Buyer's Guide · Sailfish 232 CC vs. Bulls Bay 230 CC
Sailfish 232 or Bulls Bay 230for the Chesapeake?
Two roughly 23-foot center consoles built to different standards. The Sailfish 232 CC's deeper deep-V hull runs drier and softer in open-Bay chop; the Bulls Bay 230 CC's real advantage is price — a value-brand build that costs noticeably less. Here's how to pick — honest specs and trade-offs, both ways.
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The real decision
Ride,
or price.
The Sailfish 232 CC and Bulls Bay 230 CC are both roughly 23-foot center consoles with an 8'6" beam, but they're built to different standards. The honest trade-off is straightforward: the Sailfish rides a deeper, higher-end hull, and the Bulls Bay costs meaningfully less.
Sailfish builds the 232 on a Variable Deadrise Stepped deep-V with a 22-to-24-degree deadrise, designed to cut the short, steep chop of the open Chesapeake and run offshore-capable.
Bulls Bay builds the 230 on a 20-degree modified-V as a value-brand boat — a no-nonsense fishing platform at a budget price. Both fish the Bay; one is built for the rough open water, the other for the lowest dollar in.
Where the Sailfish leads
The deeper
hull.
When the open lower Bay builds up a chop, the 232's deeper deep-V and higher-end build are the honest advantage — a drier, softer ride than a flatter, value-built hull.
Deeper deep-V for the chop
The 232 CC carries a 22–24° deep-V versus the Bulls Bay's 20° modified-V. That extra vee runs drier and softer when the wind opposes the tide and the open lower Bay builds up a steep chop — the water that punishes a flatter hull.
Built to run rough water
Sailfish's whole hull is the Variable Deadrise Stepped deep-V, built offshore-capable. When the Bay turns rough, the 232 keeps running comfortably rather than asking you to slow down and pick your way home.
A higher-end build
The deeper hull and the build that goes with it are what the Sailfish premium buys. It's a more boat for the money in ride and construction — and honestly, more money, which is the other side of the comparison.
Where the Bulls Bay leads
The lower
price.
The Bulls Bay 230's real advantage is cost, and it's a genuine one — a value-brand build that fishes the Bay for meaningfully fewer dollars. If budget is what you're optimizing, it's the honest pick.
Lower price, by a real margin
This is the Bulls Bay's genuine advantage and it's a big one. It's a value-brand build that starts well below a comparable Sailfish — often by fifteen thousand dollars or more depending on rigging. If you're optimizing on dollars in, that's a legitimate win, plainly.
Drafts an inch less
The 230 lists a 17-inch hull draft versus 18 on the Sailfish. It's a marginal edge — one inch — but it leans slightly toward skinny-water fishing on the flats and in shallow creeks.
Light, simple, fishable
A 35-gallon livewell, a light package, and a no-nonsense layout make the 230 a sensible value fishing boat. For budget-conscious Bay fishing in protected and moderate water, it does the job well.
By the numbers
Side by side,
by the spec.
The figures each builder publishes on its own model page. The two are nearly the same length and beam; the Sailfish runs a deeper deep-V, the Bulls Bay drafts an inch less. The difference that doesn't fit in a spec row is price — and the Bulls Bay wins it.
| Spec | Sailfish 232 | Bulls Bay 230 |
|---|---|---|
| Length overall | 23'0" | 22'8" |
| Hull | Deep-V · 22–24° | Mod-V · 20° |
| Draft | 18" | 17" |
Sailfish 232 CC figures from the manufacturer, sailfishboats.com; Bulls Bay 230 CC figures from bullsbayboats.com (model pages, 2026). Length is overall length per each builder. Deadrise is transom deadrise: the Sailfish rides a 22–24° Variable Deadrise Stepped deep-V; the Bulls Bay lists a 20° modified-V. Fuel capacity is omitted — published figures for the Bulls Bay 230 vary across sources.
How to choose
Pay for the hull,
or pay less.
The deciding question is honest and simple. If you run the open lower Bay in a chop and want the drier, softer ride of a deeper deep-V and a higher-end build, the Sailfish 232 is worth its premium. If you fish mostly protected water and want the most fishable boat for the fewest dollars, the Bulls Bay 230 is a legitimate value choice and we'll say so plainly. You're deciding whether you're paying for the hull or paying the lower price — both are valid answers depending on how and where you fish.
Coastal Marine is the only authorized Sailfish dealer in southeastern Virginia, on Shore Drive at the mouth of the Bay. It's the place in Hampton Roads to stand on a Sailfish, feel the difference in the hull and the build, and decide for yourself whether it's worth the step up for how you fish.
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Sailfish 232 vs. Bulls Bay 230,
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