I tested Sea Pro’s 259 deep-V by running 147 miles from the Chesapeake Bay into Washington, D.C. The boat’s 22.5-degree bottom smoothly cleaved the chop I encountered, allowing me to keep the throttles pinned. The twin Suzuki DF 140s never missed a beat.
Engines
Note that the 259 normally gets rigged with 150s or 200s, which have more displacement and turn larger propellers. You can read Boating’s review of the Sea Pro 259 with twin 200s, here.
The twin Suzuki DF 140s never missed a beat. Courtesy Sea Pro Boats
Credit the performance of these Suzuki 140 overachievers to not only their toughness, but also the EcoGen 90 fuel from VP Racing that they were burning.
Suzuki Marine organized this 941.5-mile run from Jacksonville, Florida, to our nation’s capital to promote sustainable marine fuel. The DF140s’ cooling systems also carried Suzuki’s standard microplastic-collecting devices. The debris they collected during the run has gone to Suzuki’s Japan headquarters for study under Suzuki’s Clean Ocean Project.
The helm is nicely appointed. Courtesy Sea Pro Boats
EcoGen 90 is a non-ethanol fuel with 10 percent ethyl tertial butyl ether (ETBE), an oxygenate blended with gas for a 90-octane rating. Unlike ethanol, ETBE has low affinity for water, does not corrode fuel-system parts, offers a higher energy content than standard gas, and reduces carbon emissions.
The Sea Pro 259 is one of those boats that serves double duty, providing an able and well-equipped platform from which to pursue gamefish while simultaneously serving as a well-appointed boat for going day cruising.
Bow seating reclines, and removable backrests are available. Courtesy Sea Pro Boats
Interior And Accessories
The 259 comes standard with excellent “infrastructure,” meaning those things needed to ensure confidence and convenience on the water. These include the DLX fiberglass hardtop, a high-powered through-hull transducer, an anchor windlass, Dometic Optimus power-assist hydraulic steering, and a portside boarding door. Bow seating reclines, and removable backrests are available. Toe rails are a nice touch, as is the dry box built into the helm to store phones, wallets, sunglasses and other captain’s essentials. It also boasts an Audison audio system, a tempered-glass windshield, and a spacious head compartment in the console. A bevy of options ensures boat buyers can buy and equip a Sea Pro 259 to suit their personal use requirements.
Multiple livewells are located throughout the 259. Courtesy Sea Pro Boats
How We Tested
Engines: Twin 140 hp Suzuki outboards
Drive/Props: Outboard/14″ x 22″ 3-blade stainless steel
Comfortable seating is found at the helm and in the cockpit. Courtesy Sea Pro Boats
High Points
Excellent mix of fishy business and comfortable amenities.
Standard T-top with a fiberglass top is a big plus.
Standard Lewmar Fish Pro windlass offers a free-fall function for more precise anchoring.
Low Point
This boat’s spacious wide beam will require an extra-wide permit to tow in many jurisdictions.
Toughest Competitor
Check out the Sea Fox 268 Commander, another beamy center-console with twin engines that comes with a standard fiberglass T-top. It retails for $128,855 with twin Yamaha 150s.
Spoiler alert: the Sea Pro 172 Bay isn’t an all-new model. Nor is it big and fancy, nor is it a status symbol of a boat. It is, however, a solidly built fishing machine that will get you out on the Chesapeake tributaries any day of the week and onto the open Bay when the wind isn’t pumping. And, unlike most fishing boats built in this day and age, it will do so in an eminently affordable manner. Heck, if you can buy a stripped Ford F-150, you can buy this boat — but it’s one heck of a lot more fun to drive.
Is the Sea Pro 172 Bay more fun to own than a pickup truck? You bet it is!
The 172 Bay has a surprising number of features to its credit, too. The aft casting deck houses a pair of 12-gallon LED-lighted livewells and a flip-up seat, an Audison Audio stereo system comes stock, there’s a 34-gallon fishbox in the foredeck, and unlike many boats of this size you get four flush-mount rodholders in the gunwales and two more can be installed at the transom. A dual battery switch, compass, and a stainless-steel steering wheel with knob also appear on the standards list.
Optional items which will be must-haves for most anglers include the raw water washdown, vertical rodracks, and bow-mount trolling motor. And if you want this little angling machine loaded to the teeth you can have it, with goodies like an eight-inch hydraulic jack plate, Power Pole anchor, trim tabs, a Bimini top, and even underwater lights.
With 15-degrees of transom deadrise and 17’2” of LOA underfoot, naturally, you’ll be fishing this boat in the tribs just about anytime while choosing your days to enter the open Bay. And when the weather allows you can get where you’re going with plenty of zip. The 172 Bay can be rigged with up to 115 horses, but with a 90-hp outboard on the transom offers enough pep for most of us. Plan on cruising in the upper 20s in the 4500-rpm range and topping out at right around 40 mph. What’s even better is the fuel economy at cruising speeds. Running in the 20- to 30-mph range this boat gets around six mpg. That means filling the fuel tank will be a lot less painful as compared to most bay-capable boats after fishing all day.
Some other important details to note: Unlike many lower cost boats this one is rigged with a slick toggle switch breaker panel at the helm, the switches, cup holders, and grab rails are all stainless-steel, and cleats are pull-ups. The bottom line? The Sea Pro 172 may be small, but it’s built with far more accessories and far more quality than most of the small boats out there. And thanks to its size and weight you’ll have no problem hauling it from Cape Charles to Conowingo, whether your boring old land vehicle is a modest SUV or that Ford F-150.
Unlike many small boats,the Sea Pro 172 Bay is rigged with quality parts.
