Tidewater 3100 Carolina Bay

The biggest bay boat in the world comes with lots of standard features, some nice options, and plenty of oomph.

By Pim Van Hemmen

April 15, 2024

Tidewater Boats says that its 3100 Carolina Bay is the world’s largest bay boat. Having stepped aboard at February’s 2024 Miami International Boat Show, I can confirm that the 3100 is big and that she has the requisite low freeboard, casting platforms and fishing features that would qualify her as a bay boat. But the 3100 is more than just a really big bay boat.

Tidewater loaded the 3100 up with lots of standard features and some cool options that would allow hardcore fishermen to cast lines to their hearts delight, but also take the family, or if need be, an entire Little League team out on the water. It’s that big.

The South Carolina company started out with five models in 2006, but today offers 18 center console models up to 38 feet in length and 11 bay boats, which now includes the 31-foot, 1-inch 3100.

To get aboard the 3100, Tidewater built electrically actuated steps into the gunwales on both sides of the cockpit. Step onto the gunwale, put your foot on the actuator, and the steps lower themselves. Once aboard, push the actuator again and the steps disappear back into the gunwale. At the stern there’s seating for four with a single seat to starboard, a single seat to port, and a center bench for two. Put the seat backs down and you’ve created a stern casting platform. If you want to hold the boat in place over the fish in shallow water, simply deploy the optional 10-foot Power-Pole Blade shallow water anchors mounted on the stern. Access to the bilge is easy. Simply raise the center stern seats, wave your hand to activate the motion-sensor light and see what’s going on down there.

The leaning post features a 30-gallon aquarium livewell with a tackle center and countertop. Alternatively, an optional mezzanine seating leaning post can be installed in place of the livewell while still preserving the tackle drawer. Rod holders are everywhere, including a rocket launcher above the tackle station and rod stowage inside the gunwales to port and starboard.

At the helm, underneath the fiberglass T-top with its full-glass enclosure, a Garmin or Simrad package with twin MFDs allows the skipper to have a navigational view while also seeing what’s on the fish finder without having to split a screen. Helm seating for two, courtesy of Llebroc, makes the ride comfortable and the standard joystick control makes maneuvering in tight quarters easy. There’s ample stowage above the helm and the seats with lockers built into the hardtop. Just to starboard and slightly aft of the helm, a nifty cold-water showerhead is built into that same hardtop so passengers can cool down or rinse off, and the head inside the console is big enough to change out of your wet bathing suit.

On the bow, the 3100 features a massive casting platform. It’s so big that the optional 87-inch-long Minn Kota Instinct trolling motor looks tiny. Underneath the casting platform is more stowage and a remotely operated windlass for the anchor that retracts into the bow below deck level.

Despite the oversized casting platform, the 3100’s bow still has plenty of room left to seat four people with their legs up or accommodate nine young baseball players. The wraparound bow seating includes two built-in, forward-facing chaise lounges with adjustable backrests. A large sunpad in front of the console accommodates two more people. Lift the sunpad, and underneath is a 100-gallon macerated fish tank that can hold the day’s catch or enough sodas to keep that thirsty Little League team hydrated.

Want to put your drink down, or pick your drink up and put your rod down? Whether fishing or lounging, the 3100’s gunwales are peppered with cupholders, rodholders, and combination cupholder/rodholders.

The 3100 was introduced at the 2023 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, where she debuted with twin Mercury 400-hp V10 Verados and an advertised top speed of over 60 knots. In Miami, the 3100 appeared with two of Yamaha’s brand-new 350-hp F350 V-6 outboards, an option that still provides an advertised top speed of over 50 knots.

To see how she performed, we took the 3100 onto Biscayne Bay. While passing beneath the West Venetian Causeway Bridge, Capt. Justin Parsons fired up Lean On by Major Lazer and DJ Snake on the standard 8-speaker, 2-subwoofer JL Audio stereo. It was loud. Really loud. Half of Miami may have heard it, but the boaters around us and the people on the bridge seemed to enjoy the music. While putt-putting through the no wake zone, Parsons also demonstrated how the jack plates can raise the outboards vertically by 6 inches, a nifty feature for shallow-water running.

In the wake-churned waters of Fishermans Channel, the Yamaha 350s had no trouble getting the 3100 out of the hole. When I slammed the throttles down, I noticed a hint of cavitation. Parsons explained it was due to the jack plates that had been installed for the Mercury outboards, which have a different mounting height than the Yamahas, and that the jack plates for the Yamahas would be lowered.

Despite having the Yamaha props an inch or two above their optimal height, the F350s still had the boat nipping at the 50-knot mark and the standard Zipwake 450S Interceptors steadied the 3100 as she gave a thrilling ride in less-than-optimal conditions. That’s more speed than I would ever want, but if that’s not fast enough for you, Tidewater also offers twin Mercury 400-hp V10 Verado Racing engines.

The 3100 Carolina Bay isn’t just big. Tidewater made her fast too.