BLACKWOOD Gambler SHEARWATER sterling BOSTON WHALER center console BAY FLATS

Blackwood builds its boats using what it calls HPI, which stands for high-pressure injection. It creates an outer hull of fiberglass mat, biaxial fiberglass fabric and DuPont Kevlar over the entire bottom for extreme strength and puncture resistance. Between the outer hull and the equally strong inner liner, Blackwood injects waterproof closed-cell-composite foam. The company claims its exclusive technology creates a strong, durable, flex-free, unitized structure that cuts through waves silently and smoothly to deliver a comfortable and confident sense of security. Additionally, Blackwood feels so strongly about the superiority of its construction technology that it offers a lifetime hull warranty!

As you'd expect from such a beautiful boat, the appointments are nothing if not first-rate. For example, the stereo system includes anbluetooth connection. The extremely comfortable helm seats feature dual footrests. The custom hardtop comes standard. You can rotate the LED spreader lights to focus light where you need it. You get not one but three recirculating livewells, all with high-speed pickups and underwater LED lights that not only add ambience at night, but do a great job of attracting fish too.

This dynamic boat also promises to be virtually indestructible. If only more products could say the same.

The Blackwood 27 Offshore redefines stylish performance

Most boat builders talk about product refinement a lot, and every once in a while one of them really delivers. Blackwood Boats has created a very interesting and refined 27-footer with sleek styling and a luxury finish like what you might expect in an automobile. I couldn't help but make the connection between the Blackwood and an upscale SUV, as the boat is trimmed nicely,The 27 Offshore rides on a performance based, modified-V running surface designed for high speed and has ride characteristics meant to deal with the slop of nearshore waters. This is not a big offshore center console; it's a boat with three livewells and two macerated fish boxes that will handle big bay, inshore and close offshore duty. She has lower freeboard than the deepwater offshore boats but is designed to fish and run to the grounds quickly and comfortably.

The 27 has plenty of features for many fishing situations, as well as general cruising and family trips. A molded anchor locker is forward, set just behind a flush-mounted pop-up cleat. The standard stainless plow anchor is mounted through a stainless receiver in the bow and can be retrieved by an optional windlass. There's plenty of room for chain and rode, and the access hatch is big and easy to work out of. The 27 also has a recessed handrail that runs the length of the interior cockpit and offers a sure handhold when running or fishing.

The forward, U-shaped seating provides storage below and offers several neat options, including removable backrests on both aft ends, and/or a center filler piece to make a solid casting platform or a cushion-filled area for fun trips. A pedestal and table come as options for the forward area. Blackwood offers a lot of versatility with this boat in terms of how you can configure the forward area. There is in-deck storage in front of the console.

The console has a molded, insulated drink box beneath the forward seat, as well as enough room to accommodate a fully finished interior complete with a head and a countertop with a sink. The boat has great access to the backside of the electronics panel from inside the console. The impressive helm dash comes trimmed with faux wood panels, as does the electronics dash, while the surrounding trim and aft bulkhead of the console are gelcoated black. The helm sets to port, with the binnacle just right of that, while a dash panel forward of the helm and beneath the electronics dash can handle two large screens for

The stylish molded fiberglass hardtop comes with four rod holders mounted across the back, a molded-in radio box, and molded bosses for lights and stereo speakers. The upscale leaning post contains bolster-style seats with drop-downs, as well as a large circular livewell accessed from the cockpit. There is storage in either side of the leaning post, which has four rod holders across its back.

Two insulated fish boxes in-deck alongside the leaning post and console hold the day's catch, and there's an additional center-mounted livewell and fold-down aft seat on the transom, with two more livewells on either side of the transom. The boat I tested was rigged with twin 200 hp Mercury Verado four-stroke engines. Fold-up swim ladders sit on either side of the boat, outboard of the engines, and the boat has molded-trim pockets and can be set up with Lenco twin trolling-motor tabs.

When I ran the boat in Stuart, Florida, we had 45 gallons of fuel, and there were two of us aboard. The 27 runs well, jumping on plane quickly and reacting favorably to trim tabs both laterally and longitudinally. We ran out of the St. Lucie inlet and put the boat through its paces, finding no funny quirks or unexpected characteristics. It drifts straight, trolls clean and slips through the chop with no banging or slamming. It is fast, quiet and handles great with its per-formance hull and solid construction.

The boat gets its solid feel from what Blackwood calls its high-pressure injection, or HPI, system of construction. Using a blend of known products, employees hand-lay each hull, including a skin of Kevlar on the hull bottom, a fully molded stringer system and a complete, matching full-length inner hull. The process is finished by injecting a closed-cell, waterproof flotation foam under high pressure between the two hulls. The deck is then chemically bonded to the double hull, creating a strong one-piece boat.

The Blackwood 27 Offshore is a niche boat with nice fit and finish and strong fishing features. It can be powered by either single or twin outboards and is a highly styled and sleek-looking boat that can get you to the grounds quickly.

Blackwood 27 Offshore

LOA......27'4"
**Beam......8'6"
Draft......20"
Weight......3,800 lbs.**
Max hp......600 **
Water......20 gal.
Fuel......130 gal.
Price......By Request**

Blackwood Boats / 352-429-8899 /www.blackwoodboats.com

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