Jupiter 43 SF

The biggest—and baddest—member of the Jupiter family was unapologetically designed to fish, and fish hard.

The first thing I thought to myself as I boarded the Jupiter 43 SF was how big the boat felt, even for a 43-footer. It wasn’t just its length or 12-foot, 6-inch beam that gave it that feeling. Even the handrails seemed thicker, while the helm display (with room for three 22-inch Garmin MFDs) was expansive and the outboards, well, there were four of them. Quad 350-hp Yamahas should lend this beast of a boat a cruise speed in the 40-knot range and a top end around 52 knots.

With 30-plus years of boatbuilding experience under its belt, the Palmetto, Florida, builder stepped into the growing center console arena this past February with the launch of its 43 SF at the Miami International Boat Show. It’s Jupiter’s largest offering in a range that begins with a 26-foot bay boat and spans to an enclosed 41-footer. The newcomer should retail for approximately $930,000.

The design brief for this new model was not to be a hybrid sportfisherman/cruiser—like so many models are today—but rather to be a serious, purpose-built sportfishering boat. Standing in the cockpit I could see that immediately. There’s room for rod stowage everywhere.

Its aft-facing cockpit seating got a lot of attention from guests during the show. Jupiter understands how much time crew will be spending in that spot watching baits, so designers were tasked with making the space exceptionally comfortable. In the end, the designers implemented a 7-degree recline in the seating to prevent the feeling of falling forward when underway. Under the seat are insulated fish boxes and behind it is neat tackle storage. There’s no wasted space on this boat.

There’s very little woodwork aboard this battlewagon, which makes sense since it was born for bloody decks. But the brightwork it does have, such as on the Release Marine helm seats, is finely finished.

The helm is at an ideal height. I’m 6’2”, so seeing over a driving station is rarely an issue for me, but at this helm, I suspect anyone over 5 feet tall would be able to see clearly ahead of them. It’s also an incredibly clean area—a testament to the glass helm, of course, but also the fact that Jupiter placed the Yamaha joystick and bow thruster control under a lid to starboard.

Before I saw the interior, I suspected it would be very tight, especially since this boat was built for the sportfishing sect. But below I found a bright space, with a TV forward, that could easily entertain a half dozen kids or a couple for a night. Forward of the console the bow is lined with rod holders and easy steps up onto the foredeck.

This is a sportfishing boat, no question about it. In a market where many boats in this size range attempt to cater to hardcore anglers and the family cruiser, the 43 SF is unapologetically designed for fishing. It also proves that a boat can fish hard and still be comfortable. —