60 Sportfisher

Designed by Tom Fexas and built in Taiwan, the Mikelson 60 is an innovative West Coast fisherman with a rakish profile and plenty of built-in sex appeal. She was built on a lightweight, fully cored hull with a wide 17-foot, 2-inch beam, prop pockets, and moderate transom deadrise—a notably efficient hull requiring relatively small engines for her size. Several floorplans were available: The standard galley-down layout has three staterooms, and alternate arrangements had two staterooms with an enlarged galley. Either way, the wide-open salon comes with built-in settees and plenty of teak cabinetry and woodwork. Stepping outside, an unusual aft deck platform overlooks the giant-size cockpit. The flybridge is also huge with a wraparound helm console forward and lounge seating for a small crowd aft. The engines are located under the aft deck where they’re accessed via hydraulically operated hatches in the sole. The Mikelson 60 also has a unique underwater exhaust system with a transom bypass for quiet operation. A good performer with 735hp 8V92s, she’ll cruise in the low 20s and reach 26–28 knots wide open. Note that the Mikelson 56 Sportfish (1990–97) is essentially the same boat with a smaller cockpit.