II:i.hiiWt.lMF USED BOAT review BLACKFIN 29 COMBI

II:i.hiiWt.lMF
USED BOAT review
BY
STEVE
BLACKFIN 29 COMBI
KNAUTH
/
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
IN THEIR WORDS
Like most longtime boaters, Larry Dario started young, around 6 years old. The 52year-old dentist from Warren , R.I. , remembers sailing a Tech dinghy at a summer
camp on Boston's Charles River, and other sailboats followed: the 110, Solings , International One Design - all classic designs.
So when it came time later in life to get into powerboating Dario started out with
character boat, too , buying and restoring a Bertram 25 Moppie to serve his passion for
fishing . Eventually, he sold the twin sterndrive express to a Swedish yachtsman who
put it on a container ship and rode away.
Now Dario has himself another " keeper ," a
1986 Blackfin 29 Combi , and the cuddy cabin
sportfishing cruiser is another classic , this one
with deep New England roots. That pedigree
helped Dario decide to buy the boat , sight unseen , in 1996 from a Naples , Fla ., owner. The
price was around $39 ,000.
" I [did it that way] partly because of the low
price ," he says . " I had a budget I was trying to
stay within. " Dario had the boat surveyed , and the
Larry Dario
report came back: " It's like out of the box."
But price wasn 't the only factor ; Blackfin boats had a reputation for seaworthiness
and fishability. " It was a Blackfin , so I knew it would be good offshore ," says Dario .
"I also wanted a single-level boat, rather than a flybridge , since I was doing a lot of
fishing by myself."
The boat's solid fiberglass hull presented "no coring issues ," says Dario. "That can
be a concern in boats of that era [the 1980s]."
Dario's 29 Combi was a cruising model - in other words , no fishing gear, not even
a rod holder. But that made it easier to turn into a fishing boat. " I started with a hull
and a windshield ," says Dario . "That was an advantage. "
He replaced the original 300-hp gas engines with twin 315-hp diesels , which deliver
30-mph performance , burn ing around 20 gallons an hour; she burns around 12 gallons an hour at 29 mph . " Put 600 hp in a boat that weighs 10,000 to 12,000 pounds ,
and it's going to fly ," says Dario. "They're about the same weight as the old gas engines , but you get a world of torque. "
The boat's custom 290-gallon fuel supply means a range of around 400 miles. "You
can cover a lot of distance in this boat," Dario says .
He added a custom instrument console (rather than an overhead box) with radar,
GPS/chart plotter, color fishfinder and other electronics mounted flush , in line-of-sight
with the wheel. " It's real easy to see and use in rough water," he says. "I like it better
[than an overhead box]. "
The steering station is well laid out too , says Dario , important when you 're running the boat for hours at a time . " Riding at a normal trim you 're looking through the
windshield, not through the frame, " he says. "The whole helm design - the angle of
the wheel , the placement of the instruments - they 're all where they should be."
The boat sports plenty of rod holders now, along with an aluminum half-tower, outriggers , raw and freshwater washdowns, a bow rail and pulpit, even an EPIRB and a
life raft. "Stuff happens offshore," Dario says. And that's where the 29 Combi truly
shines. A low center of gravity moderates the snap roll , making for a stable fishing
platform . The engines are far apart, set low in the deep-vee hull , and the high-aspect
rudders are externally hung .
"That makes the boat very maneuverable ; it's like a Porsche ," says Dario. "When
someone's fighting a fish , you can move the boat any way you want. "
In the end , the 29 Combi is all about
the ride. Pursuing his passion , Dario regularly tests the boat on the "characterbuild ing" waters between Narragansett
Ba y and Po int Jud ith , cons idered by
LOA: 29 feet, 4 inches (without
pulpit)
some to be among the region 's most challenging. And he's usually the smallest boat on the
canyons , meeting up with 45- and 50-footers.
But it's all in a day's work for the Combi , says
Dario , paying his vessel the ultimate compliment: "It's a trustworthy boat. "
WALKTHROUGH
BEAM: 10 feet , 6 inches
DRAFT: 2 feet, 10 inches
WEIGHT: 10,000-12 ,000 pOlmds
lflJLL TYPE: deep-vee
TANKAGE: 250-260 gallons fuel,
30 gallons water
STANDARD PROPUlSION: twin
The Blackfin 29 Combi (and later 29-2
gas engines
Combi) rides a true deep-vee hull with 22 deORIGINAL
BUILDER: Bladam
grees of transom dead rise, matched by a
Boats,
Fort
Lauderdale,
Fla.
sharp entry conducive to offshore performance. Combined with a wide beam that exceeds the usual 1-to-3 beam-to-Iength ratio ,
the overall shape delivers what one observer calls an "incredible rough-water" ride.
The original's open express profile shows a moderate, even sheer over a low hull
with plenty of bow flare and a slightly curved transom. The helm is to starboard on the
raised bridge deck , behind a large, three-panel wraparound windscreen , with a small
panel for electronics. The 29-2 Combi , introduced in 1995, came with a redesigned instrument console and a curved windshield.
In both , the cuddy is laid out with the basic necessities : enclosed head compartment,
compact galley area with a small stove and refrigerator and a convertible dinette/twin
berth forward . Power in the original 29 Combi was standard twin gas engines around
320 hp for a cruising speed of around 25 mph. Diesel power plants (320 hpj deliver a
cruising speed closer to 30 mph and a top end of 35 mph. The original Combi's cockpit
engine boxes were converted to an aft-facing lounge seat on the 29-2.
A V AI LAB I LlTY
The Blackfin 29 Combi (and 29-2) is readily available on the used boat market,
thanks to its reputation for fishability and durability . Prices generally are in the fivefigure range, with some newer or better-equipped boats fetching
around $100 ,000. Here are a few examples : A "clean, one-owner"
1995 model was available in Massachusetts for around $85,000 ,
with twin gas engines , GPS/chart plotter, fishfinder, autopilot,
radar, tower and upper controls . A 1986 Connecticut boat "in excellent condition" was listed for around
$75 ,000 , with a pair of new Volvo
diesels , all electron ics , and such fishing extras as outriggers . Another Massachusetts boat , vintage 1996, was listed for just under $100 ,000 , with twin
318-h p diesels , custom tower with controls, and outriggers . In New Jersey a
1987 Combi was priced at just under
$105 ,000 , with twin 300-hp diesels ,
fight ing chair , outriggers , washdowns,
rocket launchers and spotlights . •
Soundings
January 2007
53