Jones Brothers Boats Cape Fisherman 23, a Guide's Center Console Reviewed

Jones Brothers boats, from the Bateau to the Cape Fisherman

Jones Brothers boats started with a practical problem. Rob and Donnie Jones sold aluminum jon boats from their retail store in Morehead City, North Carolina, and watched them fall apart in the rough saltwater sounds of the Southern Outer Banks. In 1989 they launched the Bateau, a tough fiberglass jon boat with a short centerline skeg Rob developed so it would turn without sliding. The Bateau is still in the lineup, and used ones remain a favorite of hunters, oystermen and backwater anglers.

Not long after, the brothers moved into V-hulls with the Cape Fisherman, designed for the unpredictable water outside the sounds around Cape Lookout. Local guides used the boats and suggested changes, and the Cape Fisherman series now runs from 18 to 26 feet. The 23 sits near the top of the range, and Jones Brothers says it has become one of its most popular boats for fishing guides: economical to run, roomy enough for larger groups, and big enough to go offshore on nicer days.

One naming note for searchers: Cape Fisherman Supply in Chatham, Massachusetts is a separate business with no connection to the boat, though New England anglers are among the Cape Fisherman's most loyal owners.

A hull for rough inlets and skinny water

The Cape Fisherman 23 hull has a sharp 45-degree entry that flattens to 12 degrees of deadrise at the transom. That combination explains its reputation. The fine bow cuts the steep, short chop that stacks up in inlets and around shoals, while the flatter aft sections let the boat float and run in about 12 inches of water and stay stable at rest for anglers standing on the gunwales.

Salt Water Sportsman summed up the Jones Brothers formula as hulls that run shallow yet tackle rough water with ease, ideal for the inshore and nearshore fisheries from New England to the Carolinas. Builder specs list 22 feet 8 inches overall, an 8-foot beam, 23 inches of cockpit depth at the stern and a hull weight of 2,350 pounds. Generous freeboard and flare forward keep spray down.

Jones Brothers has not published a speed and fuel curve for the 23, and we could not find an independent instrumented test. Owners should expect a light, efficient boat at moderate cruise on a single 200 hp four-stroke, and a firmer ride than a 20-plus-degree deep-V when pushed hard into a big head sea.

Going wood-free: the construction overhaul

Around 2008 to 2010, Jones Brothers completely overhauled its manufacturing to eliminate wood from its hulls, working with top local captains and taking its time to retool. Salt Water Sportsman's 2010 review describes the result: a PVC foam core that bonds to the resin and will not absorb water, a fiberglass stringer grid glued and glassed into place along with the floor and bulkheads, and a resin system that lets the parts fuse into what amounts to a single piece from hull skin to deck.

Except in the center of the hull, where the glass is thickest, the widest unsupported panel is only 8 inches. That makes a stiff, quiet hull. Today the builder lists 100 percent hand-laid fiberglass and 100 percent composite construction with injected foam flotation, and its factory notes that no wood is used on any boat it currently builds.

For used buyers this is the most important dividing line. Boats from before the change may contain wood in structural parts, so a pre-purchase survey should check stringers and transom with that in mind.

A clean deck for fly and light tackle

Fly anglers have long favored Jones Brothers boats because the interiors are clean, with very few snags to catch a loose fly line. The 23 has a nonskid, self-bailing cockpit and gunwales, stainless rod holders and cleats, under-gunwale rod racks, and upper and lower sport hatches. Hydraulic steering is standard.

The console was redesigned around 2010 after two years of development. It now opens from the side to a large storage area with access to the boat's electrical systems, and allows flush-mounted electronics. Jones Brothers calls it the Super Fish console; the standard size used on the 20 and 23 is 38 inches wide and 46 inches high, 57.5 inches with the windshield.

For families, the builder suggests adding the forward casting deck, which provides seating for a boatload of kids and extra storage for beach and camping gear. The option list also includes a T-top with rocket launchers, an aluminum poling platform, a raw-water washdown, Bennett trim tabs, a removable leaning post (with the casting deck), several lean post styles with and without livewells, custom hull colors and Yamaha joystick control on suitable rigs.

Yamaha power and rigging choices

Jones Brothers rigs exclusively with Yamaha. The current Cape Fisherman 23 spec calls for a 25-inch shaft outboard, recommends 200 hp and allows up to 250 hp; in 2010 the maximum was listed at 225 hp. Yamaha's current list for Jones Brothers includes the F200 in mechanical and digital versions and the F250.

Fuel capacity is 77 gallons on the current spec sheet. The 2010 review listed a 90-gallon tank, so check which tank a used boat carries before planning range. For most owners a single F200 or F250 four-stroke is the right choice; a 250 adds punch with a full boat of anglers, a 200 is lighter and cheaper to run.

Price, dealers and the used market

In 2010 Salt Water Sportsman listed the Cape Fisherman 23 at $41,250. Our estimate for a new, typically rigged boat today is roughly $70,000 to $95,000 depending on engine, T-top and electronics. Jones Brothers sells through a small East Coast dealer network that includes Monahan's Marine in Weymouth, Massachusetts, Suffolk Marine Center in Babylon, New York and Burleson Marine in Morehead City.

Used Jones Brothers boats hold their value well, especially in the Northeast and the Carolinas where guides know the hull. Our estimate runs from about $20,000 for older boats needing power to around $78,000 for nearly new rigs. Annual costs are low: roughly $3,500 to $8,000 for insurance, single-engine service, storage and trailer upkeep.