One thing you’ve got to love about Pro-Lines: they give you the maximum bang for your buck. The 23 Sport is a perfect example. This boat is slick and clean inside and out with a finish that rivals much more expensive boats…
There is a strong heritage to Pro-Line. A heritage that infuses each boat with the kind of strength that results when design and engineering is centered on the fisherman, the needs of his family, and the conditions they encounter pursuing their love of the sport... Never has their heritage been more eloquently expressed in more models and more choices.
The Pro-Line 20 Sport is an updated version of one of the first Pro-Lines produced, giving credence to the saying ‘a classic never goes out of style.’ After all, a good 20-foot center console is key to any fleet. A nice afternoon of fishing, a little waterskiing or a dash to a favorite restaurant are painless propositions. At the end of the day, just hit her with a hose, empty the cooler and grab the fish.
The macerated fishboxes are supersize and will hold a 100-pound tuna-which is the sort of challenge I wish I had during our test, but no matter, we still had enough action to give the cockpit toerails, under-gunwale rodracks, gunwale-mounted rodholders, side-mounted hardtop rodholders, and coaming bolsters a thorough workout. Sure, all these things add up to make a day of fishing more comfortable and effective than it would be on a bare-bones boat. But the best fishing feature of all is sheer space. As you might expect, a supersize outboard boat yields a supersize cockpit.
We don't have to go back to our test notes to remember our thoughts on the 23 DC. We tested one of the first hulls out of the factory and were taken by the boat's depth and simplicity. The driver and passenger sit far beneath the airflow over the high windshield — a huge plus for the whole crew on cold mornings. And we thought the award-winning Suzuki outboards, coupled with the saltwater-ready hardware, would encourage boaters who value the time saved from easy maintenance.
Bay boats are great in protected waters, but when it comes to popping through the inlet for an afternoon in the ocean, most of them will beat you to a pulp. You want the beef and the capabilities to make a run off the coast when conditions allow? Pro-Line’s 24 Bay has the shallow water abilities you need to go to the flats, and the oomph it requires to get you to the fish when the hot bite is 10 miles from the beach.
I don't want to sound overly enthusiastic, but here's what I wrote soon after we got back to the docks: 'The bottom took the swells and wakes like a champion charger running a steeplechase, making elegant landings with no complaint other than the vibration of hatch covers. The boat tracked smack-on and in the flat water of the river, took hairpin power turns like a jet ski. This was a fun ride and an impressive performance.' Maybe we were having a little too much fun.
Thanks to all that protection, the 26 XP makes a nifty cruiser, but its main purpose is to serve as an all-weather fishboat. And serve it does, with standards such as a circular baby-blue livewell, raw-water washdown, integrated, insulated fishboxes, triple tackleboxes, and a foldaway transom seat that opens the cockpit for angling. The fish-killing platform is backed with standard Pro-Line construction, including closed-cell, foam-filled fiberglass stringers, 3610 knitted fiberglass, a 3-ounce skin coat, and 32-ounce outdoor vinyl on all the seat cushions. Working on wires, gauges, and electronics at the helm will be easy, because the entire dash tilts back for access.