For Cabo Yachts the 52 is a logical step. The company has built more than 100 45 Expresses, creating a strong step-up market for the new boat. The 52 also makes sense for anglers. For the family-oriented fisherman, it prevents the captain (a.k.a. Dad) from being a chauffeur on the flying bridge all day, and her two staterooms effortlessly accommodate a family of four, plus another two guests on the saloon lounge. For the hardcore offshore fisherman, she’s geared for overnights to the edge and tournament angling. She has the speed to put you out in front of the pack and is easily fishable thanks to her sizeable cockpit and efficient layout. Better yet, her express nature enables a team to easily communicate when a money fish is on the line.

I put the throttles fully forward as the 52’s optional twin 1,550-hp MAN diesels (1,360-hp MANs are standard) quickly spun up to 2340 rpm and my test boat edged toward her average top hop of 47 mph. Yep, that’s 55,950 pounds of boat skating across the Atlantic at the equivalent of 40.5 knots. I put the wheel hard over at WOT, and her power-assist steering easily helped carve a boat-length-and-a-half turn with only about a 200-rpm drop. Even while I was on the tower, she was steadfastly stable. Of course, this speed has a cost: 166 gph. However, when I dialed the MANs back to their 2000-rpm cruise, the 52 sped along at 40.5 mph (35 knots) at just 114 gph, and she tracked straight on all points, with only occasional and minimal correction needed from the wheel. I concluded that this boat is destined to become a Bimini-start leader and first with lines in the water at a tournament near you.