Hydra-Sports 2400 CC Vector Review for Hydra for Sale Shoppers

A Hydra for sale that deserves a closer look

Type hydra for sale into a search bar and you will find dozens of older Hydra-Sports center consoles, and the 2400 CC Vector is one of the more interesting. It belongs to the Vector Series, the line that rebuilt Hydra-Sports' offshore reputation around the turn of the century. The builder's own site listed it as the 2400CC from 2003 through 2005, after an almost identical predecessor sold as the 2390CC.

The brand behind it has a long, winding history. Hydra-Sports began as a Nashville bass boat builder in the 1970s, and Salt Water Sportsman credits a 25-foot Hydra-Sports of the early 1980s as the first model offered with Kevlar construction. By the Vector era the company built offshore boats in Columbia, South Carolina; it later passed through Genmar ownership, was bought by MasterCraft in 2010, moved to Vonore, Tennessee, and eventually evolved into HydraSports Custom and today's HCB. The 2400 sits squarely in the period when Hydra-Sports was a mainstream tournament fishing brand.

Built for the kingfish tournament circuit

Sport Fishing's test of the 2390 Vector explains the mission. Hydra-Sports designed the boat to meet the Southern Kingfish Association's then-new 23-foot class, which demanded boats that could run long distances at high speed in almost any sea. The reviewer compared the toughness required to military special boat operations, and noted the Kevlar layer in the laminate.

The running surfaces for the whole Vector Series were drawn by Sidney Lanier, a naval architect at Outboard Marine Corporation, whose Evinrude Ficht outboards powered every Vector boat at the time. Older Hydra-Sports had a reputation for being extremely trim sensitive; the Vector bottom fixed that, letting the driver hold the trim button and adjust slowly instead of tapping constantly. An almost Carolina-style bow flare made the 2390 noticeably drier than earlier 23-footers, and the tester said it was hard to tell from a 25-footer on the trailer.

On the 2400CC spec sheet the result is a 24-foot 2-inch hull with an 8-foot 10-inch beam and 21 degrees of transom deadrise, weighing about 4,680 pounds dry without engines.

How the Vector hull performs on one engine

Although rated for twin 175s, Sport Fishing's 2390 test boat ran a single 225 hp Evinrude Ficht, and the numbers make a strong case for single-engine rigs on this hull. Heading out of Fort Pierce Inlet into a northeast wind against an outgoing tide, the boat got up on plane quickly and cut through the head sea well.

Running in the troughs, the tester settled on a cruise of 35 mph burning 12.27 gallons per hour, about 2.8 miles per gallon, for a calculated range of 467 miles from the 176-gallon tank. Top speed in sheltered water was 46 mph at 5,800 rpm, still just over 2 mpg. At 1,000 rpm and almost 6 mph the engine used less than a gallon per hour, which is why trolling range ran to hundreds of miles. Hydra-Sports' own 2003 spec quoted 356 miles of range at best cruise.

In turns, the bow dips slightly at cruise trim and bleeds off speed, letting the boat pivot without throwing crew off balance. Drifting in a beam sea, the chines and transom bracket overhang give impressive stability, a real asset when soaking baits.

• Cruise: 35 mph at 12.27 gph, 2.8 mpg (single 225 hp Ficht, 2390 Vector test)
• Top: 46 mph at 5,800 rpm, just over 2 mpg
• Trolling: about 6 mph at 1,000 rpm on under 1 gph
• Fuel: 176 gallons; builder range claim 356 miles at best cruise

Cockpit, livewell and fish boxes

The 2400CC came ready to fish. Hydra-Sports listed a 38-gallon lighted livewell and two 228-quart fish boxes with insulated overboard drains as standard. The 2390 test boat also had an in-deck dry locker molded to hold a five-gallon bucket for a cast net, a forward casting deck with two draining compartments, a transom ballyhoo box you can flood to thaw bait and then ice down, and a centerline baitwell.

Practical touches include an aluminum toe rail for bracing while leaning over the side, rod holders angled so they do not crowd the cockpit, and a bow rail mounted flush and inside the gunwale so it adds security without snagging lines. The cockpit has room for two anglers working at once, which is about right for a 24-footer.

Hydra-Sports also offered factory-installed electronics, a T-top with zip-in life jacket storage and outriggers, so many used boats were delivered fully rigged.

Construction that ages well

The main reason a 20-plus-year-old 2400 can still be a smart buy is how it was built. Sport Fishing described tri-directional fiberglass sandwiched with Kevlar, full-foam construction and no wood anywhere, with the stringer system installed while the hull was still in the mold to prevent distortion. A one-piece finished liner ran from the anchor locker bulkhead to the transom and was bonded to hull and deck with methacrylate adhesive.

No wood means no rotten stringers or transom, the classic killer of older center consoles. That does not make every hull sound; impact damage, poorly bedded hardware and neglected through-hulls still matter. But the basic structure of a Vector-era Hydra-Sports is a solid starting point for a repower.

Owning, repowering and pricing a 2400

Most surviving boats were originally rigged with Evinrude Ficht or other two-stroke outboards, and many have been repowered. That is the single biggest variable in value: we estimate roughly $18,000 to $40,000 for a 2003 to 2005 boat in the US, with the high end reserved for clean hulls on modern four-strokes or late-generation direct-injection outboards with low hours and a good trailer.

Running costs are modest. A single-engine 2400 kept on a trailer might cost $4,000 to $9,000 a year in insurance, maintenance, storage and registration, plus fuel. The hull's efficiency, around 12 gallons per hour at a fast cruise on a single 225, keeps fuel bills reasonable for a 24-foot offshore boat.

When comparing listings, remember the 2390CC and 2400CC are effectively the same boat, so widen your search to include both names.