Boat test for the 2007 Spencer 43 Express including boat specifications, photo galleries, boat videos, boat layout diagrams, boat test numbers, boat test results, and boat speed graphs. Also includes pricing, engine test reviews, ratings, standard features, and gear for the 2007 Spencer 43 Express.

I was rigging baits in the cockpit of a 43-foot express sportfisherman at the 2005 White Marlin Open when a man who was fishing the boat next to my team’s came walking over. He asked if he could come aboard and take a look, and we happily invited him on. After about a half hour of going through the boat, he asked us what we liked and didn’t like about her. We shared some ideas, and then he introduced himself: “My name is Paul Spencer, and I’m thinking about building an express boat around this size.” I’d known who he was the minute he stepped off the 60-footer bearing his name, but I thought, what would make this successful North Carolina custom big-boat builder want to construct something smaller? I found the answer during a subsequent trip to South Florida: high-tech propulsion technology and good, old-fashioned craftsmanship.

At a side-to berth behind a house in Lighthouse Point, the sharp, bullet-sleek profile and prominent bow flare of Spencer’s 43 Express shared a strong resemblance to her larger convertible siblings. Perhaps it’s because the 43’s fully foam-cored hull (Core-Cell foam is laid over a jig, shaped, and then fiberglassed inside and out) is a scaled-down version of that very 60-footer. As a matter of fact, the bridge deck of the 43 is taken off the mold for the 60. What does this mean for this vessel’s owner? How about a behemoth bridge deck that allows the centerline teak helm pod to sit all the way aft, overseeing the cockpit and all trolled lines? A lot of mid-40-foot open boats have their helms far forward to provide large bridge-deck seating spaces. Spencer believes that by having the centerline helm directly overlooking the cockpit, the helmsman can more easily survey baits, spot fish, and communicate with his crew. This setup is especially good for a crew that’s short-handed, as the steps flanking the bridge deck and leading to the cockpit enable the captain to instantly help leader and gaff or release a fish.

The 43’s fishability is complemented by excellent performance and maneuverability, thanks to Volvo Penta’s Inboard Performance System (IPS). This is the first sportfisherman I’ve come across with this system, and while I’d admittedly been skeptical about the application of IPS on a fishing boat, some real wheel time got me thinking in a new direction.

On a fairly flat Atlantic, I took the single-lever controls and throttled up the standard 435-hp IPS-600 diesels, which easily propelled the 43 to 41.4 mph (WOT) in about 22 seconds, hitting the engines’ rated rpm of 3500 spot-on. The Volvo Penta electronic controls automatically synched the engines if I kept their rpm within about ten percent of each other, but I wished I’d had the ability to use a slave and master control and just work with one throttle for straightaways. When I set the controls to a cruise rpm of 3250, the 43 zipped across the water at 37.6 mph while burning only 36 gph. Take note: That’s better than a one-mile-to-one-gallon ratio (and a 620-mile range) at nearly 38 mph.

Equally noteworthy is the 43’s maneuverability. I put the wheel hard over at both cruise and WOT and noted less than a 20-rpm drop. I’ve run well-designed, straight-shaft boats that average 100- to 200-rpm drops while making the same type of turns. And she circles tightly—about one and a half boat lengths at cruise speed—while offering a moderate but tolerable inboard heel. I think her optional full Pipewelders tower played a part in that lean, and perhaps her light weight did, too, as displacement is listed at just 25,000 pounds dry.

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