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Bay
Breeze
By John Page Williams
You need a bay boat that can scream through a stiff chop and snug into shallow water.
Ever thought about using a cat? Twin Vee's new 18' 8"-by-7'
6" Bay Cat 19 handles rough water, then shimmies into a spot just 10" deep.
And the 4' 7'-by-6' 9" bowdeck gives you plenty of room to strut your stuff.
This boat works like a charm with a relatively small powerplant, too.
Rigged with 115-hp four-stroke Suzuki EFI outboard, the Bay Cat 19 popped onto plane at 14 mph and maxed
out near the 40-mph mark. Cruising at 5000 rpm (29.4 mph), we breathed no blue smoke, spoke at a normal volume, and burned only 6.5 gph.
Hopping through a three-foot Chesapeake Bay chop, we stayed dry and comfy, too.
After arriving at our destination, we began jigging for stripers and found this boat, like many other cats, provided a stable platform.
Like all Twin Vees, the Bay Cat 19 is sparsely finished, with speckled gray and black gel coat inside. That helps keep the price down ($7,995 without power; $18,495 with test power and a galvanized single-axle trailer) and makes for easy cleanup at the end of the fishing day.
Add on such aftermarket details as electronics, horizontal rodracks, a tacklebox in the console, and knife/pliers/rig holders, and you have a competent fishing machine for less than most people pay for an entry-level 19' center console monohull.
- John Page Williams
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