1996 Hydra-Sports 19 HydraSkiff

Stepping up roughly 11 inches to the forward casting deck, there is lots of unobstructed space for casting. Bass enthusiasts can mount a pedestal chair forward to cast to their favorite holes in comfort. There's even a spot to mount and store an electric trolling motor. The spaces under the casting deck will hold most of your lines and gear. It is probably large enough to stow skis.

A circular 30-gallon bait well is in the forward section of the center console, under the bench seat. There is plenty of room on top of the flat dash of the console to stick a depth sounder and Sounder/GPS navigator. If sighting fish is more important, the electronics can be flush-mounted between a pair of nonskid rubber pads that allow you to stand on the console without harming units. The back of the double bench seat flips back and forth and there is an insulated cooler below to chill your catch for the trip back to the ramp.

Outfitted with a 115-horsepower V-4 Johnson, we hit a top speed of just more than 40 mph with two passengers and a full tank of fuel.

I took the boat for a quick spin in the Gulf of Mexico, off Fort Myers and she performed up to my expectations. The ride was fairly soft and dry for a 19-footer. When the wind kicked up, I was able to keep her level at only 2900 rpm, which allowed me to sneak back into the bay at roughly 18 mph with minimal discomfort and pounding. 

Don't think that the OMC folks are scrimping on any of the essentials to keep the Hydra-Skiff's price down. Standard features include an automatic bilge pump, battery switch, fire extinguisher, flip-back cooler seat, 30-gallon live well, a quartet of OMC gauges and more. Outfitted with OMC's new 112 horsepower V-4 Special, combined with a galvanized trailer package

Garmin EchoMap GPS/Sounder

Standard Horizon Eclipse VHF Radio

Stereo w/AM/FM/CD Player with speakers