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Angler 2900

With the Angler 2900, a small Florida builder delivers a safe, well-made 29-foot center console with plenty of standard equipment for about $80,000.

A deep cockpit and high rails add to overall safety. Top speed: 43 knots with twin 225-hp outboards. The T-top with rocket launchers is standard.

We’d always thought of Anglers as being price boats—clean enough of line but nothing fancy; more or less an inexpensive way to get out on the water. But while Anglers are economical craft, they also deliver a lot more than you’d expect for the price, at least in the case of the 2900 reviewed here. There is a difference between inexpensive and cheap, and Angler has come down on the right side of the value equation.

Angler Boats is a modest-sized South Florida operation started by Elio Grillo about three decades ago. Grillo’s a fisherman (he’s having a new boat built for himself right now), and the company has pretty much concentrated on no-frills fishing boats—center consoles and walkarounds—since the beginning.

About 18 months ago, Grillo hired Gerritt Walsh, formerly of Mako and Luhrs, to help improve the perception and the reality of the Angler line. (Anglers have been viewed as “cheap” boats.) The 2900CC, introduced a year ago at the Miami Boat Show, is the largest of the Anglers and the flagship of the “new” Anglers, which include the 240 (center console and walkaround), 210 and 190, a cat.

Based in Miami, Angler turns out about 1,100 boats each year, sold by about 70 dealers concentrated in the East and along the Gulf Coast. Angler has yet to make any significant penetration in the Great Lakes or West Coast, but there’s no reason why they shouldn’t. These are sturdy boats, with deep cockpits and high freeboard, that come equipped with most of the fishing amenities you’d want. They provide the range required to roam the coast for hundreds of miles at a time. But their beamy design results in a rougher ride than longer, narrower center consoles. (See Performance sidebar, Page 6.) The 2900, for example, with an optional 60-gallon tank added to the standard 270 gallons, will give you about 207 nautical miles of running at 3000 rpm.

Design/Construction
For the 2900, Angler wanted a hull with enough V bottom to handle the sea, but not so much that the boat became difficult to drive or prone to rolling at rest or at trolling speeds. Walsh recalled an experiment from his Mako days when that company gave its new 33 a 24.5° deadrise to compete with the sleek Contender and Intrepid. The result, he said, was a boat that was “awfully hard” for the occasional driver to control. The Angler 29 has a more modest, but still moderately deep, deadrise aft of 21 degrees.

Nor is the entry especially sharp. The 2900 has a reverse chine and two running strakes per side. LWL is about 18-1/2 feet against a BWL of 10 feet, a ratio of less than 2-to-1, making this a beamy boat for its size. (This is a company trademark: The 252 carries a beam of 9’ 5”.)

Aside from the bulkheads, the hull contains four longitudinal stringers; foam, mostly for sound-deadening purposes, is injected into the spaces between the outboard stringers and the hull sides. The main 270-gallon fuel tank—.190”-thick of 5052 welded aluminum from Florida Marine Tanks—is inserted under the cockpit sole between stringers and bulkheads and glassed in at the top edges. It rests on a bed of low-density foam, which we don’t like because it traps moisture and leads to corrosion. But the 2900 does offer a full-size cutout for access to the tank and also for the optional 60-gallon tank forward.

Hull-to-Deck
Since 3M 5200 adhesive alone is sufficient to hold the hull-to-deck joint, we’d say this is as secure a joining as you’re likely to get, short of glassing the pieces together. All-in-all, it’s a reasonably solid conventional layup that is nicely finished inside and out.

At approximately 6,500 pounds dry weight, the 2900 is heavy for its size. A Century 3000 cc, for example, weighs about 5,500 pounds, a Stamas Tarpon 290 5,000 pounds, a Hydra-Sports 3000 cc about 6,100 pounds.

Cockpit/Deck
The Angler’s 10’ 4” beam that may detract some from performance but provides lots of room in the cockpit. Four persons—maybe more—can fish from this boat without getting in each other’s way.

The cockpit is a very secure 34 inches deep, and while there’s no toe rail, the aggressive nonskid (everywhere you’re likely to step) adds to on-deck safety. From the helm forward, the gunwale is topped with a heavy-duty (1-1/8” OD) aluminum rail that is 15 inches high.

In short, you probably couldn’t fall off this boat if you tried. The rail, as with all deck hardware on this boat, is through-bolted and anchored in 1/4” fiberglass plates. With its considerable freeboard, this is a fairly dry boat. Nevertheless, there are deep and wide gutters leading to 2-1/2”-wide scupper drains.

An important safety feature on the Angler is a grabrail on the back of the leaning post.

Walsh believes several important factors draw a customer (and his family) to a particular boat: These include beam, cockpit depth and freeboard. Angler has deliberately increased freeboard, which may inconvenience the fisherman to a degree but adds to safety. On the 2900, freeboard aft is 30 inches, about the same as a Mako 33, but higher, for example, than the popular Mako 282 or Pursuit 2870.

There are two raised transom compartments, the port one containing a sink and freshwater washdown, the center one containing a 25”-deep baitwell (35 gallons). There’s a saltwater washdown tucked in the port corner under the gunwale. The Angler gives you four fishboxes, each 8’ long and 19” deep. Originally, the forward boxes were to contain racks for locking your tackle, which is nice and all too rare, but customers told company reps they’d prefer the extra storage space for fish. Clearly, the typical Angler customer is not your catch-and-release type. The aft fishboxes, insulated with 3/4” foam, have macerator pumps.

Other standard fishing equipment includes two rod holders per gunwale and three brass-colored clips per side for under-gunwale rod storage. Standard as well is a T-top with rocket launchers, Top Gun outriggers and spreader lights. Lighting on this boat is generally excellent: the livewell is lit, as is the transom compartment.

Notable options are colored gelcoat for $1,000 (green is the most popular choice, followed by blue). You can upgrade your T-top to a hardtop for $4,000, and the optional fuel tank necessary for those making long offshore runs is an additional $700.

There’s a fold-down padded bench for two at the transom (forward of the removable engine hatch) that provides seating without obstruction. We found the distance between seat and backrest a tad much for complete comfort; and there’s no handhold. You move forward via 2’-wide sidedecks, where the bow contains a forward casting deck (with lots of storage) that can also be used for seating with optional cushions.

A bow pulpit and stainless anchor roller are standard. The pulpit is prewired for a windlass, another popular option. You also get a fairly roomy draining anchor locker finished off with gelcoat. But there should be a cleat inside for securing the bitter end of the rode, which you tie off to one of the two through-bolted 8” cleats directly behind the roller.

Spring cleats are out of the way beneath stainless-rimmed hawseholes and, like the aft cleats, are the beefy version of eight-inchers. Walsh says that Angler, as a small company, doesn’t save any appreciable money by skimping, so it elects to provide just a bit more in areas like hardware. We appreciate the small, but significant, touches such as through-bolted cleats and positive-fastening latches— (the latter added at the suggestion of dealers and customers).

Bottom Line: The Angler 2900 gets an “A-” for cockpit layout, fishability and strong construction.

A beefy and high rail wraps around the bow; forward casting platform compartments offer loads of storage.

We have a only a few complaints. The transom structure and the positioning of the motors on the outboard platform pretty much eliminate fishing off the stern. Walsh, however, believes that a transom door, like an enclosed head, is necessary to create the image of a “family” boat. An ergonomic snafu we noticed is the telescoping three-rung boarding ladder that can’t be raised or lowered while the transom door (starboard side) is open. Not a major problem but an inconvenience nonetheless.

Helm/Mechanicals
Like the Luhrs 380 Open, the Angler has a pop-up section on the dash for installation of extra electronics. Push a button and it rises; push again, and it disappears. Walsh learned this trick from Charley Spires at Luhrs. “It has a good ‘gee whiz’ factor,” Walsh says, “but it has a practical aspect as well. You can put your electronics away when they’re not needed.”

The helm of the 2900 is clean and functional, with the gauges easy to decipher and read and—important to us—the compass at an easy-to-read height. The recessed switches at the base of the dash may be a little out of the way, but they’re properly labeled so there’s none of the guessing (or learning curve) required on many boats.

The helm, topped with a 15-inch-high plexi windshield, is just about the right height to provide sufficient dash space without obstructing sight lines. The helm seating from Welding World of Miami—we saw a similar arrangement on a neighboring Aquasport cat—is neat, a bench on one side of the cushion and a contoured leaning post on the other. A pair of helm seats would fit nicely at this helm, but even on a 29-footer, we like a leaning post on a center console because you spend most of the time on your feet anyway.

Another plus worth noting (and rare among the boats we tested this year): The Angler provides a solid grab-bar for the extra passenger or two standing behind the helm—one high enough for comfortable grabbing. This is a no-brainer, and we wonder why other builders (Donzi 30 and Regulator 32 are two) omit this important safety feature.

On the other hand, while the passenger at the helm can reach out to the aluminum T-top structure for a hold, it requires leaning outboard. We observed one passenger using the dual plastic cupholder on the dash as a handhold and later found ourselves doing the same thing. We’d suggest moving it and installing a small handrail.

Step down into the console via a starboard-side smoked plexi door and find a few more pleasant surprises. For one thing, there’s a good 6’ of headroom in the fully lined compartment. There’s also a small sink with shower attachment and a genuine marine head, electric model. This is also where you access the batteries and battery switches; a hatch leads to the helm wiring, which was well organized. One notable omission: There’s no ventilation. A small port or louvered vent would do the job.

This is a rare oversight, however. The main fuel tank, as we mentioned, is fully accessible via a screwed-down cutout in the deck. The 60-gallon tank can be added forward of the console, and Angler—in what is true forward-thinking—has already precut the deck for future access, as well as ease of installation.

Access to engine and related mechanicals is excellent. The inside of the transom contains a cover that can be lifted out completely (lay it on the deck) for unobstructed working space. Again, responding to customer requests, Angler added two fuel shutoffs.

Bottom Line
Value is an elusive quality. A Grady-White, despite being well-designed, rugged and nicely finished, is overpriced, in our opinion, as are many Boston Whalers. And with some boats you get what you pay for and nothing more. The Angler 2900 has a base price of $56,057; add a pair of Evinrudes and the price is $78,995, a pair of Yamahas and it’s $81,995. That’s cheaper than most boats in its class (see market comparison, Page 5), although there aren’t many center consoles in this size range.

There are no cuddy arrangements on the 2900, but the console is roomy and comes with a real marine head—a better setup than on many cuddies, in fact. For the day fisherman, nothing beats a center console, and this Angler comes with as much, and in some cases more, standard fishing gear than more expensive models. We especially like the four big in-sole boxes and the large (and lit) livewell. Best of all, we like the depth and safety of the cockpit, although some might balk at the freeboard.

We came expecting a price boat and instead found a well-finished, well-thought-out open fisherman that scores high in most of the areas we consider important—cockpit ergonomics, engine and mechanical access and helm (and passenger) comfort and safety. And with its range, you can roam pretty far.

Also With This Article
"Fast Facts"
"Market Scan: Big Center Consoles"
"Performance Stats: Angler 2900"
"Performance: Beaminess Has Pluses, Minuses"
"Charts for speed, mileage, range and noise"

Contact— Angler Boat Corp., 7400 NW 37th Ave., Miami, FL 33147; 305/691-9975; www.anglerboats.com/.