Jupiter 40

The new Jupiter 40 shines brightly amid an increasingly crowded orbit of similar-size offshore center-console fishing machines.

- Jim Hendricks

The field of 40-something center-console offshore fishing boats has boomed in the past few years. While an outboard-powered 40-foot center-console proved nearly unthinkable a decade earlier, more than a dozen major boat brands now compete fiercely in this size category. Forty feet represents a magic size, one that can traverse the gnarliest inlets, continue fishing when sea conditions have chased lesser boats to port, and reach distant angling destinations such as the Bahamas, Northeast Canyons or West Coast seamounts, with console interiors big enough for overnighting. Thanks to equipment such as joystick systems and thrusters, they handle and dock easily in crowded marinas and tight slips.

Jupiter Marine's 40 stands out as not only one of the latest entries, but also one of the category's most impressive. This new 40 dovetails nicely between Jupiter's 38 and 43 center-consoles (not to mention the Jupiter 41 SB enclosed-bridge model). Jupiter has not jumped on the step-hull bandwagon, instead relying on a deep-V running surface for the 39-foot-11-inch hull that features 24 degrees of deadrise at the transom and a Posi-Stern hull-pad design.

At speed, the 16,000-pound (with engines) boat rode and handled like a dream in the 2to 3-foot seas we encountered on test day. Triple Yamaha XTO 450s propelled us to a top speed of 57.3 mph with three crewmembers and a full tank of fuel (500 gallons). At rest and trolling speeds, the nearly 12-foot beam provides remarkable lateral stability for fishing securely, even in cross-sea conditions.