Sea Hunt Gamefish 27FS, Forward Seating or Coffin Box and Which Engines

What FS means on the Sea Hunt Gamefish 27

The Sea Hunt Gamefish 27 comes in two flavors, and the letters matter. FS stands for forward seating: the bow is set up with backrests, bolsters, cushions and a telescoping table so the front of the boat works as a lounge. CB is the coffin box version, which trades that seating for a raised insulated box forward of the console, the classic layout for anglers who want to ice big fish and use the box as a casting perch.

Sea Hunt has built a Gamefish 27 since about 2010, when it appeared on the company's website between the Gamefish 25 and 29. A coffin box variant showed up on Sea Hunt's site in late 2014, and by 2019 the line was formally split into the Gamefish 27 with forward seating and the Gamefish 27 with coffin box. Today's 27FS and 27CB share the same hull, beam, 21/24/60 bottom and 180-gallon fuel capacity, and they are priced almost identically: $191,402 for the FS and $190,087 for the CB. The CB's 256-quart coffin box and an extra 10-gallon pitch bait well are the main hardware differences.

Same day, two boats, two power packages

On May 13, 2025, Yamaha tested both versions back to back, which gives an unusually clean comparison of the standard and optional engines. The 27FS carried twin F250 XSB2s on 15 1/4 by 19-inch Saltwater Series II props and weighed 9,022 pounds as tested with 90 gallons of fuel. The 27CB carried the standard twin F200 XSA2s on 14 1/4 by 18-inch Reliance props at 8,850 pounds.

The F250s planed in 3.28 seconds and reached 30 mph in 5.23 seconds, against 5.48 and 8.10 seconds for the F200s. Top speed was 57.3 mph at 6,000 rpm for the F250s and 50.5 mph at 5,950 rpm for the F200s. At cruise the difference narrows: the F250 boat ran 33.2 mph on 16.1 gph (2.06 mpg) at 3,500 rpm, while the F200 boat ran 31.5 mph on 15.6 gph (2.02 mpg) at 4,000 rpm.

Our read: the F250s cost more up front but buy a far stronger hole shot, a 7 mph higher top end and a faster cruise at the same economy. For a boat that will often carry four or five adults, full livewells and a T-top, that is money well spent. The F200s are perfectly adequate for owners who cruise at 30 mph and want lower purchase and service costs.

• Twin F250 (27FS): 57.3 mph top; 33.2 mph at 16.1 gph, 2.06 mpg; 0 to 30 in 5.23 s
• Twin F200 (27CB): 50.5 mph top; 31.5 mph at 15.6 gph, 2.02 mpg; 0 to 30 in 8.10 s
• Both tests by Yamaha on May 13, 2025, two people aboard

The mezzanine leaning post and the bait plan

The FS comes standard with a mezzanine leaning post with captain's chairs, which builds a 40-gallon livewell into the post and adds aft-facing seating. A 16-gallon transom well handles a second bait species. If you want more bait capacity at the helm, the bait tank leaning post is optional, and recirculating plumbing is worth adding for warm water.

Storage is generous for the length: 172-quart compartments under each side of the bow seating, a 140-quart in-floor locker and port and starboard fish boxes rated at 200 quarts. Kingfish rod holders, a Gemlux outrigger kit with shade and a side entry ladder are the most common fishing options.

• Bow storage: 2 x 172 qt; in-floor 140 qt; fish boxes 200 qt
• Livewells: 40 gal mezzanine plus 16 gal transom
• Fuel 180 gal (Yamaha lists 179); freshwater 19 gal

What comes standard

Like the rest of the Gamefish line, the 27FS is sold with most of what buyers need already on board: twin F200s with Yamaha electric steering and a tilt helm, a 12-inch Garmin GPSMAP 1243xsv with VHF, Yamaha's CL5 touchscreen, an upgraded waterproof Bluetooth stereo, a wireless charger, a dual battery switch, underwater LED lights, a powder-coated fiberglass T-top with a mister, Bennett trim tabs, a china toilet in the console, a windlass, a side entry door, a rear bench seat and the telescoping bow table.

Upgrades buyers most often add are a second 12-inch display with a GT17 transducer, Yamaha autopilot or Helm Master with SetPoint, kingfish rod holders, a T-top underside color and tan or gray upholstery.

How the 27 has grown since 2016

Yamaha also tested a Gamefish 27 with twin F200XCAs in August 2016, before the FS and CB names. That boat was listed at 27 feet 2 inches, a 9-foot 4-inch beam and 5,500 pounds dry, and it weighed 7,556 pounds as tested. It reached 52 mph and returned 2.56 mpg at 27.6 mph and 2.27 mpg at 33.8 mph.

Today's boat is listed at 27 feet 6 inches, 9 feet 6 inches of beam and 6,600 pounds dry, and the 2025 F200 test boat weighed nearly 1,300 pounds more as tested. The result is a heavier, better-equipped boat that is a little slower on the same engines, which is the main reason we lean toward the F250 option on a new 27FS.

Ride, trailering and running costs

The 21-degree transom, 24-degree midship and 60-degree entry give the Gamefish 27 a real offshore bottom, and the 9-foot 6-inch beam provides good stability at rest. That beam also means an oversize permit in most states if you trailer, and a draft of 21 inches. Most owners keep the boat on a lift, in dry stack or on a trailer at home.

At about 16 gph at a 33 mph cruise, a 60-mile offshore day uses roughly 30 to 35 gallons. With twin-outboard service, insurance and storage, expect roughly $10,000 to $21,000 a year before depreciation.

Buying a used Sea Hunt 27 Gamefish

Listings for a sea hunt 27 cover more than a decade of boats. Pre-2019 boats may be labeled simply Gamefish 27 or Gamefish 27 with coffin box, and early examples are lighter but older, with earlier Yamaha engines. For a used FS, check engine hours and generation first, then the condition of the bow cushions, table base and storage lids, which take more abuse than the fishing areas.

Because Sea Hunt sells through a large dealer network, the 27 is easy to find and resell, and boats with F250s, two displays and Helm Master command a clear premium.