| SPECIFICATIONS | |
| LENGTH | 45 feet |
| BEAM | 13 feet, three inches |
| DRY WEIGHT | 28,000 pounds (with quad outboards) |
| DEADRISE AFT | 25 degrees |
| DRAFT | 35 inches (engine drives up) |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 683 gallons |
| WATER CAPACITY | 50 gallons |
| WASTE CAPACITY | 20 gallons |
| MAX HORSEPOWER | 1800 HP |
Question…what measures 45-feet in length, tips the scales at 18,000-pounds dry, packs the punch of quad Yamaha 425 XTO V-8s on the transom, hits a top speed of almost 60 mph and can plane on four, three or only two of her outboards? The answer – Everglades’ new luxury-appointed flagship, the just-introduced 455cc.
Lindenhurst, NY, the home of Everglades dealer Island Yacht Sales, was just one of the many stops the Everglades’ 455cc hull number one was making on her two month inaugural grand tour with Regional Manager Capt. Sean Hickey at the helm, going up and down the Atlantic and Gulf coastlines to showcase her nautical charms. As some of you might know from reading my boat reviews over the decades, Everglades was the last of the three companies that were associated with boatbuilding/engineering icon Bob Daugherty. Rarely does someone transform an entire industry. Bob Dougherty did just that by designing and building boats that could be enjoyed safely regardless of sea conditions.
I spoke with Everglades’ VP of Product Development and Engineering David Brown and he echoed a similar sentiment. Although the 455cc was conceived after Bob’s passing back in 2016, David mentioned that many of the Daugherty signature features like balanced length-to-beam ratio, variable deadrise angles in the vee bottom, unsinkable flotation, etc. were all incorporated into the new design.
Whether your passion is fishing, family cruising, a day at the beach, or all of the above, the Everglades 455cc does not disappoint. For an asking price that is in the 1.5 to 1.7 million range, depending on the various options packages that are available, you are ostensibly getting your money’s worth. One of the most impressive standard features that jumped out upon my initial inspection was the Garmin digital switching system with touch screen system control, which is supported by at least three layers of redundant backup systems. This is space-age stuff right out of Star Wars, Star Trek, Aliens or whatever. No matter what your size, the helm features a trio of “sliding drawer” type helm steps that can make a boat owner who is short on height feel Michael Jordan-esque when driving this Florida girl fast and far. With standard seating for 20 (or more), your biggest challenge is not taking them all at the same time, but being sure that you have enough life jackets onboard! The helm features three rows of triple seat sections, with adjustable air conditioning vents on the first two. The front row gets extra special treatment with Release Marine teak ladder-back helm seats, featuring armrests mounted on SHOX rotating seat bases, a molded-in footrest, anti-fatigue helm mat, forward facing triple lounger seat with armrests, plus added bow and stern seating as well. I stopped counting at 40 rodholders during my sea trial, but there are more that you are likely to need, even on an extended canyon overnighter.
The old mid-60s Beach Boys tune “Little Deuce Coupe” had a line that describes Everglades’ new 455cc flagship to a tee. Paraphrasing Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, “if she had a set of wings, man, you know she could fly.” This Florida girl can really turn on the jets, with 1800 sea ponies packed on the transom, courtesy of a quartet of Yamaha’s massive 425 HP XTO four-stroke, V8 outboards. Top speed with four onboard and ¾-fuel onboard during a windy day in the Great South Bay was an impressive 58 mph. Unless you happen to own a petroleum distribution company, you need to know where this debutant likes to run and where she doesn’t. The fuel-efficient cruising band on this 45-footer is fairly generous. At 3000 rpm, the 455cc hit 25-mph on the triple 22-inch Garmin flush-mounted multi-function color displays, drinking 32.3-gph, for a net of .69-mpg. Advancing the drive-by-wire electric throttles produced 30 mph/42.9-gph/0.68-mpg at 3500 revs; 38-mph/56-gph/0.66-mpg at 4 grand; and 42-mph/73.5-gph/0.58-mpg at 4500 rpm. Sure, you can go faster and just might find some compatible sea conditions to do so, but speeds from 5000 to 6100 rpm will burn anywhere from 91 to 154-gallons per hour, so be advised. Tilting one of the big 425 XTOs out of the water, we were able to hit speeds in the upper 40s and she ran like she was meant to go on three from the get-go. Subtracting a pair challenged the Yamahas to get her up on plane, but we eventually hit 25-mph powered by two of the big V8s.
Like all Everglades, this one is unsinkable and is backed by a lifetime hull warranty. For more information, visit www.evergladesboats.com.
