Cabo’s 40 Express is a sweet-sheered monument to fishability. In addition to its refined cockpit and lengthy equipment list, my test proved that the 40 Express is one of the fastest, longest-ranging, most maneuverable fish boats to ever work a weed line.

If you've boated much, you know boats aren't always easy to own. Even on the good ones, things need to be fixed. Jumping aboard the 250 Outrage, I could tell Whaler's engineers figured out how to balance the equation in favor of more play and less work. When I landed on the nonskid sole, there was a muffled thud, not a rattling of hatches and creaking of joints. The 250 has the toughest-looking hardware I've seen on an open fisher of its size too. And even if something does go wrong, getting to the problem to fix it is easier on the 250 Outrage than many boats we've seen.

EdgeWater's 335 EX is a big, brawny, do-it-all boat that runs great with just two outboards, albeit big ones. Combining Yamaha's V-8 F350s, a full list of amenities and cutting-edge construction techniques, EdgeWater delivers a boat that cruises as well as it fishes while meeting the criteria of experienced boat owners.

Most fish-boat companies call their boat a "family boat" in apology for the compromise between fishability, affordability and versatility. The Sailfish 2360 cc, however, unabashedly accomplishes all three, satisfying tournament kingfishers who want to cruise, wakeboard and chill with their family after the weigh-in.

We're just like you. We boat for fun. We pay bills to stay afloat. Both factors are at the heart of our selections for the year's best boats. Of the 100-plus boat models we've had our hands on, some have stood out for their departure from the norm. Others stayed with us because of their solid feel at the wheel. Another group heightened our interest when we found out how much they cost. The chosen few on the following pages grabbed us for doing all of the above.

There just seemed to be much too much cockpit space on board this 210 Fisherman, and it took a second to figure out where it all came from. Wellcraft abandoned the popular "Euro-transom" and integrated-swim-platform design that other manufacturers use, and ran the passenger space all the way to the motor-mounting screws. We'd call it a "cab-aft" design reminiscent of the cab-forward auto designs that have squeezed more passenger space from small-wheelbase vehicles. We liked it right away.

They Say: The Williams 28 Bass Boat can run the tide rips in quest of trophy stripers and serve as a classy and luxurious day boat with equal grace.

Reggie Fountain was telling me all about his redesigned 38 Sportfish Luxury Edition. And one point he kept stressing was this: By lengthening the boat's running surface, its handling improved. Sounds reasonable. A longer bottom almost always makes a boat handle better. But then he told me the overall length of the boat hadn't changed. So how did Reggie pull this off? By giving the boat a nose job.

They Fish: The Triumph 1700 skiff is an indestructible uni-hull rotomolded from polyethylene that requires little to no maintenance.

Before you step aboard a Boston Whaler 250 Outrage, make a bet with your buddy: Are there more rodholders or cupholders? Not including the inwale rodracks, the 250 Outrage offers quick access to your arsenal with six rodholders on the gunwale topsides, three along the transom, and two on the standard leaning post. That's 11. But the stainless-steel cupholders tally out to 12. So if you're an angler looking for a fishboat packed with amenities, you win.