The best bay boats to shortlist depend on the size you need. Around 20 to 23 feet, look at the Robalo 206 and 226 Cayman, Sportsman Masters 227 and Sea Hunt BX22BR. At 24 to 25 feet, compare the Robalo 246 Cayman, Masters 247 and BX25FS. From 26 feet, look at the 266 Cayman, Masters 267 and 288, and BX28.
| Bay boat |
Length |
Listed draft |
Max power |
| Robalo 206 Cayman (2026) | 20 ft 6 in | 10 in, engine up | 200 hp |
| Robalo 226 Cayman (2026) | 22 ft 6 in | 12 in, engine up | 250 hp |
| Sportsman Masters 227 | 22 ft 5 in | 14 in, engines up | 250 hp |
| Sea Hunt BX22BR | 22 ft 10 in | 13 in | 250 hp |
| Robalo 246 Cayman (2026) | 24 ft 6 in | 16 in, engine up | 350 hp |
| Sportsman Masters 247 | 24 ft 4 in | 14 in, engines up | 350 hp |
| Sea Hunt BX25FS | 25 ft 3 in | 15 in | 350 hp |
| Robalo 266 Cayman (2026) | 26 ft 6 in | 18 in, engine up | 450 hp |
| Sportsman Masters 267 | 26 ft 7 in | 15 in, engines up | 450 hp |
| Sportsman Masters 288 | 28 ft 4 in | 21 in, engines up | 600 hp |
| Sea Hunt BX28 | 28 ft 6 in | 19 in | 600 hp |
Figures are the builders' own, read on 13 October 2026. Robalo's pages are titled as 2026 models. The Sportsman and Sea Hunt model pages do not name a model year. Sea Hunt lists draft without saying whether the engines are up or down, so compare draft within one builder rather than across builders.
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These picks come from published specifications, not sea trials or test rides. Three builders were included because each publishes a full bay boat lineup with length, draft and maximum power on its own website: Robalo's Cayman series, the Sportsman Masters series and the Sea Hunt BX series. Every figure was read from those builders' model pages on 13 October 2026, and new-boat asking prices come from Searchshop's dealer listings read the same day.
The builders do not measure everything the same way, so the article only compares like with like:
- Length: Sportsman measures from the tip of the bow to the transom at the centerline, without engines. Robalo lists LOA, and Sea Hunt lists length.
- Draft: Robalo lists draft with the engine up, and Sportsman defines its figure as the water the boat floats in with the engines up or completely out of the water. Sea Hunt does not say.
- Weight: Robalo quotes dry weight with engines and Sportsman quotes it without engines, so weights are only compared within one builder.
Builder prices are left out. Robalo's price figures did not appear in its page text, and the Sportsman and Sea Hunt model pages do not name a model year or say what their starting prices include.
The Robalo 206 Cayman is the shortest boat in this guide, and the Robalo 226 Cayman, Sportsman Masters 227 and Sea Hunt BX22BR are the 22-foot choices. The two Robalos and the Masters 227 all have a 15-degree deadrise, and the three 22-footers are each rated for up to 250 hp.
- Robalo 206 Cayman: 20 ft 6 in long with an 8 ft beam, a 10-inch draft with the engine up and a 200 hp rating. It carries 50 gallons of fuel and two 15-gallon livewells, and is rated for 8 people. Robalo describes its hull as a 15-degree Extended V-Plane bottom.
- Robalo 226 Cayman: 22 ft 6 in long with an 8 ft 6 in beam, a 12-inch draft with the engine up and a 250 hp rating. It carries 65 gallons of fuel, a 20-gallon forward livewell and a 30-gallon aft livewell, and is rated for 8 people.
- Sportsman Masters 227: 22 ft 5 in long with an 8 ft 4 in beam, a 14-inch draft with the engines up and a 250 hp rating. It has a 70-gallon tank, two 25-gallon rear livewells and a 12-gallon console cooler that doubles as a livewell, and is rated for 8 people.
- Sea Hunt BX22BR: 22 ft 10 in long with an 8 ft 5 in beam, a listed 13-inch draft and a 250 hp rating. It carries 53 gallons of fuel, an 18-gallon console livewell and a 20-gallon aft livewell.
Within Robalo's lineup, the 206 Cayman draws 2 inches less than the 226 Cayman with the engine up. The 226 Cayman adds 15 gallons of fuel and 20 gallons of livewell over the 206.
The Robalo 246 Cayman, Sportsman Masters 247 and Sea Hunt BX25FS are each rated for up to 350 hp, a step up from the 250 hp ratings of the 22-footers above.
- Robalo 246 Cayman: 24 ft 6 in long with a 9 ft beam, a 16-degree deadrise and a 16-inch draft with the engine up. It carries 90 gallons of fuel, a 20-gallon forward livewell and a 30-gallon aft livewell, and is rated for 9 people. On its 246 Cayman SD page, Robalo says the Cayman series is designed for both offshore excursions and exploration of shallow coastal areas.
- Sportsman Masters 247: 24 ft 4 in long with an 8 ft 5 in beam, a 15-degree deadrise at the transom and a 14-inch draft with the engines up. It has a 71-gallon tank, two 25-gallon transom aquarium livewells and a 17-gallon console cooler that doubles as a livewell, and is rated for 10 people.
- Sea Hunt BX25FS: 25 ft 3 in long with an 8 ft 6 in beam and a listed 15-inch draft. It carries 68 gallons of fuel, an 18-gallon console livewell and a 20-gallon aft livewell.
Robalo also builds the 246 Cayman SD, which adds a Sky Deck, an elevated second helm station. Robalo lists it at 5,200 lb with engines, 300 lb more than the 246 Cayman, and 10 ft 11 in of bridge clearance with the hardtop, against 8 ft 3 in.
The Robalo 266 Cayman and Sportsman Masters 267 are rated for 450 hp, and the Sportsman Masters 288 and Sea Hunt BX28 are rated for 600 hp. Robalo and Sportsman list the 26-foot and longer boats here as Yacht Certified rather than giving a person capacity. Sportsman explains that under NMMA certification boats over 26 feet carry no explicit person capacity, and the captain is responsible for operating within safe limits.
- Robalo 266 Cayman: 26 ft 6 in long with a 9 ft 4 in beam, an 18-degree deadrise and an 18-inch draft with the engine up. It carries 110 gallons of fuel and has a 20-gallon forward and a 30-gallon aft livewell. The 266 Cayman SD shares those figures and is listed 300 lb heavier.
- Sportsman Masters 267: 26 ft 7 in long with a 9 ft 2 in beam, a 16-degree deadrise at the transom and a 15-inch draft with the engines up. It has a 116-gallon tank, two 21-gallon rear livewells, a 35-gallon rear center livewell and a 14-gallon bow center livewell.
- Sportsman Masters 288: 28 ft 4 in long with a 9 ft 8 in beam, a 17-degree deadrise at the transom and a 21-inch draft with the engines up. It has a 220-gallon tank, two 21-gallon rear livewells and a 25-gallon leaning post livewell. Sportsman lists it as its one hybrid bay model, a blend of offshore capabilities with inshore conveniences.
- Sea Hunt BX28: 28 ft 6 in long with a 9 ft 6 in beam and a listed 19-inch draft. It carries 157 gallons of fuel, two 16-gallon aft livewells and a 35-gallon leaning post livewell.
The larger boats trade some draft for fuel. Within the Sportsman lineup, the Masters 288 draws 7 inches more than the Masters 247 with the engines up, and has a fuel tank 149 gallons larger.
New Robalo 206 Caymans had a median asking price of $95,633 on Searchshop on 13 October 2026, across 19 listings. These figures are dealer asking prices from listings whose title matched the model name, and they mix 2025 and 2026 model years.
| New model |
Listings |
Median asking price |
Asking price range |
| Robalo 206 Cayman | 19 | $95,633 | $75,658 to $105,218 |
| Robalo 226 Cayman | 7 | $128,878 | $106,068 to $141,104 |
| Robalo 246 Cayman | 5 | $169,050 | $142,320 to $182,344 |
All of these listings came from a single Texas dealer, so treat them as one dealer's asking prices rather than a national average. The 246 Cayman row excludes the 246 Cayman SD. Fewer than five new listings matched each of the 246 Cayman SD, 266 Cayman and 266 Cayman SD, and fewer than five new Sportsman Masters or Sea Hunt BX listings matched, so no median is given for those. Ask each dealer what the price includes, such as the engine package, trailer, freight, prep and fees.
The fairest way to compare bay boats is to line up the figures each builder measures the same way, then ask dealers for the rest. Each builder lists a maximum horsepower rating, which is the simplest figure to line up. Draft, length and weight need care:
- Check how draft is measured. Robalo and Sportsman give draft with the engines up. Ask a Sea Hunt dealer how the listed figure is measured, and ask any dealer about running depth with your engine and load.
- Check whether weight includes engines. Robalo's dry weights include engines. Sportsman's do not, and also exclude fuel, water, gear and batteries.
- Compare usable fuel, not just tank size. Sportsman lists both, for example a 70-gallon tank with about 60 gallons usable on the Masters 227, because modern fuel systems need an air gap at the top of the tank.
- Count livewell capacity the same way. Add up every livewell, and note where a console cooler doubles as a livewell, as it does on the Masters 227 and 247.
Choose the size first, then the builder. On the figures above:
- Shallowest Robalo, smaller crew: the Robalo 206 Cayman, with a 10-inch draft with the engine up and an 8-person rating.
- A 22-foot all-rounder: the Robalo 226 Cayman, Sportsman Masters 227 or Sea Hunt BX22BR, each rated for 250 hp.
- More people at 24 feet: the Sportsman Masters 247, rated for 10 people, or the Robalo 246 Cayman, rated for 9 and carrying 90 gallons of fuel.
- The most fuel: the Sportsman Masters 288, with a 220-gallon tank and about 190 gallons usable, or the Sea Hunt BX28, with 157 gallons. Both are rated for 600 hp.
- A second, elevated helm station: the Robalo 246 Cayman SD, with its Sky Deck.
If you are still deciding between boat types, read center console vs bay boat, the best center console boats and the guide to the best boats for fishing, or visit Searchshop's bay boat page. When you have a shortlist, compare boats for sale from dealers on Searchshop.
Robalo and Sportsman list draft with the engines up, the depth the hull floats in, rather than a running depth. Robalo lists 10 inches for the 206 Cayman, and Sportsman lists 14 inches for the Masters 227 and 247. Their 26- to 28-foot boats here are listed at 15 to 21 inches, so ask the dealer about running depth with your engine and load.
Start with the number of people you carry and how far you run. The 20- to 23-foot Robalo and Sportsman boats here are rated for 8 people, and the 20- to 23-foot boats carry 50 to 70 gallons of fuel. The 24- to 25-foot boats are rated for up to 350 hp, and the Masters 247 is rated for 10 people. The 26-foot and longer boats carry 110 to 220 gallons of fuel.
On 13 October 2026, new Robalo 206 Caymans listed on Searchshop had a median asking price of $95,633 across 19 listings, and new 226 Caymans a median of $128,878 across seven. All came from one Texas dealer and mix 2025 and 2026 model years, so ask any dealer what the price includes before comparing.
