Boat Reviews

Triton 2895 Center Console Review

Triton has built a solid, sensible offshore boat at a fair price. What more can you ask for?

By Dean Travis Clarke

Updated: May 20, 2003

Triton 2895 Center Console_03

Carl Bentz became famous for driving on the mostsuccessful Mercury Racing team in history. Then he compounded thatfame by building a series of extremely successful bass boats. Butpeople who chase perfection can never stop. That character trait,combined with Bentz’s love of offshore fishing, inspired him todevelop his line of blue-water boats, the latest of which is this2895 CC. Built at first to target the lucrative kingfish-circuitmarket, this almost-30-footer qualifies as stable, indestructibleand unsinkable.

Performance No one will ever call a Bentz-built boat slow.Even with the weight of twin Honda 225-hp four-strokes, our test platform registered 54 mph at 6,000 rpm in calm water.Unfortunately, in the 4- to 6-foot seas off Miami Beach, Florida,running wide open would’ve been imprudent. The most efficient cruising speed turned out to be 30 mph at 3,000 rpm. That used 12 gph for 2.42 mpg.

Our test boat’s engines were bolted into the top holes on the transom and ran 15 1/4- by 20-inch props. If it were my boat, I’d drop the prop size down to 19 inches and lower the engines a notch.

Additionally, these boats come with big Kiekhaefer trim tabs as standard gear, which, in this case,qualifies as overkill. The boat doesn’t like a head sea at high speed, but rather runs straight into it very well at a prudent speed. You could easily get away with smaller tabs with less dramatic reaction, I think. I’d also move the location of the tab switches so the throttles don’t hit them when you accelerate.

The boat turns well, scribing a tight arc. When trolling or drifting in a beam sea, I found the 2895 to be an extremely stable platform, exhibiting more of an up-and-down motion rather than side-to-side. You do get a slight thump when a wave comes up under the integral bracket/swim platform.

Fishing Despite the 15-knot wind and substantial seas,lengthy weed lines bordered some nice rips and color changes.Everything looked “fishy.” Unfortunately, nobody informed the fish of this fact.

Had we caught fish, the large in-deck fish box on centerline and two smaller boxes outboard on each side would have proven more than adequate to handle our catch. The two bait wells -one in the transom and the other, large one in the leaning post module – held our livies and kept them hale and hearty despite the rolling seas. If you troll dead baits, the 2895 boasts two boxes dedicated to holding your rigged baits to keep them close at hand.

Fishing in calm water is pleasant and easy.Fishing in rough water tends to bruise you physically and mentally.The stability and dryness of the 2895 counteracts the mental aspect, while the padded coamings and excellent hand-holds constitute preventive measures for the physical abuse the sea can mete out.

This Triton provides copious storage for rods and tackle with four holders in gunwales and molded rod lockers under the gunwales. Our optional T-top held an additional five rods, and the leaning post another four.

Design and Construction

Triton builds an all-composite boat. All stringers and below-deck cavities are fully foamed, making the 2895unsinkable as well as unusually quiet underway. The deck rests on the “Zero-Flex” stringer system comprised of four transverse bulkheads and five longitudinal stringers in a one-piece grid.

The Tri-core composite construction mixes fiberglass and polyurethane to produce a material that is strong and dense and that will never rot. Add to that AME 1000 resin and advanced bonding materials that never let go, and you can easily see how Triton can offer a lifetime warranty on every hull.

In addition to the normal”throw-stuff-on-top-of-the-console” storage, Triton builds in two tip-out catchall storage compartments in the bulwarks to either side of the helm console. In front of the leaning post, you’ll find more storage and access to all valves.

This fishing boat’s only concessions to family are the fold-down seat on the transom and the toilet in the console. Otherwise, you won’t find a more serious fishing machine.

Triton mounts an Armstrong ladder on the back of the transom, but a mounted ladder you can deploy from the water back on the platform is really needed.

One other change I’d make: I’d request that the leaning post module be moved aft by 2 or 3 inches to give more room between the helmsman and the steering wheel.

No, it’s not one of the 65- or 70-mph kingfish rockets. But it still goes plenty fast and is solid as a rock to boot. That satisfies what I look for in a boat – stability,reliability, durability and a secure feeling in rough seas.

Engine Specifications:

Honda BF225-hp Four-stroke

TYPE: 60-degree V-6

DISPL.: 212 cid

MAX RPM: 6,000

HP/LB RATIO: 0.38

FUEL SYSTEM: EFI

GEAR RATIO: 1.86:1

WEIGHT: 588 lb.

ALT. OUTPUT: 60 amps

MSRP: $17,340

Honda goes through lots of starter motors from people cranking them over while the engine is already running. At idle, this is the quietest four-stroke on the market.

Boat Specifications

LOA: 29 ft.

BEAM: 9 ft. 5 in.

DEADRISE: 20 deg.

DRAFT: 1 ft. 9 in.

WEIGHT: 5,150 lb.(w/o power)

FUEL: 204 gal.

MAX POWER T250-hp OB

MSRP $98,496 (as tested)

Notable Standard equipment