Maverick 17 HPX VII
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 16’9″ ****∙Beam: 6’3″ ****∙Draft: 7.5″ ∙****Fuel: 24 gallons
Weight: 1,150 pounds with 70 hp ∙Top Speed: 49 mph
Price: $43,913 with F70 ****∙******Max Horsepower:** 90
www.maverickboats.com ******∙******Phone: 772-465-0631
Maverick’s 17 HPX-V has always been known for its smooth, dry ride and its great poling characteristics. Now with a full deck makeover, the 17 HPX-V II has the dry storage and layout to match. I’ve had this hull for years and love it. With a Yamaha F70, this boat is able to run in the high 30s to low 40s. With an F90, it will reach the mid to upper 40s and top out at 49 mph, depending on the overall load of the boat.
So let’s get into the changes and what they really mean. Maverick added six inches to the deck and moved the front bulkhead back, allowing the gas tank to slide aft a few inches, which gives you more storage room up front for gear and batteries. I notice that my two anglers seem to have more room while sharing the bow. Adding a few inches to the deck may not sound like much, but it really makes huge difference. The finish work inside the front hatch and throughout the boat is some of Maverick’s best handiwork ever. Rod tubes fit perfectly, the gas tank installation is good-looking, and the front shelf gives the bow a clean, finished look.
A center livewell has been added to the rear deck, and on either side there’s easy access to two storage compartments. In addition, all the lid troughs have been deepened to three inches, making the storage even dryer. Inside these compartments, the storage tubs have been moved forward, which gives anglers easy access to equipment and allows the boat to float more level. Whether you are poling in shallow water for bones or in deeper water for tarpon, if the boat squats in the stern it won’t spin easily. This modification helps the boat track straight and float shallower and permits stealthy approaches. Finally, access to the bilge, livewell plumbing and rigging harnesses is now much easier thanks to a larger rigging hatch. Plus, all harnesses have conduits and are elevated above the hull bottom to keep them dry and salt free.
Other Things to Consider
Depending on your need for speed, both a Yamaha F70 and an F90 are ideal choices for the 17 HPX. For trolling situations, a Minn Kota 12-volt works great.
■ If you choose a Yamaha F70, consider putting the battery for the motor in the console. This motor is so light that you won’t want the battery in the bow since it could hurt the bow lift while running because of the lack of horsepower. The console is an ideal spot for the trolling motor battery if you choose to have one.
■ If your 17-foot HPX-V has a Yamaha F90, I’d suggest putting the starting motor battery in the bow because of the weight of the motor and the gas tank being mounted back a little farther into the cockpit. Remember we want to have a balanced boat that sits level in a floating situation.
■ I would also suggest a Minn Kota 12-volt i-Pilot in either case, mounting the battery in the console and wiring the battery to the battery switch so that you can use the alternation to charge the batteries (trolling or starting) simply by a turn of the switch.
