2024 Hewescraft 210 Sea Runner

Boat Reviews

Boat Review by: Richard Crowder

Hewescraft claims to be the number one selling heavy-gauge aluminum boat in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. This 75-year-old boat builder out of Colville, Washington, presently guided by second generation Bill and Dave Hewes, offers fishing models suited to the big waters of North America’s inland lakes and rivers and offshore coastal waters.

Hewescraft offers four categories of models; Protected Waters, Medium Ocean, Large Ocean, and Specialized, comprising 10 series in total of 22 models varying from 16-29 feet. All Hewescraft boats are of welded aluminum construction ranging from a bottom thickness of .16 inch on the smallest sixteen footer up to .25 inch on the 29-foot Adventure model.

The upgraded and refreshed Hewescraft 210 Sea Runner, subject of this review and part of the “Medium Ocean” category of models, is also available in a smaller 190 model and both are available in hardtop (HT) configurations. But this is not a normal hardtop configuration you may be envisioning. This “hardtop” includes complete “hard” enclosure of the helm area and includes side windows and with only the aft portion open to allow full unhindered access to the cockpit.

Even without the hardtop enclosure, just one look at the windshield tells you this boat is designed to handle big water. The windshield is comprised of three tall flat sections with wide welded framing and beefy supports. The centre section is hinged to provide access to the bow area. This bow area is not intended as a bowrider per se and there is no seating provided or available. It is strictly access for fishing and anchoring and is self-draining.

To that end, a storage locker and an anchor locker are provided. Safety while in rough water is assisted with an aluminum bow rail on each side, a grab rail on top of the windshield on each side, and another grab rail on the dash above the port side lockable glovebox as security for the front passenger. Practical is the key word here. That word also describes the hinged bow door beneath the hinged centre-opening windshield section. This bow door is double-latched.

That same practical word can describe the extensive use of diamond treadplate throughout the 210 Sea Runner. Aside from its obvious use in high traffic walking or standing areas like the bow area floor, the floor of the transom walk-through, and the gunwale step-plates, diamond treadplate is also used for example as protective edging on the port and starboard below-gunwale side storage areas. Each side features horizontal rod storage racks. Diamond treadplate is also used for the hinged lid of the cockpit in-floor large fish box which is equipped with a macerator pump.

Unusual for a boat of this size and purpose is a starboard side transom walk-through step-over with a gate which is not just a piece of lexan or fiberglass but instead what appears to be a full section of transom mounted on a pair of commercial-looking hinges and equipped with a similar quality positive closure latch. Serious quality indeed.

Again, unusual for this size of boat with outboard power is the full-width welded swim platform to which mounting brackets are attached to support the centre-mounted prime outboard engine power and a port-side-mounted kicker motor if so desired. Because of this engine-mounting arrangement, a motor splashwell is not needed and instead, the transom is used to house a 40-gallon in-transom fish box with a cutting board lid.

The helm and dash of the 210 Sea Runner are once again practical and sturdy. The polished stainless steel steering wheel is completely rimmed with a soft-grip material to ease muscle strain when the going gets rough. SeaStar hydraulic steering is standard. Eight rocker-type DC switches are mounted to the left of the wheel. A power point is provided. There’s lots of room on the flat top surface of the dash to mount your own electronics. A pair of transducer brackets, port and starboard, are standard.

Hewescraft boats are intended to be in rough water and so the quality and comfort of the helm and front passenger seats becomes a priority. To this end, the standard seats supplied in the 210 Sea Runner are a pair of high back, swivel, captain’s chairs with horseshoe suspension. These chairs are mounted on storage boxes with lids.

Optionally available are medium duty suspension seats with flip-down armrests or high-back bellow suspension seats with both swivel and slide. Individual sliders are available for those without. For the port side seat, you may want to go with a sleeper seat with porta-potti capability. While discussing seats, optionally available is your choice of a pair of either twenty-one-inch or thirty-seven-inch jump-type bench seats for each side of the cockpit aft of the helm seats.

Additional standard equipment includes anti-electrolysis anodes, five larger than normal 8” welded cleats, cup holders of course, a washdown system, and both port and starboard articulated windshield wipers. Standard interior is painted light gray throughout while partial-height vinyl side graphics in eight colour choices are also standard.

A substantial list of optional equipment allows you to outfit your 210 Sea Runner according to your boating lifestyle. Notable options include trim tabs with LED indicators, a swim platform boarding ladder, Fusion MS-RA70NSX stereo with USB port, a transom-mount ski pylon with utility tray, LED courtesy lights, conversion of the transom fish box to a livewell, two choices of anchor pulpit to which you may then add an anchor guard, an anchor roller, and a capstan anchor winch.

You may also want extra grab handles, two choices of downrigger brackets, 42-inch accessory mounting tracks on each gunwale, bow trolling motor power point, and six gunwale-mounted rod holders. A transom port-side kicker motor mounting bracket is available to which you will want to add a fuel line and most likely pre-rigging to include a steering tie-bar.

A folding fish tower is available and equipped with six rocket launchers, net holder, and a radar mounting pad. Pre-rigging is available with either an analog tach or a multi-function gauge for Yamaha, Honda, Mercury, and Suzuki outboard engines. The 210 Sea Runner is rated for up to 250 horsepower. In factory testing with a Yamaha F200XB, top speed was determined to be just over 40 mph and a most efficient cruise speed to be just over 24 mph at 3500 RPM.

Leaving this to the end, one option you may want to very seriously consider is the application of Sharkhide Oxidation Fighter which is said to provide protection against stains, oxidation, acid-rain, weathering, salt spray, and pitting. And finally, hull side paint and/or full-side vinyl graphics in eight colour choices are all available. Depending on your boating priorities, you may want the windshield side windows. You will probably want the convertible canvas top and/or a stern cover in black or gray.

As you can see, the Hewescraft 210 Sun Runner steps outside the normal 21-foot aluminum fishing boat box. If you are serious about your boating and your fishing and if you are boating in serious water, then you deserve it to seriously consider a look at this boat.

2024 Hewescraft 210 Sea Runner

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