Timeless Classics – November/December 2018

Ocean Master 31 Center Console

THE Original

By Scott Shane

Ocean Master Sport Fishing Boats founder Mark Hauptner delivered the company’s first 31-footer in 1976. It was a design that impacted the vistas of center consoles moving forward.

The manufacturer created a new vehicle, one much different from the world of production boats, the likes of Mako, Wellcraft and Aquasport dotting the horizons. The overall lengths of center consoles offered by those manufacturers barely scratched 27 feet. The top horsepower, outboard engines of the day, stressed to deliver optimal performance from those old-school, heavily built hulls.

As the functionality of the center console design continued to spike, fishermen pressed the limits of these boats, not to mention sane reasoning, as they pushed farther offshore.

Ocean Master persisted to meet the growing demand of day-boat fishermen who wanted a bigger boat that was fishing friendly, had expanded range, and big-sea capabilities to get home through nasty conditions. Despite negativity from the boating industry, as reported on the company’s website, Ocean Master realized the only way to increase range, given the technology, performance and fuel burn of the available outboard engines, was to install larger tanks.

Today, repowered Ocean Master 31s are going faster and are living up to what the builder perhaps envisioned 40 years ago. The more horsepower the better (up to a point), based on current owner’s comments.

There’s a large, loyal legion of New Jersey captains independently maintaining a fleet of original builds.

“My 1993 boat is the Reel American, homeport is Waretown, NJ. Initially, it was the lines and size that attracted me to the Ocean Master. I bought mine in the blind, but once I ran it, the stability is what sold me. Last year, the boat was repowered with twin Suzuki 300s; cruising speed all day is mid-30 knots with a fuel burn around 2 miles per gallon. Top speed is around 42 knots,” Brad Blecker said.

Capt. Rick Woemar runs Carnivore, a 31 Ocean Master from his family-owned Cliffside Marina in New Jersey. He repowered with the 300-hp Suzuki engines and averages between 1.3 and 1.5 mpg at 4,500 rpm.

“I’ve gone 375 miles with her; she holds 310 gallons, no other boat in that class holds that capacity. She originally came with a pair of four-stroke Yamahas 250-hp. Now, with the higher horsepower, I get even better fuel consumption, as well as range,” he said.

Anyone familiar with the Ocean Master 31 is aware of what it does well and what it doesn’t. The builder created a platform, literally. It’s a modified-V, has a 6,500-pound displacement, a beam over 10 foot and a deadrise of 16 degrees. These characteristics say a lot.

“I bought my 2000 Ocean Master in May 2012. We ran from Daytona, Florida up to Barnegat,” 976 miles, Woermer said.  “Whether we were offshore or the ICW, it was a comfortable ride.”

“The modified-V’s aren’t as fast or as fuel efficient as a deep-V, but if you are sitting on a wreck in 5-footers, give me an OM. It rides like a much larger boat and does not rock like many other boats I’ve been on,” said David Kulp, owner of Fear Knot.

According to the Powerboat Guide* the Ocean Master 31 had a series of hull improvements and tweaks. The early hull design had the tendency to kick up spray but was modified in 1993 to soften ride and reduce spray. The deck was retooled and the sheer raised in 1995, and the chines were again tweaked, widened and reversed; the cockpit got a redesign in 1998.

The spray rails are hard to miss on profile shots of all Ocean Masters, especially the early representatives. The new builds have beautifully integrated the rails for a clean and modern look.

Of course, this boat’s mission was fishin’ and by all accounts it gets an A-plus in this category. Her layout is clean with 360-degree fishing. Forward is a platform conducive to casting or throwing a net.

The console and leaning post/seating is designed for a cluster of big anglers and fishing equipment. There’s enough room for a crew to shelter behind the console and owners appreciate the plentiful dimensions for storage of a full set of trolling rods, supportive gear and terminal tackle.

“I’ve run this boat from my marina to the Spencer Canyon and the Dip. This boat raises fish: tuna, tile, sword and nine bigeyes to date. We raised a 70-inch bigeye this year in the Ryan Canyon. The range allows us to push to where the fish are,” Woerner said.

Blecker also is a fan of the stability that ultimately adds to comfort, which, in my opinion, leads to smarter fishing decisions and the ability to fish in conditions others can’t. He also observes that the older model boats that have been repowered, perhaps create more speed than what the hull was originally designed for, creating an opportunity for diminishing returns.

“The 16-degree deadrise is amazing on the troll and wrecks. However, you can’t drive them with the speed like a true deep-V. My remedy is to slow down a tad and stay aware. In the ocean, I like to run a touch of tab to smooth out the wave transitions, but at large, it loves cruising the waves,” Blecker said.

The new Ocean Master factory in Stuart, Florida, is still producing these custom battleships. Current President Charlie Modica continues the legacy. A new 31-footer has a base price of $200,000.

All models are semi-custom and hand-laid. Ocean Master now uses 14-20 layers of Nytex biaxial and stitched fiberglass and top-quality gelcoat and resins. Stringers are full height and glassed directly to the hull for rigidity and strength. The inner liner deck is vacuum-bagged. Ocean Master has eliminated all wood in the construction process.

Ocean Master owners believe in “The Beast” known as the 31 Center Console. I believe the next growth spurt in the marine marketplace will be center consoles under 35 feet. It’s nice to see the original is still stalking the seas and needed just some modernizing and tweaks, not a full-blown makeover.