Edgewater 170cc Review: The Little Boat That Could

Looking for a versatile trailerable center console? The Edgewater 170cc gets you kings in the Sydney Harbor and even land billfish offshore.

Long Term Performance

We have been running our Edgewater 170cc for almost a decade now and mainly use it for our inshore operations chasing giant trevally, doggies, and other reef species around the coast of North Efate. Don’t let this boat’s size fool you as this boat is a bluewater fishing machine with dozens of blue marlin, yellowfin tuna, and dolphin caught out of it.

In my first week in Vanuatu, I went out for 2 half-day charters on the 170cc to get myself acquainted with the local fishing grounds. Out of the two half-day charters, we went 3/3 on blue marlin which isn’t bad at all in a 17-footer. We also got Jeanine her first marlin!

Jeanine and her first blue marlin! Caught on the Edgewater 170cc!

Power

We hooked up our 170cc with a 150hp Evinrude G2 which gets her moving pretty well. With a top speed of 42 knots and cruising speed of 25-30 knots making this economical little rig plenty powerful helping to bring us to our favorite fishing spots. And with a 120L fuel tank, we get to target a vast amount of species inshore, offshore, and anywhere in between with no worries of running out of juice. 

The Build

Edgewater 170cc slicing through Vanuatu’s bay.

The job they do in the Florida factory is second to none. They use vinylester resin instead of the cheap polyester. They also do something pretty cool where they infuse the stringers and the hull at the same time which makes this boat as strong as a rock with a hell of a lot less chance of getting any type of rot through your stringer.

“from chasing kings in Sydney Harbour to hooking billfish offshore this is the boat for you”

Another big bonus is that from the smallest to the largest hull, each vessel is completely self-bailing, unsinkable, reliable, dry, and exceeds all industry standards. Below the deck, the hull is filled with 100% composite closed-cell foam for maximum buoyancy. 

Creature Comforts and Storage

It is set up quite well with tackle storage under the starboard aft seat, kill box in the bow compartment, live bait tank under the skipper’s seat, and plenty of room for your safety equipment and batteries under the center console.

Back-end view of the Edgewater 170cc in all its glory!

With a beam of 2.2m, it is a very comfortable boat for a couple and a skipper. The 30cm draft makes the boat quite stable even when everyone is on the one side jigging or when your knees are locked into the gunwales leadering in a 200kg blue marlin.

REVIEW OVERVIEW

Build Quality
Stability
Maneuverability
Storage
Trailerability
Launching and Retrieving

SUMMARY

Economy, versatility, ease of storage and trailering, and even easier launching and retrieving, the Edgewater 170cc can be a great first boat for those eager to get their saltwater fix. Experienced boaters will love the maneuverability, stability, and trailerability of this boat. ‘Versatility’ best describes the 170 cc as you can easily target inshore species one minute and shoot offshore to chase billfish the next. I would be hard-pressed not to take this sled inland for some barra hunting! We’ve been running our Edgewater 170cc for almost a decade now and it still eagerly flies offshore chasing its next PB marlin.

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Edgewater 170cc Review: The Little Boat That CouldEconomy, versatility, ease of storage and trailering, and even easier launching and retrieving, the Edgewater 170cc can be a great first boat for those eager to get their saltwater fix. Experienced boaters will love the maneuverability, stability, and trailerability of this boat. ‘Versatility’ best describes the 170 cc as you can easily target inshore species one minute and shoot offshore to chase billfish the next. I would be hard-pressed not to take this sled inland for some barra hunting! We’ve been running our Edgewater 170cc for almost a decade now and it still eagerly flies offshore chasing its next PB marlin.

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