The all-new Caymas 291 is so unlike the queen of this builder's small boat fleet that they didn’t put a “HB” after the model number. Is it really that much different that it belongs in a separate category from their 28 HB? Without any doubt. Different boats appeal to different anglers, and even though you could still call this model a “hybrid” and get away with it, you’re talking about an entirely different kind of hybrid boat—one which Caymas says it’s a cross between fishing and leisure. In fact, the 291 is a center console boat built for big water.
The first thing you’ll notice is a higher freeboard and a bow layout more like Caymas’s larger center console fishing boats than its hybrid line. The hullsides come up significantly farther and maintain 2’6” of freeboard, and rather than cap the bow with a huge foredeck casting platform the 291 has a voluminous bow cockpit with flanking lounge seats that wrap around at the peak. The contoured front console chaise lounger is similarly extended and upgraded, with a huge 62.5-gallon stowage area underneath and vertical rodholders running down the sides. There’s plenty of space up here to cast from and you can pull the forward seat cushions to throw jigs and topwater plugs from an elevated position, but overall the bow is more oriented to exactly what Caymas was going for: a mix of open-water fishing and entertaining a crowd with comfort.
The stern of the boat is also more inclined towards open water angling, with a raised toe-kick around the elevated aft casting deck. A large bench seat that can fit three people swings up in the center, there’s a 35-gallon lighted livewell to one side, and four vertical holders run along the back. There’s also a feeling of more elbow room in the cockpit as compared to Caymas’s HB models, no doubt thanks to the wide 9’6” beam. Some additional angling accoutrements include a brace of five rocket launchers on the hard top plus two kingfish holders; four rocket launchers in the leaning post; under-gunwale rod racks; a pair of 25-gallon fishboxes in the deck and an 82-gallon forward fishbox; and a four GPM raw water washdown.
As for construction, having run a Caymas 26 HB for three years and putting 800 hours of angling on the boat in that time, we can vouch for the solid nature of this brand’s build. Aluminum backing plates are laminated in where critical hardware like cleats and pipes are mounted, the transom is cored with Tri-Core composites, and the stringer grid is foam-filled. This is a boat that doesn’t shudder, vibrate, and rattle your teeth out when running through a gnarly sea.
Speaking of running through gnarly seas: one of the Caymas highlights is the SVVT hull design, created by Michael Peters Yacht Design. The combination of twin steps feeding a tunnel aft not only boosts speed and efficiency to the tune of about 15 percent, but also helps smooth out the ride. In fact, don’t be misled by the 18.5-degree transom deadrise—that’s the same as on the 26 HB, and virtually every experienced boater who steps aboard that boat is utterly shocked at how smoothly it runs. Added bonus: you can still get into skinny water to cast for those reds, specks, and stripers, because the 291 has a mere 1’6” hull draft.
As for just what sort of performance you’ll see riding on that SVVT design: with a pair of Mercury 300s the 291 can cruise in the mid-40s at 4500 rpm while getting around 1.7 mpg. Mash the throttle, and you’ll see a top-end coming darn close to the 60-mph mark. Drop it back to 3500 rpm and speeds in the low-mid 30s and you’ll break two mpg, quite unusual for a twin-engine boat of this size.
There are different boats for different fishing folks, and the 291 will appeal to a new subset of anglers that this builder hasn’t catered to up until now. Is it going to be the ideal boat for your own personal wants and needs? Only you can answer that question. But we can say one thing for sure: the 291 does indeed open up a whole new category of Caymas hybrids.
Caymas 291 Specifications
- LOA – 28’6”
- Beam – 9’6”
- Displacement – 4500 lbs.
- Transom Deadrise – 18.5 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 200 gal.
- Water Capacity – 16 gal.
- Max. Power – 600 hp
For more information visit the Caymas Boats, or in Maryland or Virginia contact FishTalk supporter North Point Yacht Sales, in Annapolis, MD (410) 280-2038, and in Gloucester Point, VA (804) 885-4090.