Model Introduction
The Century 2901 CC, a new model for 2007, is an offshore sportfisherman boat with the speed, sea-keeping ability and range to reach and fish many of the offshore grounds frequented by recreational fishermen. Though clearly designed and built as a hardcore fishing boat, the 2901 CC offers a few family-friendly comforts, including bow and transom seating and a commodious head compartment inside the console.

Construction
The Century 2901 CC starts with a 3 oz. skin coat of chop wet out in premium vinylester resin to help prevent osmotic blistering in the bottom and reduce print through in the hullsides. The bottom strakes are filled with fiberglass and a matrix of resin mixed with angel hair fiber (for sharp bottom strake edges, which improves waterflow separation and reduces drag), and a syntactic print blocker is also sprayed on the hull sides to prevent print through. The bottom is sold knit (vs. woven) fiberglass, while the sides are cored with end-grain balsa for added stiffness. The hull is supported by a one-piece flanged fiberglass grid that is bonded to the hull and supports the deck above. The transom is cored with a 1.5 in.-thick high-density foam sandwiched in fiberglass. The hull-to-deck joint is bonded with adhesive and fastened with self-tapping screws, which, structurally speaking, basically clamp the fiberglass together until the adhesive sets up. Decks are cored with Airlite foam of varying densities, depending on location, to add stiffness at lighter weight.

Hull Design
The Century 2901 CC has a deep-vee hull with a very aggressive, sharp entry forward twisting to 23° of constant deadrise amidships and at the transom—a good recipe for a smooth-riding offshore hull. Chine flats add form stability at rest and lift and dynamic stability at speed and, working with the lifting strakes, also serve to deflect spray. The vee bottom comes to a point at the keel, creating a hard edge presented to surrounding waterflow. Above the chines, the hull has a bit of convexity worked in below the sheer forward, giving the boat distinctive styling and shape.

Walkthrough
Cockpit
At the bow, the Century 2901 CC cushioned vee seating molded into the deck liner provides a place to sit as well as additional insulated storage space inside. A centerline table can be set up for drinks or a meal, adding a welcome measure of cruising livability. An anchor pulpit and locker are provided forward, along with three 10-in. bow cleats. A low hand railing surrounds the bow and continues back to the console area—a nice safety measure. Built into the forward end of the center console is a seat with more storage space below.

Walking toward aft, a starboard-side center-console door opens to a large, stand-up head compartment with freshwater sink (a 22-gal. water tank is standard), mirror, light, electric toilet, holding tank and macerator. There’s even a rod storage area below that extends forward from the head area, and with a cushioned extension in place, it could serve as a place to take a nap.

Back aft, the cockpit coaming is 25 in. high aft, increasing to 29 in. high at the helm. The transom door is 21 in. high—sportfish boats like this often have low coamings to make it easier to land fish, though offers less in the way of safety; a 30-in. height would be more desirable. Fortunately, the cockpit has excellent nonskid, which provides good grip underfoot as well as making it easy to clean up after a day on the water. The coaming bolster effectively creates a toe kick at deck level, which would otherwise be lacking with the below-gunwale storage compartments flush with the fiberglass washboards.

The Century 2901 CC has a great deal of in-deck storage capacity, including insulated port and starboard 277-qt. fish or storage compartments, as well as a pair of 60-qt. storage or fish boxes. Century has opted for screens over the drains to collect debris, combined with easily replaceable pumps in lieu of macerator pumps. There are also storage lockers under the gunwale on either side, including compartments for the battery switches (including a labeled battery switch panel with volt meters and breakers), rod racks (that are lockable), washdown hose and tackle drawers where they are easily accessible. The deck drain system includes hatch gutters to channel water to the deck. The deck drains through 1.5-in. scuppers, 2 per side, out the side of the boat and overboard. Four batteries are easily accessed below cockpit hatches, 2 per side.

Century’s attention to detail can be seen in the hatches—they are all made using a closed-molding process that infuses the resin under great vacuum pressure. The result is a hatch that’s tooled fiberglass on both sides, making for a classy look, and also making it lighter and easier to lift or lower.

At the transom is a 2-part livewell, colored light blue, and with a clear plastic lid. To port is a washdown sink with both fresh and seawater spigots as well as a cutting board. The motorwell is essentially a large integral platform with rocket launcher rod holders on centerline. In the motor well platform is a plastic hatch leading to the mechanical compartment in the bilge. Here are the fuel filters, bilge pumps and livewell pumps. These plastic hatches are used on a few offshore boats, although stronger watertight aluminum or fiberglass hatches in exposed locations like this make for better watertight integrity. A boarding ladder to port is easily deployable from the water, which is an important feature for ladder location and design. The stern cleats are slightly recessed to help prevent line snags.

Helm
The center console is both tall and wide enough to offer good protection from wind and spray at high speed. It’s also big enough to provide lots of room for electronics flats, which on this boat gets priority of place up high, front and center in respect to the driver. The engine gauges are less prominent, down lower where they are still plainly visible. The tilt steering wheel and engine controls are comfortably positioned for standup operation, though the driver must to lean forward to drive when seated, as is usually the case with a center console. Trim tabs, a foot rest, stainless steel cup holders, and a compass are included, as is lockable storage in the console. The helm features big, comfortable twin bolster seats, as well as the hand holds built into the molded arm rests. Along with the hardtop support pipes and the grab rails at the console, there is plenty to hang onto at speed.

The Century 2901 CC is clearly built for fishing. There’s enough space for 19 rods in rod holders in various locations. Below the leaning post is a storage compartment, with 4 large drawers on the aft side, a portable Igloo cooler, and more rocket launchers and cup holders are provided up high. The T-top is standard, and it includes an electronics box, deck lights and rod holders to the side.

Engine and Propulsion
The test boat had a pair of 250-hp Yamaha 4-stroke outboards––the boat is rated to handle up to 600-hp, so the 300-hp Yamaha HPDI’s are also candidates for powering this boat and further improving both acceleration and top end speed.

Sea Trial
The test ride took place off Panama City, FL. A top speed of 48 mph was recorded at 6100 rpm with 1/3 tank of fuel, 3 passengers onboard and light gear. At a comfortable 4500 rpm cruise, the speed recorded was 35 mph on GPS, which would translate into perhaps 31 or 32 mph with a full load of fuel and gear and a painted bottom. With full tabs and the engines trimmed in, the boat was just on top with a clean wake astern at 3000 rpm for 12.4 mph, not bad for a hull with so much deadrise aft (it’s not a lightweight at 7,000 lbs. without engines).

The boat sliced through a 1- to 2-ft. chop at 45 mph with ease, proving that this is deep-vee can run with the best offshore sportfishermen. The boat banks (heels) very sharply in a turn, with its relatively high center of gravity, so drivers must be careful with extreme high-speed maneuvers. Above 4500 or so rpm, the boat will porpoise with the engines trimmed out for maximum speed, so it took some time finding the sweet spot that delivered a good balance between speed and a steady ride. The test boat had power assist steering, which made for solid fingertip control. This system was set up for 6 turns lock to lock. The company’s engineers felt that this deep vee, with its high heel angles in a sharp turn, was better served by a less reactive steering system than for 3 to 4 turns. Another disadvantage of the steering was that the hard edges on the wheel dug into the driver’s fingers when turning rapidly.

Based on the Yamaha Command Link system’s fuel-flow gauge readout, and on the availability of 90% of the boat’s fuel capacity, there was a range of about 430 to 440 statute miles in the test boat conditions (unpainted bottom, light load) at the boat’s most economical cruising speed of 4000 to 4500 rpm. Running at 1,000 rpm through the harbor, the boat held its heading well, with little steering correction required other than for wind and current.

Century 2901 CC, t/250-hp Yamaha 4-strokes, 3 pax, 1/3 fuel

Manufacturer’s Comments
A wide beam, classic open deck layout sets the stage for the 2900 CC, a fishing rig that has everything for the serious fisherman. The cast of accessories includes a huge live well, two 100-quart fish boxes, hidden rod lockers, port and starboard tilt-out tackle trays and a 1600 Gph dual live well system. Featuring the V-Tech hull for superior offshore performance, and powered by high-tech Yamaha outboards with the latest in instrumentation and gauges.

Conclusions
The Century 2901 CC is a well-designed offshore fishing boat with a lot to offer—serious fishing capability, generous storage capacity, a helm station with plenty of space for electronics, large fuel capacity (with convenient port and starboard fills), a great ride in a chop, good looks and a competitive price. However, the 2901 is a few mph slower than a few comparable (in weight and size) competitors, the motor well hatch could work better ,and the boat heels excessively when turning.

The 2901 CC comes with a long list of standard equipment. Options include a bow table, downrigger, freshwater, outriggers, colored hull, stereo upgrade with subwoofer and satellite radio, anchor windlass and shorepower with battery charger.

Company Background
Century, a division of Yamaha, builds fiberglass inshore and offshore center console, dual console, walkaround and express fishing boats from 17 to 32 ft. All are Yamaha (mostly 4-stroke) powered.—Eric Sorensen

For More Information, review Boat Ratings

Specifications