Do you want to head for the deep blue, marine weather forecast be damned? You want to fish hard for hours – or even days – on end? Then we hope you have more protection at the helm than a windscreen sitting atop a console, and we hope you get a boat like the Steiger Craft 28 DV Miami.
If you haven’t heard of Steiger Crafts, we’re not going to blame you. Though they aren’t exactly a small builder, Steiger isn’t huge, either. With roots in commercial fishing boats going back over 50 years, today they build in the neighborhood of 100 hulls annually and while they’re distributed nation-wide, they don’t exactly have a dealership on every corner. But if it’s a name you’re not familiar with and you’re interested in rugged, all-weather pilot-house boats, well, you should be.
Here’s the first thing you need to know about the 28 DV Miami: it still taps those Steiger Craft workboat roots, and is designed and built to be a no-nonsense fishing machine. Look in the cockpit and you’ll find tackle stations, not outdoor grills. Peek in the pilothouse and you’ll see a straightforward dinette and helm seat, not some electrically-actuated lounger. Walk up onto the bow, and you’ll be ringed by a raised stainless-steel rail, not some schmancy teak toe-rail.
Construction is similarly straightforward, with a hand-laid hull that carries a lifetime guarantee and an I-beam stringer grid system with foam filling the voids. Major components are both mechanically and chemically bonded, and then fiberglassed together. And yeah, we know what you’re thinking: that sort of construction produces a heavy boat. You’re right – the Steiger 28 DV Miami weighs significantly more than some other 28-foot pilothouse models. But weight is a blessing as well as a curse. It helps the deep-V hull bull waves out of its way, even though it can cut into speed and efficiency.
Steiger Craft 28 DV Miami Features
- LOA – 28’0
- Beam – 10’0
- Draft – 2’1”
- Displacement – 8,400 lbs.
- Transom Deadrise –22 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 200 gal.
Wait a sec – check out the numbers, before you make any assumptions about just how well the boat does or does not perform. With a pair of F-250 Yamaha V-6 four-strokes on the bracket, a 4500-rpm cruise gets you speeds in the upper 30s. Efficiency is about 1.2 mpg at that speed, which may not be spectacular but isn’t exactly awful, either. And if you slam down the throttles, top-end busts the 50-mph mark.
Considering the overall nature of this boat, it won’t be any surprise that it’s rigged and ready for serious fishing action. Seven rocket launchers come standard on the back of the top, six flush-mount rod holders live in the gunwales, the fishbox holds 120-gallons, a tackle box, and two tackle trays are built-in, and the livewell holds a whopping 100-gallons. The boat even comes with dedicated trays for your leads. Options worth considering include outriggers, an additional tackle cabinet, cockpit bolsters, and a second steering station in the cockpit.
What about niceties? Yeah, there are a few you can get. A fold-down transom bench seat, windlass, and bow thruster are all on the options list. A sink and head in the cabin come standard. But that options list is short, and it doesn’t include stuff like sun pads and wet bars. We say thank goodness – there are way too many boats on the market today that are so dang gentrified you can’t tell if they’re meant for fishing or frolicking. So, as we said before: You want to head for the deep blue, weatherman be damned? You want to fish hard for hours – or even days – on end? Boats made just for you still do exist, thanks to companies like Steiger Craft.
For more information, visit Steiger Craft.
