A few weeks ago, I dropped my 294 off at Days Boat Sales for service. I made the mistake of looking at the new Evo while I was there. Some things went my way and I was able to get it.
I was a little intimidated by the size of this boat at first, wondering how agile and well it would handle. I took it to a little mud puddle of a lake when I brought it home just to try it out. Impressive to say the least. Handled the sharp curves like it was on rails. Has unbelievable acceleration with the 250 H.O. E-TEC as well.
I left that day impressed.
Fast forward two weeks, I went to Dale Hollow to do some fishing. THe first day there we had 20 mph winds with 30 gusts. This lake was ROUGH, two foot rollers in places were not uncommon.The Evo took it like a champ, exhibiting a smooth ride and DRY ride all the way through a 20 mile run.
Speed, well, this boat is definately an 80+ boat. I havent ran it alone hard, but with two people, it will snatch 80 in a hurry. I can cruise at 75 with two people and 30 gallons of gas with all the tackle I can fit in it. I was cruising at 4900rpm doing 68.8. Bronzefly on here can verify this. Gary was with me all weekend on Dale.
Fishability. This boat has all the room to fish three, even four if push came to shove. It is agile enough with the trolling motor to get back up in the skinny stuff. Equally stellar is it's ability to handle 20mph winds while fishing offshore. Once again, never got wet, never felt uneasy.
This is the best Stratos boat I have ever been in. Period. Nothing can compare to the beauty, fishability, speed, and general quality of my Evo.
IMO, this boat is on par with ANY high end boat on the market. I saw quite a few brands having a very rough way to go on Dale last weekend. Granted, alot of it is driver input, or lack thereof.
If any of you are thinking of an Evo, but are unsure, call me or Bluesteel. I will be glad to answer any questions.
Take care and tight lines,
Brad Preece
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