On Boats: Boston Whaler 250 Dauntless

CHESAPEAKE CHEF

Cobia Ceviche

A light summer dish for a big summer fish—story and photos by Jay Fleming

Cobia are a summer visitor to the Chesapeake; they arrive in early June and leave in the early fall when the water starts to cool. The fish congregate to spawn near the mouth of the Bay and in the ocean just offshore. In recent years, the popularity of the cobia fishery has risen as more and more anglers are targeting cobia, even in Maryland waters. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Onacock, Va. was the self-proclaimed “Cobia Capital of the World.” The town erected a sign at the docks on Onancock Creek claiming the title. Cobia attain huge sizes (up to 70 pounds is not uncommon), put up a great fight, and are excellent to eat.

The firm texture and mild flavor of cobia meat makes their fillets an excellent choice for ceviche, a Latin American recipe that calls for cooking fish and other seafoods in citric acid. Lime juice is traditional, but lemon and grapefruit juice can also be used. Ceviche is served chilled as an appetizer and is a light and refreshing dish on a hot summer day.

Cobia attain huge sizes, put up a great fight, and are excellent to eat.

SUMMER LOVIN’

Cobia spawn from June through mid-August near the mouth of the Bay.

Cobia Ceviche

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cobia fillets 2 limes to make 1/4–1/3 cup of squeezed juice 1 jalapeño pepper 1/3 red onion 1/4 cup cilantro leaves 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Cut bloodline out of the fillet (the red meat in cobia has a strong flavor). 2. Dice fish into small cubes, approximately 1/2" on a side. It is important to use small pieces, allowing the citric acid of the lime juice to cook the whole piece of fish. 3. Squeeze the juice out of two limes into a separate container/cup. 4. Finely dice red onion and jalapeño pepper before mixing with lime juice and olive oil in a glass mixing bowl. 5. Add cubed cobia meat and gently toss the mixture. Allow the mix to sit in the refrigerator for 15–20 minutes and then add salt and cilantro. It is important not to allow the fish to sit too long as the citric acid in the lime juice will overcook the fish. 6. Serve chilled on a toasted corn tortilla or corn tortilla chips.

Boston Whaler 250 Dauntless

by Capt. John Page Williams

“I t was a completely iterative process,” said Boston Whaler’s Mark Robinson, showing me the new 250 Dauntless. “We thought everything through.” Welcome to 21st-century boat design at a large company (Boston Whaler) that’s a subsidiary of an even larger corporation (Brunswick) that also owns an engine manufacturer (Mercury). Whaler calls the Dauntless models (220, 250, and 270) “center-console bay boats that are game for anything.” They are familyoriented but also serious fishing machines with draft shallow enough for inshore fishing and beaching, and seaworthy enough to run big water comfortably when operated prudently. That makes a great combination for the Chesapeake.

Boston Whaler 250 Dauntless

LOA: 25′ 8″ Beam: 8′ 6″ Draft: 15″ (engine up) Transom Deadrise: 18 degrees Weight: 3,390 lbs. (dry, no engine) Max HP: 400 Fuel Capacity: 90 gal. Available through Chesapeake Whalertowne (whalertowne.com), Chesapeake Boat Basin (chesapeakeboatbasin.com), and Lynnhaven Marine (lynnhavenmarine.com).

The challenge for Robinson’s team was to improve on the already successful 240 Dauntless as it approached the end of its model run. Like its high-end competitors, Boston Whaler listens carefully to its customers and dealers, as well as its own employees (most of whom are themselves boaters). The designers also take advantage of what they have learned from the performance of the other 27 models in the seven Whaler boat lines. The requests the team heard were to maximize interior space in the new 250, in some cases adapting features developed for boats in the 30-foot range like bow lounges and “garage” storage. They also looked hard at which features from the successful 270 Dauntless they could bring down into the 250.

First, the hull: The feedback suggested extending its length by a foot while keeping the beam at 8'6" for easy trailering. The designers gave its running bottom a little bit more deadrise (from a 16-degree V to 18 degrees) with a sharper bow and more flare to damp spray. They also increased the freeboard and cockpit depth by two inches. These modest changes retained the bay boat’s shallow draft (15" with engine up) while offering softer and drier ride

Top right: the helm’s big-boat driving experience; Middle: lounges on an aft corner; Bottom: bow storage can be accessed without removing cushions.

quality. The increased length also allowed them to balance the 250 Dauntless well with the weights of Mercury’s 250–300-hp V8 and 350–400-hp L6 outboards (600 & 668 lbs., respectively). We noticed that good balance from the time we stepped aboard our test boat in its slip on the York River all the way through our sea trial. The Dauntless simply seemed happy to be in the water (more on that happiness below).

Aboard, the bow showed off a well-integrated split personality. Full cushions on the foredeck allow stretch-out sunning, while pads at the aft corners lift on struts to form lounges port and starboard. Or sit on those corners, with food and drink on a teak table whose leg fits into a bracket on the foredeck. When not in use, the table and leg store in a dedicated bracket in the adjacent garage’s lid. The bow deck holds a wide storage compartment that’s insulated to function as a cooler or fishbox. Forward of it is an anchor locker wide enough to accommodate a variety of anchors to fit different needs. When the cushions are in place, innovative sliding snaps allow for raising the anchor locker’s lid without removing the cushion.

That garage itself is a cushioned lounge seat for two with fold-up arms on the front of the console. Inside, it is cavernous for lockable storage, deep and broad to swallow buckets and bags but keep them readily accessible. There’s even an ingenious rack for storing fishing rods (up to 7' long), water skis, and the struts for an optional bow sunshade.

The console is integrated into the T-top’s frame (fiberglass hardtop optional). Both tops include overhead