10 Best Downeast Lobster Boat Brands
These lobster boat brands come with a hint of Downeast history and a pinch of pizazz.
Derived from classic workboats from the northeast coast, Downeast lobster boats have a graceful look and a seaworthy design. Today’s recreational boating versions, however, are far from the rough-and-tumble boats that ply the water to pull lobster traps and hunt for tunas. They’re gentrified models with comfortable cabins, fine detailing, and performance befitting a sports cruiser. If the allure of classic looks combined with modern comfort and speed strikes you as appealing, these 10 Downeast boats will be top picks.
- Back Cove Yachts
- Eastern Boats
- Ellis
- Grand Banks
- Hinckley
- Hunt Yachts
- Hylas
- MJM Yachts
- Sabre Yachts
- True North Yachts
Back Cove Yachts
Back Cove Yachts are built in Rockland, ME, offering four models up to 46’1” with a mix of inboard and outboard power. Although lobster boats traditionally feature inboard power the outboard models are designed to maintain the classic appealing lobster boat looks, but with the zest of today’s more popular powerplants. Their performance proves noteworthy, too, with the 340 (Back Cove’s first outboard-powered model) able to cruise at 30 knots and hit a top-end over 40. They’re also known for having exceptional detail work and a high level of luxury belowdecks.
See Back Cove boats for sale on boats.com.
Eastern Boats
Those looking for relatively small Downeast boats will quickly come across Eastern Boats, which has one of the most diverse but diminutive lineups from 27’ down to 20’. These include full cabin, hard top, and center console models, plus a 21’ runabout. All are powered by outboards, and most are designed and equipped to function well as fishing boats. They feature moderate V hulls with very sharp bows to combine seakeeping abilities with maximum stability, and Eastern has been building them for over 40 years crafting its boats in Milton, NH.
See Eastern boats for sale on boats.com.
Ellis
One of the longest-running builders around, Ellis has been building Downeast boats since 1947. Located in Southwest Harbor, ME, their lineup ranges from 20’2” to 40’5” and includes both inboard and outboard models. Several of these boats are available with multiple layouts, providing lobster boat enthusiasts with one of the widest ranges of customization possible. The Ellis 28, for example, can be had as an express cruiser, a lobster yacht, an extended top, a flybridge cruiser, or as an open launch. These boats also feature exceptionally strong construction, with solid fiberglass keels and skegs and vacuum-bagged Core Cell cored hullsides.
See Ellis boats for sale on boats.com.
Grand Banks
Although this builder is best known for its trawler models, the Grand Banks Eastbay 44 and Eastbay 60 hold true to the Downeast mold. Both models are known for traditional yet exceptional detailing and finish work inside and outside, including touches like a teak and holly sole, teak veneered bulkheads, and teak trim, rails, and raised-panel doors. Unlike most Downeast lobster boats, the 44 is built on a C. Raymond Hunt deep-V hull design. At a cruising speed of 21 knots, that translates into a phenomenal 462 nautical mile range.
See Grand Banks boats for sale on boats.com.
Hinckley
Well known for its Picnic Boat models (the 37 S and 40 S), Hinckley also has a line of motor yachts (the Talaria 43 MKII, 48 MKII, and the 57) and a trio of outboard boats (the Hinckley 35, the Sportboat 40C, and the Sportboat 40X). Hinckley made its mark by providing top-tier detail and luxury in all of its models along with cutting edge SCRIMP carbon E-glass construction, but is perhaps most famous for powering a number of its boats with jet drives and joystick controls. They feature shockingly low drafts and the Taliara 43 MKII, for example, requires a mere 2’4” to float. The builder is also known for its unique SilentJet, a diesel-electric hybrid jet drive power system.
See Hinckley boats for sale on boats.com.
Hunt Yachts
The 32-foot Surfhunter and Harrier models were a big part of what made Hunt Yachts famous and today they can still be found on the used boat market, but Hunt currently builds much larger yachts and offers a lineup from their 56 to their 76 (an 82’3” LOA yacht). The larger models are flybridge boats, but the 56 maintains the traditional Downeast design. The hulls on these boats evolved from the original Hunt deep-V and interiors feature exquisitely crafted woodwork as well as off-the-charts luxury levels.
See Hunt Yachts boats for sale on boats.com.
Hylas
One of the rare boatbuilders that crafts both powerboats and sailboats, Hylas has a line of four lobster boats ranging from the M44 to the M58. All feature a unique extended hard top which runs all the way aft, shading the entire cockpit and affording the opportunity to add canvass and fully enclose the boat for all-weather cruising. Special perks include handcrafted wood interiors, aft gallies for socializing during meal prep, and 360-degree views from inside the cabin. With the exception of the M47 these are inboard-powered boats, and the M47 has the distinction of being the only Downeast boat around designed specifically to run with a pair of diesel outboards.
See Hylas boats for sale on boats.com.
MJM Yachts
With a line of four outboard and two inboard models, the MJM offerings stand apart from the crowd as having the most advanced construction of any boat—Downeast or otherwise—you’re likely to run across. These are post-cured epoxy infusion boats, baked (post cured) in an oven at 140 degrees for 16 hours after layup to attain the highest possible strength-to-weight ratio. In fact, this epoxy composite construction method provides about 25-percent more strength than using standard polyester or vinylester resin. The resulting stronger, lighter boats perform admirably (the 35 can exceed 50 mph), and MJM boats are designed to exceed ISO-certified Category A Ocean requirements. Then they add in heaps of luxury and standard features like gyroscopic stabilizers and bow thrusters.
See MJM Yachts boats for sale on boats.com.
Sabre Yachts
Sabre builds five Salon Express models from their 38 to the 58, plus a 48-foot Flybridge model. This builder has been operating since 1970 and consistently turns out yachts at the high end of the market in all ways, including building with cutting edge techniques like resin infusion. Sabre places a huge emphasis on quality control at its Maine manufacturing facilities, closely monitoring every boat as it makes its way through the different phases of construction. All models are exceptionally well outfitted and finished with hand-crafted wood interiors plus a full complement of accessories and appliances.
See Sabre Yachts boats for sale on boats.com.
True North Yachts
True North offers a pair of outboard powered express lobster boat models, the TN 34 OE and the TN 39 OE. One of the rare Downeast builders to be located outside of the Northeast region, True North is owned by Catalina Yachts and is located in Florida. One glance at the lines these boats carry, however, confirms their Downeast heritage. They’re designed to look and feel like the traditional versions but with a slightly more modern appearance, while offering the speedy performance of a modern outboard powerboat; with a pair of 300-hp outboards the TN 34 OE pushes 40 mph.
See True North Yachts boats for sale on boats.com.
If legacy looks and traditional appeal are things that draw you to a boat, there’s a good chance the Downeast design will be what you’re looking for. Which brand will serve you best is a question that only you can answer, but with these 10 top picks to choose from there’s no doubt that your perfect lobster boat is out there somewhere, just waiting for you to find it.
