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While it’s always difficult to replace a time-tested favorite model in a boatbuilder’s lineup, the designers and engineers at Invincible Boats were able to update the builder’s 42-foot flagship monohull design with some great new features while keeping the brand’s hardcore fish pedigree fully intact. The result of those efforts is the Invincible 43 Open.
Founded in South Florida in 2006, Invincible Boats burst upon the high-performance center-console market scene thanks in large part to a Michael Peters-designed hull with a patented stepped-V ventilated tunnel design and tough yet lightweight vacuum-bagged construction. These boats were designed to perform well in a variety of sea conditions and laid out with a host of fishing-friendly features while also being highly customizable from the factory. Today, the company produces monohull center-consoles from 33 to 43 feet and catamarans from 33 to 46 feet.
Based on the 42-footer’s amazing performance, the company elected to keep the hull and running surface intact in the redesign process, instead focusing on producing a new inner liner, top cap and console for the updated 43. The first goal was to offer the now wildly popular dual-row forward-facing seating as an option. Having comfortable seating on a center-console used to be something of an afterthought—you wedged yourself into a thinly padded leaning post alongside a couple of other folks—but that’s definitely not the case today. Now you have the option of ample luxurious forward-facing seating for everyone on board, or you can also have the more conventional single-row design with aft-facing mezzanine seating. Options are good.
As the Invincible 43 demo hit the water, it was clear that this was something special. The redesigned hull stringer grid system allows for much larger fish boxes in the aft deck. Now stretching to more than seven feet long, they’ll hold even the stoutest of tuna and wahoo without a problem. And to entice those gamefish in the first place, the boat also offers impressive livewell capacity. Where the previous model had just one well in the transom and one in the deck, the new version has two 50-gallon transom livewells in addition to a third, 60-gallon in-deck well. All are fed by a custom sea-chest setup with multiple pumps for versatility and as backups. The bilge area also received an upgrade, now with a fully finished liner for a super clean look belowdecks that’s also a snap to maintain. The demo boat is equipped with R&R Tackle bait tubes in the corners of the cockpit; when making a move while kite-fishing, just drop your bridled goggle-eye in, and it’s ready to go at a second’s notice when you arrive.
The console showcases much of the work that went into the new boat. The forward lounge seating with coffin-box storage beneath is a great place to stretch out, but entering the side door and stepping down, you’ll notice that the console interior is definitely a fisherman-friendly space. There’s storage for six large outfits—from 80-Wides to LPs or deep-drop rigs—as well as a small galley. The head is situated to the right and out of direct sight behind a false wall, while windows let in ambient lighting and add to the spacious feeling.
The redesigned console also allows for additional electronics space—the demo boat is rigged with a pair of 22-inch Garmin multifunction displays at the helm, along with dual Icom 510 VHF radios and controls for the various systems, all within easy reach of the centerline helm. In the tower resides a 12-inch Garmin display plus another VHF for calling in those tournament releases. A 3 kW transducer, Gemlux 22-foot telescoping carbon-fiber outriggers, Garmin open-array radar and Starlink round out the impressive package.
Performance is a critical factor in the success of any center-console, and the 43 certainly doesn’t slack off there. Thanks to the efficient hull, most of these boats are built with triple-engine configurations, which perform extremely well, pushing the boat into the mid-60 mph range wide open. The factory demo has quad Mercury 400s to showcase the impressive performance, which is in the low 70s with a full load and tower. With 680 gallons of fuel, she’s got the speed and range to fish on the highly competitive South Florida sailfish circuit on one weekend, then head across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas for some island hopping and yellowfin tuna fishing the next.
At the heart of Invincible’s DNA is the ability to customize its boats for specific purposes and desires—no two are exactly the same. While the hull design, power options, fuel, livewell and fish-box capacity give any owner the ability to run and fish fast and far, Invincible also has the flexibility to craft a boat for an owner’s specific needs and wants. The 43 Open is just the next step along that lineage of finely crafted vessels from a brand-name builder.
