Helm First, Deck Second: What an Offshore Angler Can Check on the LTB

Paid advertisement from Reel Chance. Reel Chance is the sponsor of this giveaway and wrote this article to promote its own prize and membership.

Helm First, Deck Second: What an Offshore Angler Can Check on the LTB 25

An offshore angler's walk through the 2025 LTB 25 center console in Reel Chance's giveaway: three things to check at the helm, then four on the deck.

A man in a camouflage shirt and gray cap reaches up to rods and spinning reels standing in black rod holders mounted on the underside of the T-top — Rod holders on the T-top, as pictured on the giveaway page.

If you fish offshore, you read a boat from the helm outward. What is on the screens? What is the engine telling you? Then you walk the deck and look at rods, bow gear and cleanup. This article does that for the 2025 LTB 25 in Reel Chance's giveaway, using only what the giveaway page lists: three stops at the helm, then four on the deck.

At the helm 1Power and fuel: a 300 HP Verado and a 180-gallon tank

The outboard is a Mercury V8 Verado, a 300 HP gasoline engine with fly-by-wire controls. The fuel tank holds 180 gallons. The listing gives no range figure, so run the numbers against your own trip plan. The pairing is the point: engine and fuel are where an offshore spec sheet starts.

At the helm 2Ride: Seakeeper Ride attitude control

Seakeeper Ride is listed as automatic pitch and roll correction. The page lists a gentler offshore ride, easier handling in rough water, a lower bow and quicker planing as its effects. Treat those as the page's feature claims.

At the helm 3Navigation: a full Garmin stack

Two Garmin 1243xsv displays sit at the helm. Around them sit a Reactor 40 autopilot, its GHC 50 control head, a SmartPump, a GR17M transducer through the hull and a Garmin VHF radio. Mercury VesselView adds engine monitoring. In plain terms, that is chartplotting, sonar, steering assist, radio and engine data from Garmin and Mercury gear.

An arm in a camouflage sleeve resting on the steering wheel beside two Garmin screens, one showing a chart and one a sonar return, with a row of switches below — Two Garmin screens at the helm, one chart and one sonar view.

On the deck 1Rod storage: 40 holders, 22 on the gunwales

The spec list counts 40 total rod holders, and 22 of them are gunwale holders. Forty is a count you can plan a rod spread around, with 22 of them along the gunwales.

On the deck 2Trolling: Garmin Force Kraken on a Sea Swivel

Up front is a Garmin Force Kraken trolling motor and a Sea Swivel bracket. A trolling motor helps with slow, precise positioning. It is a bow-mounted option, and the list says this boat has one.

The LTB 25 on blue-green water seen from behind and to one side, with the black Mercury outboard tilted slightly and rods standing in the T-top — The stern, outboard and T-top rod rack.

On the deck 3Deck: washdown and custom flooring

On deck you get a saltwater washdown system and full custom DEKit flooring throughout, in a layout the page calls open, with a large fishing area. Washdown and flooring are the cleanup-and-footing side of the deck, so the list names both.

On the deck 4Below deck: two bilge pumps

Last on the list: two Rule 1500 GPH bilge pumps. They rarely get top billing, but they are on the list, and we think they deserve a mention.

Power · Ride · Nav · Deck

Check the helm and the deck yourself.

See the Boat →

No purchase necessary. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Open to legal residents of the US and Canada, 18+ or the age of majority. Void where prohibited. Ends 11/19/2026 at 11:59:59 p.m. ET. Official Rules

Helm and deck on one page

Power: Mercury V8 Verado, 300 HP✓

Fuel: 180-gallon tank✓

Ride: Seakeeper Ride attitude control✓

Electronics: (2) Garmin 1243xsv, Reactor 40 autopilot✓

Rod holders: 40 total, 22 gunwale✓

Bow: Garmin Force Kraken, Sea Swivel bracket✓

Deck: saltwater washdown, custom DEKit flooring, (2) Rule 1500 GPH bilge pumps✓

Manufacturer names are used only to describe the prize, and no manufacturer backs this giveaway. If needed, the Sponsor can swap in a prize worth the same or more.

A compartment on the boat with rows of red and black wiring, hose fittings and mounted electronic modules — Wiring and electronics in a compartment, from the giveaway page.

Why the rigging list is not the whole story

A spec list tells you what is aboard. It does not tell you how the boat behaves in your water, and neither does this article. We make no claims about handling, range or how it performs in any event. The giveaway page calls the boat turn-key, and the lines above are the evidence it offers.

And the prize itself

The Official Rules let the winner pick the boat or $100,000 in cash. The most the prize can be worth, by the Sponsor's estimate, is $200,000. A random drawing follows on or about November 25.

A man in a camouflage shirt and cap standing next to the black Garmin trolling motor on the boat bow, holding a small device — The Garmin trolling motor on the bow.

The fine print, in plain EnglishHow entering works

Members are entered automatically. An active Reel Chance membership includes automatic entry into every Reel Chance giveaway, alongside the other member benefits.

Anyone can enter for free. Mail a hand-printed 3" x 5" card as described in the Official Rules. Each mail-in entry counts as 10 entries. Mail-in entries must be postmarked by November 19, 2026 and received by November 24, 2026.

Paying never improves your odds. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning, and odds depend on the number of eligible entries received.

Helm · Deck · One boat

Entries close November 19.

See the Boat →

What is Reel Chance?

Reel Chance is a membership club for anglers. Members get:

Cash back when you shop at more than 6,600 stores
Plastic removed from the ocean every month through your membership
Digital wallpapers for your phone and desktop, included with membership
Discounts on Reel Chance merch for Deckhand members and above
Automatic entry into every Reel Chance giveaway while your membership is active

Membership starts at $15 per month, renews monthly until you cancel, and can be canceled anytime from your account. Past winners are listed on our winners page.

You never have to buy anything to enter. There's a free way to enter by mail, described in the Official Rules, and a purchase will not improve your chances of winning.

The short version

Engine and tank: 300 HP Verado, 180 gallons
Ride and electronics: Seakeeper Ride; twin Garmin 1243xsv with Reactor 40 autopilot
On deck: 40 rod holders (22 gunwale), washdown, DEKit
Prize: boat or cash, the winner chooses
Mail-in is free and counts as 10 entries; entries end on the 19th

Common questions

Does the giveaway page give a range for the 180-gallon tank?

No. It lists the tank size and engine only. Any range depends on how you run the boat, which is for you to judge.

What does the Seakeeper Ride listing claim?

It lists automatic pitch and roll correction and four effects: ride quality offshore, rough-water handling, bow rise and time to plane.

Which Garmin units are on the list?

Two 1243xsv displays, a Reactor 40 autopilot and its GHC 50 head, SmartPump, a GR17M transducer, a VHF radio and the Force Kraken trolling motor.

Is there a no-cost way in?

Yes. A hand-printed card mailed in, as the Official Rules describe. It is worth 10 entries and has two dates to meet: postmark and arrival.

Who conducts the drawing?

That job belongs to the Administrator, American Sweepstakes & Promotion Co., Inc.

See the full LTB 25 spec list →