Just off I-95 in North Miami a boat builder has been quietly building some of the most coveted center console fishing and diving boats for over three decades. Whitewater Boat Corporation has developed a reputation among fishermen, divers and charter captains as having some of the best built, best riding and most efficient open water fishing/diving boats on the market today. Whitewater manufactures semi-custom boats for customers who desire a solid, well performing and competitively priced center console.
Owners Norm and Cindy Collins have developed a reputation for producing a quality boat while maintaining a small and personalized business model. Despite having a solid demand, they enjoy keeping their manufacturing to 10-12 boats a year, allowing their clients the kind of service and attention that has become synonymous with the company. Finding a used Whitewater is very rare. Current owners like to hold on to their boats and just repower as time goes by, or they sell to friends or acquaintances before their boats ever hit the used boat market, keeping resale value high. With nothing more than word of mouth and exhibiting only at the Miami International Boat Show each year, demand for these boats remains high. Wait time for a new boat is seven months from deposit to delivery.
Whitewater has three models, a 25-, a 28- and a 32-foot center console model, all with an 18” draft and beams ranging from 8 to 8.5 feet, weights ranging from 3500 to 4500 pounds. The 24-degree deadrise hulls can be built as open center consoles (Openfish), or a cuddy cabin is offered on the 28-foot and 32-foot. Once a buyer makes a choice, the options are wide and plentiful.
Power options are almost endless. The 28 and 32 have outboards, inboards and diesel power options. A customer even requested the very unusual configuration of a diesel engine connected to a Konrad drive. Outboards are the most popular engine choice, and Whitewater will rig a boat with whichever outboard manufacturer is desired. The 25 can be rigged with single 225, 250 or 300 outboard, or twins from 150 to 200 hp. The 28 can be rigged with a single 250 or 300, or twin outboards from 175 to 250 hp. The 32 can run with twin 225 to 300 hp outboards. The hull design of these boats allows for good speed yet economical performance with any of the recommended power packages. Contact the factory to determine specific performance statistics.
These boats are built and designed with fishing and diving typically found in South Florida and the Bahamas in mind, so open water performance and range are built in. Standard fuel tanks on any vessel rigged with outboards hold 150 gallons but can be expanded on all models. This, coupled with today’s energy efficient outboards, gives any new owner all the range he or she could desire for fishing Florida or the Bahamas.
Whitewater boats are offered with a long list of standard features as well as custom options such as live well arrangement and placement, multiple seating configurations including removable jump seats, leaning posts, racing bolsters, pedestal seats and more. There are custom cockpit coamings, cushions, custom upholstery and even a removable cuddy cover that can turn the foredeck into a cabin. Multiple tops, towers and arches are also offered. The large console can accommodate a head or can be set up for more storage. The options are vast with a truly one-of-a-kind boat being the end result.
All boats are built with hand laid fiberglass and come with a lifetime hull warranty for the original owner. Norm says satisfied owners have had their hulls more than 20 years. One satisfied customer, Captain Dave Costyo of Knot Nancy Fishing Charters of Miami said “I purchased my first Whitewater in 1985. The 25 footer met all my needs. In 1996, I upgraded to the 28 footer that I am currently running. With either model, the thought never entered my mind that I didn’t have enough boat under me for the conditions I was fishing. With my custom built Whitewater, I get a solid, smooth, comfortable ride that pleases my customers, and I know I made the right choice.” A quick search online will uncover many more favorable reviews.
There is no doubt there are many quality builders of versatile and high quality center consoles with well known names in Florida, but Whitewater Boats has quietly carved a dedicated and loyal niche in the market with customers who covet a boat that may not be as well known in wider circles.
