Egret 20

Egret's largest flats boat to date lives up to its name.

Participants at this year's Egret Owners Tournament in Jensen Beach were some of the first anglers to experience the new Egret 20. Frank Afshari, owner of Egret boats out of North Carolina, showed off the new 20-footer on the Indian River Lagoon near St. Lucie Inlet. Afshari expects the boat to be available in early 2011.

A step up from the popular 18-footer, the 20 is rated for up to 350 horsepower. Otherwise, many of the features available on the 16- and 18-footers are standard on the 20-footer, albeit a bit more spacious or beefier. Nobody left disappointed.

The November issue of Florida Sportsman highlights the Egret 20. Check out the Casting Off section for complete details. Let's dive into the bonus photo and feature coverage.

Egret Boats

715 Page Road

Washington, NC 27889

252-948-0004?

www.EgretBoats.com

Specifications:

Length: 20 feet, 11 inches

Beam: 7 feet, 8 inches

Draft: 11 inches

Max horsepower: 350 hp

Fuel capacity: 62 gallons

Frank Afshari, owner of Egret boats, idles away from River Palms Cottages at Jensen Beach. Notice the other Egrets docked in the background.

 

A bird's eye view of the self-bailing cockpit. Length is 20 feet, 11 inches; beam is 7 feet, 8 inches.

 

Up front, room for a trolling motor and two anglers to fish. Bow cleat retracts to a flush position. Trolling can be rigged with optional onboard charger, additional battery, quick-release mount, and 50-amp. breaker and plug.

 

Full-size anchor locker with room for rode and anchor ball. Notice, bottom of hatches are made from carbon fiber.

 

Up front, storage compartment could probably house an angler. A front-deck livewell is an option, too. Notice the gas cap, bottom left. The 20-footer features a 62-gallon fuel tank with Racor fuel filter.

 

Starboard storage compartment is long enough to handle fly rods. There's a twin rod locker port-side.

 

Room for three rigged fishing rods in each compartment; otherwise there are rod holders at the console and poling platform.

 

The Egret 20 at the southern end of the Indian River Lagoon. Notice the scupper hole is above the water line even when the boat's beached. The Egret 20 hull is built with full flotation foam, and carbon/Kevlar lamination is an available option.

 

A side shot of the console. Bottom, one of two aluminum anodized triple rod holders. Right, the custom grab rail shaped like a candy cane.

 

The console also features waterproof switches and breakers, a stainless steel wheel, and hydraulic steering. Up top, full electronics package is available. Down below, more storage space.

 

Optional cushion with three individual backrests. A plain bench seat is also available.

 

Backrests are removable—pull them straight up, out of the holes. If fishing a solo trip, maybe leave a single backrest in the driver's seat?

 

Below the bench seat houses two Odyssey batt eries and the battery switch, plus more storage space.

 

Frank airs the boat out on the Intracoastal Waterway. With two people in the boat (not pictured), speeds still surpassed 60 mph.

 

A look at the stern. Poling platform features two welded rod holders and a stern light. Lenco trim tabs come standard, but Frank points out he barely has to use them. This boat was rigged with a Yamaha SHO 250, but can handle 150- to 350-hp engines. Power-Pole option is available.

 

Port, aft livewell is 40 gallons, but can be used as storage space if not plumbed.

 

Sixty-five-gallon center livewell features a 1,100 gph re-circulating pump. At left, more storage space or another well.

 

Bar flips down, serving as a step, to mount the poling platform. Below, a splashwell drains overboard.

 

One of two welded rod holders on the poling platform, perfect for live-baiting.

 

A frontal view of the hull. Draft is about 11 inches, says Frank Afshari.

 

While running, water is forced away from the boat, making for a dry ride.

 

Frank heads for St. Lucie Inlet and he doesn't waste time getting there. “Two-and-half-second plane time,” he says, “without the trim tabs.”

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