Call it a bad moon. Call it fisherman’s luck. Call it skills misapplied, or even call it good baits poorly presented. Whatever excuse you apply to our day of fishing the Blackfin 332CC, I’m obliged to report that we caught only one small barracuda.
Though we put nothing on the dinner table, the 332 put everything on the line for us. That’s the side benefit to a slow day of fishing—a fun boat ride. I left Florida’s Boca Raton inlet on a mid‑May morning with Rene Moore, Blackfin’s marketing manager—a short crew for an aggressive day of fishing. We planned to hunt offshore for mahimahi, and then make a few drops on the reefs.
We tried everything we knew, everything the boat could do, and kept trying until we caught fish or ran out of time. In short, we experienced every capability the boat has, and this one has many.
Bump-Trolling
We dropped a netload of greenies into the aft 35-gallon livewell on the port side. I saw another 20-gallon livewell in the rigging station behind the leaning post—but we left that one dry. On a longer trip, we would’ve used both wells, which are fed by pumps in a sea chest belowdecks.
We brought a frozen chum block, frozen sardines and rigged ballyhoo, which we stowed in the left-side cooler under the rigging station. We loaded cold drinks in the cooler on the right-hand side. These standard 45-quart Yeti coolers slide out from under the station after unlatching a bolt on either side of the rolling tray.
I racked a couple of rods in the rigging station’s holders and tied on some 30-pound fluorocarbon leaders tipped with 3/0 circle hooks. I threaded the hooks through the liveys’ noses.
Moore bumped the throttles in and out of gear and held the wheel, keeping the baits behind the boat, all while juggling last-minute office business on her mobile phone. I managed the rods, bracing myself against the bolsters along the transom, barely noticing the swing-out bench seat with backrest tucked beneath me.
The seas ranged to 4 feet on test day—not a typhoon by any standards, but conditions that required balance and attention to navigation niceties. Keeping our footing in the 332 was easy thanks to the steady way it slid over cresting waves while we slow-trolled. When taking the seas head on, the boat neither lunged nor hesitated. When taking them abeam, it slid up the sides, staying level, crested and slid down with minimal rocking.
For a last hurrah, we cruised to a wreck marked on our electronic charts, and made a few passes until we saw the structure on the sonar. I set the Yamaha Helm Master virtual anchor and dropped down a greenie.
A fish hammered the bait about halfway up; it took off like a wahoo. But then it stopped, made a turn, and swam toward the boat. As it neared the boat, the slender silver fish became a barracuda.
The Ride
At the helm, Blackfin flush-mounted the two optional 16-inch Garmin multifunction displays into routed windows in the black-plexiglass dash panel. I found the VHF radio on the port side of the console, and the Fusion audio system nested in the dash to starboard—on the passenger side. I like that location for the Fusion—it keeps the wannabe DJs from impeding the helmsman while changing tunes or connecting somebody else’s streaming device.
When I sat on the helm bench seat—which is wide enough for the captain and two passengers—the wheel and throttle required me to lean slightly forward; a footrest below made that position quite comfortable. When standing, I flipped the helmside (port) bolster up and leaned back. The center seat cradled my right hip. Center and starboard seats can be flipped up or down for a similar attitude.
I found excellent visibility when on plane, whether I was seated or standing. The bow crosses the horizon for only a second or two during the hole shot. The black finish on the underside of the hardtop and the predominantly black helm face seem to reduce glare and even heat by knocking down reflected light. An electrically actuated vent at the top of the hardtop windshield opens wide at the touch of a button to allow a cooling breeze.
The standard power steering on the twin Yamaha 425 XTOs made precise turns smooth and simple, and the optional joystick to the right of the wheel eased entry into the slip at the end of the day. Without the stick, I found it easy to maneuver the Blackfin the old-fashioned way—jockeying it in transom-first by juggling the throttles to pivot and back into the slip.
Softer Side of Hardcore
While the 332CC maintains plenty of hardcore-angling features, Blackfin quite obviously targets the luxury-cruising angler with lots of style touches and comfort features aboard its boats. Cushions measure at least 4 inches thick, and the foam inside feels firm, which prevents passengers from bottoming out in their seats when the seas build.
Blackfin arranged a 98-gallon storage tub at the bow into a U-shape and covered it with removable cushions. Bolsters there are just as thick, and angled for comfort. A dual lounger ahead of the console features armrests and a center rest with two cup holders. Pop up the bottom cushion to find a 110-gallon storage compartment beneath.
A marblelike top covers the rigging station, which is trimmed in stainless steel and outfitted with abundant drawers, tackle storage and a freshwater sink. Boarding options include a starboard-side transom door that opens to a large platform with a ladder. On the port side of the cockpit, a dive door opens inward for easy fish release, or for reboarding after a swim using a removable ladder.
For safe transit forward, stainless-steel recessed handrails run from aft of the helm to the bow. Even the side hatch to the console interior sports near-mil spec durability, allowing the hatch to open and slide forward instead of swing out toward the gunwale, blocking passage.
Below the Console
Features belowdecks add comfort, fishability and ease. The key switches for the Yamaha engines reside in a panel with the house and starter battery switches. I could reach them from the hatchway, without descending beneath the console.
Blackfin outfitted the console interior with a standard head, sink and pull-out sprayer. The space also houses vertical rod storage for five tuna sticks, and includes a pantographic lockable door.
Rod storage on deck includes a combination of six holders in the hardtop supports, six in the gunwales, and four in the transom. I found additional storage in the locking rod compartments located under the port and starboard coamings.
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To ease access to the VHF antenna, outriggers and stern light on the hardtop, Blackfin installed a gas-assisted hatch in the trailing edge of the top that, when opened, increases the captain’s reach another foot and a half. A large anchor locker at the bow features a huge hatch for access to straighten the standard windlass lines or chains should they go awry.
I found the 332CC ideally powered with the dual 425 Yamahas. But the boat also can be outfitted with Mercurys, if the buyer chooses. If your family features competitive anglers, weekend reef fishermen and picnic cruisers, consider putting this Blackfin 332CC on your short list for a look.
Performance
Power: Twin Yamaha XTO 425s
Load: 150 gal. fuel, two crew
Top Speed: 61.3 mph @ 6,100 rpm
Time to 30 MPH: 11.7 sec.
Best MPG: 1.3 mpg @ 40.4 mph (5,000 rpm)
Hull
LOA: 33 ft. 2 in.
Beam: 10 ft. 6 in.
Deadrise: 23 deg.
Dry Weight: 10,500 lb. (w/o engines)
Draft: 1 ft. 11 in.
Fuel: 315 gal.
Max Power: 900 hp
MSRP: Starts at $381,137
Blackfin Boats
Williston, Florida
352-528-2628
blackfinboats.com
