Rob Judge was an avid high-performance boat enthusiast who ran his Cigarette 38 all summer long on Lake Erie. But then he decided he wanted to be on the water for most of the year, so he set his sights on a vessel better suited for the tough winter months near his home in Ohio. His choice was a little extreme: a Defender 25 by Safe Boats.
Safe Boats is based out of Seattle and best known for producing exceptionally strong and seaworthy craft used by professional maritime agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Drug Enforcement Administration and TowBoatUS, among others. Judge did not go direct to the builder to buy a boat. Instead, he purchased a used craft. Government agencies often sell their boats at excellent prices after the term of service is complete, and real bargains can be found if a buyer is willing to put a boat back together and recommission it for recreational use.
In early 2022, Judge was offered his boat—what had been a U.S. Coast Guard rapid response platform—for $50,000 with trailer. It was decommissioned and around $350,000 less than the price it carried when it was new. The boat was devoid of ancillaries, including engines, electronics and seats. However, Judge’s family business built municipal snowplows, so he knew his team had the skills to completely refurbish and refit the aluminum craft. Judge bought the boat sight unseen.
For a $5,000 fee, Judge was able to get the boat delivered to his company’s facility in March 2022. After his team inspected the boat, they realized the scope of work required to refit the vessel would be significantly greater than they had anticipated. The boat was literally a mass of holes and voids where the original ancillaries had been. The hull and superstructure, although sound, were well worn cosmetically, and the solid sponsons had seen better days. The trailer was not road-worthy, and even the armored door locks had been removed.
Judge asked the owner of a local performance boatbuilding shop to do a survey of his new ride. That person helped him formulate a plan for the refit, which included new motors, new electronics and a NEMA network installation. Rob wanted a completely modern and simple design approach for the boat, including a 16-inch Garmin 8616 MFD at an uncluttered, businesslike helm.
When it was in service, the Defender had been equipped with a 50-caliber, deck-mounted machine gun, and the original powerplants were a pair of Honda 225-hp outboards that provided a top speed in the low 50-mph range. Judge’s intention was to produce a boat with a top-end speed over 60 mph, plus almost-all-weather ability.
The power limit for a model built by Safe Boats is often based on the weight of the engines rather than a horsepower maximum; this ensures the engines won’t rip the transom off the boat if it’s dropped from a 20-foot wave. For his new ride, Judge selected a pair of Mercury Racing 300R V8 outboards. These naturally aspirated motors have a flat torque curve with significantly more power available at idle than the boat’s original engines, along with a weight savings of nearly 200 pounds as compared to the Hondas.
Judge’s team put in over 2,000 hours of labor, sanding every square inch of the boat with 80-grit sandpaper. It took another 1,000 man-hours to renew the foam and repaint the sponsons from their original red to a military grey. A diesel heater with de-misters, a new wiring harness, LED navigation lights, a night vision camera, SeaDek flooring and some creature comforts—including a leather Isotta steering wheel, carpet on the wheelhouse walls, a Fusion/JL Audio sound system and LED lighting in the wheelhouse and underwater—elevated the aesthetic but kept the boat businesslike.
The most significant upgrades came by way of the four pilothouse seats with drop-down armrests, Air Ride designs that were pulled from the trucking industry. They’re made to hold passengers in place with substantial cushioning, in challenging conditions and during high-speed maneuvers.
Almost a year after Judge took possession of the boat, it was completed and ready to launch from its refurbished trailer. About $150,000 in materials had been invested in the project, plus his team’s labor. Judge’s expectations for the 25 were high. Even during the restricted run-in period, performance was staggering. Once the run-in period was complete, the boat did 63 mph at wide-open throttle, and running her for a few days in rough water offered the owner a good indication of the 25’s abilities.
Today, the boat’s acceleration is like nothing else he’s experienced. If anything, it’s comparable to a performance jet ski, said Judge. Safe Judgement perfectly complements his Cigarette 38, Bad Judgement. It allows him to get from one point to another very quickly, but in the type of cold and challenging weather conditions that are unsuitable for the Cigarette.
Judge offered me the chance to experience Safe Judgement in rough water on Lake Erie in October 2023. The 25 is kept on a lift at his home, so Judge has immediate access to the water. Once we were underway, the hull with 25 degrees of transom deadrise immediately made its potential known. But the running bottom was not the only feature that enhanced the ride. The midships wheelhouse balanced the boat forward, allowing the 25 to catapult onto plane. Huge scuppers forward displaced water thrown over the bow. The oversized sponsons, I realized, would make the boat incredibly difficult to roll. Because it’s built to military specs, it offered tank-like strength, and its raised pilothouse offered exceptional visibility.
Heading into a 4- to 5-foot chop in a 25-foot boat would normally seem foolhardy, particularly with 30-mph gusts and a small-craft advisory in place. Yet when we powered up, the boat instantly sprang forward with uncanny sprinting ability and blew over the chop at over 40 mph with the helm seat absorbing almost all the shock. The performance was on another level from other pleasure boats I’ve been aboard.
Once we headed out of the shelter of the mainland, Lake Erie started to boil. The wind whipped up 6-foot peaks, although the occasional rogue 7-footer would loom over the wheelhouse.
Judge, a former world champion in the 1200cc jet ski superstock class, has plenty of experience finding the ideal route through waves and used the boat’s exceptional maneuverability to navigate the 8 miles of open water to Kelly’s Island at a steady 30 mph. The combination of the boat’s speed and handling defined her as an incredible all-weather, point-to-point machine.
The following day I took up Judge’s offer to drive Safe Judgement for myself, although in calmer conditions. The helm was perfect, with the wheel positioned to hand and nothing obscuring the view over the water. The DTS throttles were ideally placed—I could brace my arm on the armrest for fingertip control of the outboards. Upon acceleration, the boat was running at 50 mph before I had a chance to really take stock of its speed.
When sweeping into turns, the 25 gripped the water and ran flat without any need for trim. When I slowed to a steady 40 mph, the Defender was in its stride and so easy to drive. I felt I could run all day at that pace and cover enormous ground.
“You can turn full lock at this speed,” said Judge. So, I threw the boat hard over to port. It carved a 180 in an absurdly tight arc. Without the Air Ride seats clamping us in, we would have been sprawled across the cockpit, but the boat completed the maneuver, barely shedding any speed. Only a slight hint of slip told of the extremity of the turn, but there was no need to back off.
In experienced hands, the boat has astonishing capability and is a phenomenal driver’s machine. While not a conventional boat, it now offers Judge an exceptional ride, which makes it one of the best adventure boats around.
Defender 25
LOA: 25’0”Beam: 8’6”Draft: 1’8”Fuel: 100 gals.Power: (2) 300-hp Mercury Racing Motors
This article was originally published in the May 2024 issue.
