Striper 200 CC: Small Boat With Big Boat Features
Looking for a well-rounded 20-footer? This feature-packed center console is a great place to start.
August 16, 2014
Center-console boats are a hard platform to beat for anyone stricken with an angling affliction. They have plenty of open deck space, lots of room for rods and tackle, are easy to trailer, and offer relatively low maintenance and upkeep.
The Striper 200 CC was introduced at this year's Miami International Boat Show. It has not only great fishing features, but also packs a big wow factor when it comes to family fun and entertaining friends.
But sometimes owners of these boats--particularly those with boats in the 18- to 20-foot size range--find themselves yearning for big boat features, such as enclosed heads, highly modular entertaining spaces, rod stowage space, big livewells, and integral fish boxes. Well, Striper may have solved this small boat/big boat dilemma with its new 200 CC center console.
The Striper 200 CC is the latest addition to Striper’s already extensive fishing boat lineup. The Striper line was once built by Seaswirl and had a good reputation for building solid, affordable fishing boats. Today the Striper brand and reputation survives under the Larson Boats umbrella, with Stripers being built alongside Larson and Triumph boats at the company’s Little Falls, MN, plant.
Larson brings over 100 years of boatbuilding expertise to the table, so it’s no surprise that all sorts of modern techniques and materials are used to build each Striper 200 CC. The single-skin hull is hand-laid with multi-directional fiberglass cloths, and composite materials are used to create a strong, rot-free transom. Inside the hull is a one-piece Fibercore™ grid system that adds rigidity and support. Open spaces in the grid are then filled with closed-cell foam, which deadens sound and provides additional flotation. Striper has even been thoughtful enough to install rigging tubes during the building process for trouble-free wiring runs in the future.
The Striper 200 CC's DNA is rich with fishing features often found only in larger boats.
Lines on this boat are typical Striper with generous freeboard, a sharp entry, beefy gunwales, and ample flare forward to keep things dry in snotty weather. At 3,389 pounds dry with the base engine, the 200 CC falls right in the middle, weight-wise, when compared to other center-console boats its size. Check out the aggressive entry and 20-degree transom deadrise and you’ll see why this boat should make quick work of a stiff chop.
The Striper 200 CC’s maximum horsepower rating is 200, and you can choose from power plants manufactured by Evinrude, Mercury, or Yamaha. The Mercury FourStroke 115 is your least expensive option, followed by offerings from Evinrude and Yamaha, in ascending order of price. I like Yamaha’s new F115 as a base engine choice, having used it on a few boats this size. It’s got a lot of low-end grunt, is among the lightest in its class, and is amazingly quiet.
If you feel the need for more speed, upgrade to the Yamaha F150 for a top-end of around 40 mph. Back those 150 horses down to around 25 miles per hour and you'll enjoy a 7.1 gph cruise. That gives the 200 CC a 324-mile range at cruising speed with the large, 91-gallon fuel tank—plenty for finding the big ones.
On board, the boat feels sturdy and rugged throughout, and the fit and finish are top-notch. There’s plenty of high-quality stainless-steel hardware on deck, including hefty deck fills, flush-mount rod holders, stout deck cleats, and five integral stainless drink holders. And kudos to Striper for installing pop-up amidships cleats.
The good: There's a lot of versatility in the Striper 200 CC's layout. The not so good: Things can get tight in certain areas.
But I’m not sure why Striper opted not to use pop-up cleats at the bow and stern, given how easy it is to tangle up fishing lines on conventional cleats. The stainless-steel anchor roller and navigation lights at the bow are line-grabbers, too. It probably won’t be a huge deal, unless you plan on exclusively fly-fishing, but it’s worth noting.
There’s plenty of room on deck in general, but things do get tight back on the aft deck. Opt for the 43-gallon livewell that fits right behind the center-console leaning post and it gets even tighter. In fact, you may have trouble getting two anglers to slide past each other during a fish-fighting maneuver. Again, your mileage may vary, but make sure to give that area a look during your sea trial.
Rigid, solid, and robust are probably the three best words you could use to describe the 200 CC’s center-console unit. I especially liked the twin stainless-steel handrails on either side of the helm, and the pipework that supports the optional fiberglass hard top adds to the "things to grab" factor when it gets rough. Behind the center console is a fairly typical leaning post arrangement with more pipework and rocket launchers for rods. An optional seat back can be ordered that slides into two of those rocket launchers to make the leaning post more of a seat.
There's oodles of space for fish-finding gear on the Striper 200 CC's dash. Note the recessed area on the top of the console for keys, wallet, phone, etc.
The helm area is nice and wide with plenty of room for electronics, and I was really glad to see a recessed area on the top of the dash for keeping things such as phones, sunglasses, keys, and wallets from sliding all over the place. There’s a really nice waterproof rocker switch panel just to the right of the stainless-steel wheel with suicide knob, but I wish Striper hadn’t put it there. Since that switch panel is right next to the wheel, you’ll find engine controls mounted a distance I felt was too far from the steering position.
When it comes down to angling, there’s a lot to love when it comes to the 200 CC’s “big boat” fishing features. One thing I really like are the dual, in-floor, 12-gallon fish boxes, which are both fully plumbed with inline macerator pumps for easy clean out. Simply remove the day’s catch, hose out the locker, and the macerator pump makes quick work of any fishy parts that end up down the drain. That’s a feature you normally only find on larger boats, and it’s nice to see.
A 43-gallon livewell is a rarity on boats this size.
A standard aerated livewell with high-speed pickup is situated at the stern on the port side, and the option for a huge, 43-gallon livewell, mentioned earlier. That’s a lot of bait capacity for a boat this size. I also liked the bolstered cushioning around the gunwales; that’s awfully nice for when a big fish pulls you up against the rail and you need to lean into it.
| Performance Data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Test conditions: winds 5-10 mph, 2 POB. Performance data courtesy of Yamaha. | |||
| RPM | MPH | GPH | MPG |
| 1000 | 3.9 | 0.7 | 5.57 |
| 2000 | 7.0 | 1.9 | 3.68 |
| 3000 | 8.7 | 4.8 | 1.81 |
| 4000 | 25.3 | 7.1 | 3.56 |
| 5000 | 34.3 | 10.6 | 3.24 |
| 5800 | 40.0 | 15.4 | 2.60 |
| Power | Single Yamaha F150 four-stroke outboard, swinging a 14.25" x 15" three-bladed stainless-steel prop. | ||
In the tackle stowage department, you’ll likely never want for a place to keep your rods. With the rocket launchers in the optional fiberglass hardtop and standard leaning post setup, the under gunwale rod racks, and deck-mounted, stainless-steel rod holders, I counted room for 18 rods. For tackle boxes, foul-weather gear, and other fishing accessories, you’ll appreciate the two generous bow lockers.
While fishing is a lot of what this boat is all about, the 200 CC also has features that make it capable for having family fun and entertaining friends. In the bow you’ll find a modular design with U-shaped seating around a drop-in table—great for happy hour or sundowner cruises. Drop that table insert down and you have an expansive, cushioned sunpad. There’s even a set of drop-in backrests that turn the area into forward-facing lounge for two people. Additional cushioned seating can be found back by the transom, where two jump seats straddle the outboard well.
The bow area on the 200 CC is highly modular. Pictured here setup for two forward-facing lounges, it can also serve as a U-shaped dinette with drop-in table, or as a casting platform when the cushions are removed and the table insert is locked in place.
Family and friends will appreciate the on-board facilities for when nature calls. On the forward end of the center console is a large, hinged door that opens to a roomy head compartment with an optional porta-potty. The porta-potty is even plumbed to a deck pump-out. That means no more awkward trips up to the marina restroom to empty the contents of the integral holding tank when it fills up. It's certainly true that other boats this size have head compartments, but I found the 200 CC’s to be exceptionally large.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 20'1" |
| Beam | 8'2" |
| Draft (hull) | 1'3" |
| Deadrise | 20 degrees |
| Displacement | 3,389 lbs |
| Fuel capacity | 91 gal. |
| Water capacity | N/A |
Base price for the Striper 200 CC with a Mercury FourStroke 115-horsepower outboard and trailer is just shy of $43,000. Add a Yamaha F150 four-stroke outboard engine, fiberglass hardtop, basic electronics, trim tabs, porta-potty, and seating cushions, and the price almost touches $60,000. That’s not outrageously expensive for boats in this category, but it’s not cheap, either. Old Seaswirl Striper fans might find themselves with a case of sticker shock.
All said, the Striper 200 CC is a capable and well-thought-out design with a lot of features generally found only on bigger boats. When it comes down to creating a good blend of both fishing and family fun features, the 200 CC is definitely a big boat in small boat clothing.
Other Choices: For equally capable center-console fishing boats in this size range, check out the Cobia 201 CC or Scout 195 Sportfish. If you’re considering up sizing a bit, the Cobia 256 CC and the Pro-Line 23 Sport are both worth a look.
See all listings for Striper 200 CC center console boats.
For more information, visit Striper Boats.
