (RAMCAP) incorporates an all-foam hull construction, which Everglades says is unsinkable. Other builders also base their hulls around unsinkable foam. But instead of injecting liquid foam into an empty mold, as others do, Everglades pre-cuts and shapes a
6-pound structural urethane core foam (higher density than the 1.8-pound foams typically used) in the hull shape it wants. Everglades then puts the core (foam shape plus stringers) into a closed-vacuum mold where resin and fiberglass are applied to form a 'unibond' shape ' a solid-piece construction that muffles hull-slapping and delivers a softer, more solid ride.
Overall, the 290 Pilot breathes quality, from the 4.5-inch-diameter powder-coated rails to the lockable transom door to the slide-out 98-quart cooler system Dougherty and Pimental designed to keep the aft cockpit clean. On top of it all, it's a nice-looking boat, even from the stern, where most boats fall short.
The boat's available in white, yellow, green or blue trim, with an optional Team Everglades decal if you want to show its fishing pedigree. The 290 Pilot can run with the big dogs in the slop, but will always keep you high and dry ' even if the fish aren't biting.
LOA 28'7"
Beam 9'9"
Weight 5,000 lbs.
Fuel 200 gal.
Base Price $163,847
(w/twin 225-hp Honda BF225As)
Price As Tested $167,743
(w/twin 225-hp Honda BF225As)
Hull Warranty Limited 10-year transferable
NMMA Certified? No
Everglades Boats
544 Air Park Rd.
Edgewater, FL 32132
(386) 409-2202
www.evergladesboats.com
Test Data
Performance data was gathered with twin 225-hp Honda BF225As with 15.25-inch by 19-inch propellers, three people on board and a full tank of gas.
Top Speed 50.3 mph
Time To Plane 4.5 seconds
0-30 mph 7 seconds*
Decibels @ Idle 69 dB-A
Decibels @ 3000 rpm 82 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 89 dB-A
*data from Everglades
Standard Features
25-gallon freshwater tank, stern seat with access to transom, electric windlass, pilot station with curved bucket seats, tilting helm console, windshield wiper, hydraulic tilt steering, electric sliding helm panel, red LED lighting for night fishing, 18 rod holders and rocket launchers, 160-gallon insulated fish box forward, 90-gallon aft cockpit fish box, premier bait station w/freshwater and raw-water sink, 66-gallon circulating livewell, eight-drawer tackle storage and cutting board, head compartment, porcelain toilet with macerator discharge, freshwater sink/shower.
Options
Kingfish rod holders, Taco Outriggers, Pilot Station Enclosure, Team Everglades decals.
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