To better endure the cold, a safety- glass windshield wraps around the hardtop to keep wet spray away from the helm station. Aft, the pilothouse is enclosed. Two wipers, backed up by heavy-duty defrosters, clear the windshield when waves come across the bow. For the angler, there are a number of nice features on board, including the 38-gallon aerated live well, oversized fish boxes, tackle drawers and a bait-prep station. No big surprise, rod holders are abundant. Belowdecks, amenities include a galley with sink and stove. A generously proportioned V-berth does double duty as a dinette, and there's an enclosed head with a freshwater shower. Interior headroom is 6'5", which means there's enough room in this cabin for the installation of optional bunk beds above the V-berth. Must-have options include the 5-kW generator, microwave, shore power and water heater, which allows family members to get hot showers aboard. The twin Volvo D4 diesels on my test boat were mated to Duoprop drive legs with twin, counter-rotating propellers. The additional blade area of the prop sets lent greater efficiency to the engines and substantially improved the boat's handling. Docking was a dream, even without a bowthruster. Acceleration proved impressively quick for a diesel; the Striper went from zero to 25 mph in just 10 seconds.. During my test, the boat produced a top speed of 40.7 mph, which is only about four mph slower than the boat would be if equipped with gas V-8s. Cruising at 23 mph and 2500 rpm, range with the diesels should be about 460 miles, with 10 percent of the fuel held in reserve. A tilt steering wheel, an adjustable captain's chair and footrests made it easy for me to get comfortable at the helm. I also liked the substantial stainless steel bowrail that wraps around the foredeck and extends almost all the way back to the cockpit. That feature, along with the wide sidedecks, makes it easier to go forward to handle a bow line.