Essex targets the upscale family performance market with its new 25-footer

The past few years, Essex Performance Boats has done an admirable job of creating a well-defined and rather enviable niche for itself in the custom family-sport-boat-market. Essex ownership and management will never be accused of having a herd mentality. From the beginning, their model line has been characterized by distinctive and elegant styling with excellent quality and first-rate performance.

In keeping with that tradition, Essex had taken dead aim at the heart of the upscale family performance-sport-boat market with the introduction of its new 25 Tempest, a roomy, comfortable and well-proportioned deep-vee available in both closed-deck and open-bow/cuddy models in the Essex line, the 25 Tempest incorporates a unique double keel-step hull configuration, not to be confused with the full chine-to-chine step-bottoms that have become so plentiful in the high-performance marketplace.

"We opted to take a different approach with our bottom design," said Essex owner Ron Sanchez. "Although step-vee technology has improved top speeds on boats, its not without trade-offs at cruise speed and turning. What we've done is to step the aft keel portion of our boats, but leave the outer chine running surfaces like a conventional vee. What this gives us is extra lift for more speed without sacrificing cruise-speed stability or cornering control."