Yesterday, I had the chance to test the new Broadband Sounder from Lowrance. The unit was installed on a new Twin Vee 29-foot center console and as the test wore on I was more and more impressed with the boat itself (I also liked the Sounder).

By coincidence, one of the company's senior executives, Preston Yarborough, operations manager for Twin Vee, was our captain for the test. The Ft. Pierce-based boatbuilder has a whole product line of unique catamarans built mainly for serious fishermen.

The layouts are clean and spare, designed for minimal maintenance and maximum utility. There is room for more fishing rods than any single individual should own and the helm console has room for two big 12-inch electronics displays. The inside of the console has plenty of room for access to wiring and a portable marine head.

The ride is true to the catamaran reputation, but with an important enahancement. Twin Vee builds the boats with a special deck flange, which they call a "rolled gunwale" that droops down over the edge of the hull, acting as a spray-catcher. It is extremely effective in knocking down any spray that comes up while at speed.

Our test boat was equipped with twin 300 HP Suzuki 4-strokes, which pushed the boat up over 50 mph with five persons aboard. The sharp entry of the twin cat hulls cut cleanly through the confused wakes outside the Sea Isle Marina at the Miami Boat Show and the boat stayed rock-steady as we gave her a quick check-out in the choppy water.

Our boat had a full suite of Lowrance displays and electronic engine gauges, along with a beautiful t-top and about a million rod holders. Yarborough said the boat was for sale for about $124,000, which is a remarkable price for a tough cat-hulled center console of that size, and with those engines and electronics. The manufacturer offers a limited lifetime warranty on the hull. Below is a nice shot of a sister ship running behind us near the cruise ship terminal in Miami.