Custom Marine Group (CMG), a new partnership formed by the Ross and Wortley families, has purchased Baja Marine LLC, taking over ownership of Baja Marine, Fountain Powerboats, Donzi Marine and Pro-Line Boats. The Wortley family has been active behind the scenes at Baja Marine and Fountain Powerboats since the companies declared bankruptcy. The addition of the Ross family gives the company the resources it needs to reinvest, bring back employees and ramp up production.

The president of the company is Carol Price, who had recently been named to that position at Baja Marine. She had been with Fountain Powerboats and then Baja Marine for 29 years. “I’m proud to enter into a successful journey with Custom Marine Group and excited for great things to come,” Price says. “Our possibilities are truly endless. This is just what our employees, local community, vendors, and current and future dealer partnerships need.”

Fountain recently showed a new 38-foot center console model at the Miami International Boat Show and Palm Beach International Boat Show. Price says there are models from all four manufacturers in production on the floor, including a Donzi 35 ZR midcabin. All the boats under the corporate umbrella will be built at the former Fountain Powerboats factory in Washington, North Carolina, and each company will retain its own brand identity and website (www.fountainpowerboats.com, www.bajamarine.com, www.donzimarine.com, and www.prolineboats.com). Visit each manufacturer’s website for more information.

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Specialty latches dog the hatch lids down, refusing to let them rattle. Hinges and hardware are through-bolted, and bilge crawling revealed a robust electrical system with neat, labeled, well-supported wire runs.

A Suzuki DF225 pushed us to 44 mph and delivered an efficient rough-water cruising speed of 24 mph. The 23 Sport is as economical to own as it is to buy. Those numbers might improve if you swap the 20-inch pitch wheel we ran for the 18.5-inch prop: Our test engine turned up 500 revs less than its rated maximum. Or maybe the engine needs to be mounted higher.

Livewell, washdown, six horizontal rod racks … a minute aboard and anyone can see that the 23 Sport is bred to fish. But we also cheered amenities like the integral dive platform and the three-step boarding ladder, and options like the transom bench seat and bow cushion set. These help the 23 Sport turn a triple play: It’s family-friendly, all-out fishable and easy on the budget.

Who’d Want One: Anglers seeking a rugged, affordable, blue-water CC.

Another Choice: Edgewater’s 228 CC ($76,263 with a Yamaha F250).

Bottom Line: $51,923 (base, 2011 pricing); prolineboats.com

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Vital Stats * Length Overall: 23′ * Beam: 8’6″ * Dry Weight(w/out motor): 3,920 lb. * Max HP: 300 * NMMA Certified: Yes

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