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Elegant Simplicity
The Angler 204FX
We spent an entire season playing with the 204FX, not just a few days in Rhode Island. So we got to know its personality very well. Overall, our impressions were favorable. Not one of our cranky editors found much to gripe about.
This 20'4"-by-8' boat handled exceptionally well for its size, capably taking on fairly rough water conditions. It is a bare-bones boat-there are fewer extraneous parts to break - making for a hassle-free, low-maintenance season. For boaters who don't want excess accouterments getting in the way of fishing, the 204FX is an excellent choice. But our non-fishing friends felt at home when we put back the snap-in cushions and a backrest to create transom seating for three. Plus, there's a portable MSD in the surprisingly spacious console compartment. We took as many as six aboard - no problem.
The boat fishes well. The recessed bowrails around the sizable casting platform give plenty of room to make unobstructed casts with stable footing. Up to four people fished comfortably at one time. The T-top never flexed or rattled over the course of an entire season, proving its solid installation. There were a few minor fit-and-finish quibbles - the snaps on the snap-in cushions broke off after a single use; the anchor locker hatch kept popping open; and the nonslip wasn't particularly grippy. But the highs far outweighed those. A few screws on the hatch hinges showing rust was the only real sign of wear after a hard season of use. Our 150-hp Mercury OptiMax paired perfectly with the 65-gallon fuel tank, and any choice of 150-hp engine would do. It just struck the right balance for performance, speed, and fuel economy. Overall, the Angler 204FX is a value boat with a hell of a lot of value at $30,000 (with a trailer). Contact Angler at 305/691-9975, www.anglerboats.com.
| Angler 204 FX | |||||||||
| speed | efficiency | operation | |||||||
| rpm | knots | mph | gph | naut. mpg | stat. mpg | n.mi. range | s. mi. range | run angle | sound Level |
| 1000 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 0.7 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 385 | 443 | 1 | 64 |
| 1500 | 5.4 | 6.2 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 263 | 302 | 2 | 68 |
| 2000 | 7.1 | 8.2 | 1.9 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 219 | 252 | 2 | 70 |
| 2500 | 9.1 | 10.5 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 191 | 219 | 4 | 73 |
| 3000 | 12.4 | 14.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 4.0 | 202 | 232 | 5 | 75 |
| 3500 | 22.5 | 25.9 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.5 | 280 | 322 | 3 | 76 |
| 4000 | 27.7 | 31.9 | 6.8 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 238 | 274 | 2 | 79 |
| 4500 | 31.0 | 35.7 | 7.7 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 236 | 271 | 1 | 80 |
| 5000 | 34.2 | 39.4 | 10.4 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 193 | 222 | 1 | 82 |
| 5500 | 37.8 | 43.5 | 14.7 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 150 | 173 | 1 | 85 |
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Advertised fuel capacity 65 gallons. Range based on 90 percent of that figure. Performance measured with two persons aboard, three-quarters fuel. Sound levels taken at helm, in dB-A. |
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Test boat power Single 150-hp Mercury OptiMax V-6 outboard with 153 cid, swinging a 141/4" x 19" three-bladed ss prop through a 1.87:1 reduction. |
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