outboard hull inthis size class. Since the new Eastern-Boats 22 ' CC is a dirett descendant ofthe old Seaway.albeit .with a num<, ber of tweaks and modern' upgrades, I can tell you from firsthand experience that this new Eastern 22-footer wfil be a steady and predictable performer in various bay, inlet and inshore sea conditions. My buddy Mako Mike's old Seaway 23 CCwas rigged With a Merc 90 Horsepower two-stroke outboard and the lesson to be learned here is that these semi-displacement hulls will Although Eastern Boats may be a recognizable marine tradeget along nicely with modest powerplants that are roughly less mark with New England Fisherman readers, as you venture down than "half" of the power required by similar sized planing boats. into the NYMetro and Mid-Atlantic coastal areas,you might not be That translates into fewer bucks required for the initial acquisiable to makethe connection, so a brief corporate history is in order. tion cost and ultimately down the road in smaller fuel bills to Eastern Boats began in 1981 building their 18-foot classic. A. feed all, of those hungry sea ponies. Given todqy's .econorny, few years later, they added the 22-foot model and offered it as a . anythlnq.you can do to mitigate that challenge is good thing center console or Lobster cabin. In 1988, Seaway Boats went out that will still allow you to afford to go fishing,~,_ ,_, > ' of business and Eastern acquired My local Eastern'"Boats dealer the Seaway 19- and, 23-foot CC (Hampton Watercraft and Marine) tooling. Today, these are repreoutfitted their 22 CC,with a Mercury 115 Horsepow.er in-line foursented by their 20 and 21 modcylinder four-stroke fuel injected ' els. In 1991, Eastern introduced a 27-footer under an agreement to outboard. Their performance tests buy these hulls from Five Island Boat produced a top speed of 32 mph at Works and finish them in-house. A year wide open throttle and,a )fery respectI I. later, they bought the molds and did able crUising speed of 24 knots at the entire build themselves from start 4200 RPM, burning approximately 6 to finish. In 1994, Easternacquired the gallons-per-hour. You don't have to be JC 31 and JC 35 under an agreement an MIT grad to ascertain that the fuel I I II - I -I where Eastern was building the parts economy at this speed is roughly 4 • •• as well doing the finishing. Since miles-per-gallon, which is an enviable then, Eastern has acquired different number when tooling around the molds and, redesigned models to back bays and inlet areas"searching qetto their current 2011 model linefor some rod-bending contact with up. They have a 30,OOO-square-foot your favorite gamefish. The on board 64-gallon fuel tank might seem smallfacility that operates out of Milton, ish for a 22-footer, but given -these NH and has been owned and operated by BobBourdeau and his family performance figures, i~ will take you since 1993. over 250 nautical miles in.between fillThe EasternBoats22 CCoffers maxups. In comparison, most similar-sized , imum fishability with its open center planing hulls with motors that are twice the size of that 115,Merc will net console layout. There's 24 inches of insomewhere in the 2.5 to 3 MPG ranqe, ternal cockpit freeboard for welcome : .: ~ if you are lucky, with optimum cruisinq leg support if you encounter choppy seas, plus a self-bailing sole to chanspeeds that are in the same ball park. GRA1T11JDE YACllTlNG CENTER Notable standard features on the nel water and spray-back overboard ••• .' Eastern Boats 22 CC include hydraulic via large transom scuppers. Standard fishing features include a quartet of steering> a fuel filter/water separa:11 •• flush-mount rod holders, horlzontal tor, combo rear seat/splashwell, spray racks under each gunwale, a leaning rails on either side of the' bow, stainless steel hardware, plus a marine compass. Popular options are post, twin insulated coolers/fishboxes under each forward veea gelcoat color change, swim platform with fold-down ladder, a bunk in the bow area, plus a large console for enhanced wind and leaning post/livewell combo, front canvas dodqerand a dockside weather protection, with a Porta-Potti down below. pump-out for the Porta-Potti. Backed by a 1O-year,stvucMaj hull warranty, my local dealer is offering the EasternBoats22 CCfor an MSRPof $54,112 outfitted with a-Mercury 115 Horsepower four• I had spent some quality time on myoid buddy Mako Mike stroke outboard. This boat is also available with other brands of Townsend's 23 Seaway CCin the past and I am quite familiar with outboards, depending on your local dealership. For more informathe running and drifting characteristics of a semi-displacement tion, call 603-652-9213 or visit www.easternboats.com. 1.
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ust introduced for the 2011 model year, the Eastern Boats 22 Center Console may look like your typical,' 22-foot CC, but offers one unique difference, she is built on a downeast-designed semi-planing hull, which milks maximum mileage out of every gallon of fuel.
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