Tarpon Boatworks: Tarpon Bay 19 Review

The combined love of fishing and a background in building top performing sailing yachts for America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race competitors steered owner Andy Lowe to his newest venture- building this very edgy looking inshore fishing platform. Borrowing design elements from his sailing background and merging them with more traditional designed shallow water skiffs resulted in his newest design, the Tarpon Bay 19.

The most obvious element taken from Lowe’s sailing background is the nearly vertical plumb line at the stem on this model. Where this feature is utilized to extend waterline length for added speed on sailboats, it works differently on a powerboat like the Tarpon Bay 19. The finer entry at the stem parts oncoming water better at slow speeds when most of the hull surface is in contact with the water. When speed is applied, the added buoyancy in the bow gives immediate lift and the vertical stem surface rises well above the waterline.  This dynamic force transfers rearward to the four lifting strakes and downward angled chines resulting in a very stable and dry ride over nasty chop.

The construction process involves a combination of resin infusion for optimum strength to weight and injected foam is added throughout interior air space below deck to provide full flotation and solidify the ride experience. The decked over design on the Tarpon Bay 19 is no nonsense and practical for serious anglers. The entire deck is trimmed in SeaDek with a large storage compartment and an anchor locker sharing the foredeck, and three 30-gallon insulated compartments placed across the stern platform. Each of these can be plumbed as a live well and used either for holding bait or for cold storage.

This startup company offers the chance to step into a lot more boat than what the price suggests. The base model includes a 115-HP Mercury, quality aluminum trailer, 6” Bob’s Jackplate, and CZone digital switching. Adding electronics and the usual trolling motor/stake anchor accessories and electronics packages you expect on a boat in this class still keeps the Tarpon Bay 19 priced well below most other boats in her class.

Tarpon Bay 19 Specifications:

• Length: 18’ 7”
• Beam: 7’ 7”
• Draft: 10”
• Deadrise: 14 degrees
• Weight: 1850
• Max HP: 175
• Fuel: 39 gallons
• MSRP: $49,000 (base price)

www.tarponboatworks.com