1985 Sisu 22

For decades, lobster boats have been the working vessels of the Northeast, used by fishermen to tend their lobster traps and, as such, these boats have been developed and refined to meet those needs.

Lobster boats consist of a high bow that is intended to shoulder aside the seas, while the low freeboard makes it easier for the lobsterman to hoist his traps aboard. Often the pilothouse is open on one side, allowing a single crew to work the traps from the helm, while still providing weather protection. The cockpit stretches for more than half the boat's length, and the single engine is usually set well forward to give a flat shaft angle. A real lobster boat has a pronounced keel that protects the propeller and the hull is round-bottomed without hard chines. The forefoot is usually deep, to handle head seas and to help hold the bow from falling away from the wind as the traps are hoisted aboard.