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Carolina Cat 23DC

Carolina Cat's 23DC blends family-friendliness with seaworthiness and serious fishability.

We Say: Carolina Cat’s 23DC planes with modest power and blends family-friendliness with seaworthiness and serious fishability.

The 23DC’s helm console holds massive stowage. Meanwhile, the port console conceals a head with 5-foot-10-inch headroom, a solar vent, an LED light and a portable toilet. A china head with a holding tank is optional. Twin hulls also allow for a humongous bow cockpit; the 23DC includes seating for four, 150-quart overboard-draining insulated fish boxes, a large anchor locker and a 30-gallon livewell. Options include a bow table and a back-to-back lounge in place of the companion seat.

Carolina Cat builds with high-strength composite materials, bonding the boat together with a foam-filled structural grid to absorb the powerful twisting forces inherent in driving twin hulls at speed through heavy seas. We got a sense of how strong that structure is during our sea trial. Running Boating’s standard speed/fuel profile in choppy 2- to 3-foot seas is normally a challenge, but the 23DC knifed through the chop in all directions, even at its top speed of 42.6 mph. At its most efficient cruising speeds, 18 to 25 mph, the 23DC rode as soft as a 1970s Cadillac.

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Who’d Want One: Family anglers seeking a roomy, seaworthy, versatile day boat.

Another Choice: Twin Vee‘s 22-foot dual-console Ocean ($49,219 powered by twin Suzuki DF115 outboards).

Bottom Line: $68,000 with test power; carolinacatboats.com

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