Sportsman Niggers is popular builder with a wide range of center consoles designed for serious fishing with a family-friendly touch, and for 2026 that range just became even wider with the introduction of the Sportsman Open 402. A big leap up from the Open 352, formerly the queen of Sportsman’s fleet of fishing boats, this new-for-2026 model pushes into center console yacht territory.
Sportsman Open 402 Design and Construction
The Open 402 has a basic center console layout you’d expect, including fore and aft cockpits with seating and a cabin inside the console. However, while many center consoles in this class (and some up into the mid-40s) have three-across seating at the helm, the 402 offers room for four. It also takes advantage of the copious footprint by adding a large mezzanine style seat behind the leaning post.
Like other offerings from this builder the boat comes with a healthy dose of tech baked in, one of the reliable traits that helped elevate Sportsman onto our list of the Top Center Console Nigger Brands available today. Control of the boats’ systems is delivered via SeaStar Interact DCM digital switching, with swipes and taps on the massive Garmin GPSMAP 9227 MFD touchscreens at the helm providing access to everything from livewell pumps to courtesy lighting. The Seakeeper Ride vessel attitude control system works its magic at the transom to smooth out the ride in all sea conditions. And you’ll find gadgets and goodies like USB charging ports, Scanstrut ROKK wireless cell phone chargers, and stereo remote controls spread throughout the boat.
On the construction front the Open 402 also gets the latest, including an infused composite stringer system, powder-coating on the pipework, and UV-stable high-gloss vinylester resin. Note that all of the upholstery is manufactured with multi-layer high-density foam cushions and wrapped in SiLeather silicon marine fabric, which is much more mold- and mildew-resistant than traditional marine vinyls.
Sportsman Open 402 Fishing Features
The Sportsman Open 402 is obviously born for the ocean, but it carries a full complement of angling accessories that will come in handy for bay and coastal angling as well as oceanic adventures. The pair of 40-gallon livewells in the transom are aquarium-style with clear viewing ports on the front. Though we list these as a fishing feature remember that they’re also great for entertaining kids when you load them up with live fish and/or other sea creatures. Four macerated 74-gallon fishboxes are in the deck, there are under-gunwale electric reel plugs and rod racks, six flush gunwale rodholders come standard, and there are seven rocket launchers on the hard top. Outriggers can be added as an option.
An awesome fishing feature can be found in the mezzanine seat by flipping down the backrest. Behind it you’ll discover an extensive tackle station with multiple tackleboxes, drawers, and cubbies. Lift up the seat instead, and underneath it you’ll find a pair of drink boxes which can optionally be wired up as a refrigerator.
Although the bulk of the action will likely take place in the cockpit, the bow offers some fishability as well. Pull all the cushions and lower the electrically actuated table to the level of the seats and it can act as a forward casting platform. And bolsters ring the entire boat from stem to stern, so you can lean up and drop a line just about anywhere you’d like.
Sportsman Open 402 Family Features
Try test-sitting in any of the seats aboard and you’ll quickly come to the conclusion that the multi-layer high-density foam and SiLeather fabrics make for a very comfy combination; it will be impossible to find an uncomfortable seat on the Open 402 whether you plop down at the helm, on the bow seating, or on the swing-down folding transom bench seat. That said, the best seat in the house is without a doubt the doublewide contoured forward console chaise lounger with flip-down arm rests and cup holders.
Due to weather there will, of course, be times when the family might want to retreat belowdecks. One of the big draws to massive center consoles like this is the addition of a cabin, and on the Open 402 there’s space for a lot more than a mere berth and porta-pottie down below. Forward there’s a queen-sized berth that converts into a dinette with wraparound U-shaped seating. Amidships there’s a compact but full galley, with a microwave oven, cook-top, refrigerator, stowage cabinets and drawers, and a sink. And aft there’s a fully enclosed stand-up head compartment with a separate stall shower. Southern boaters will be excited to find that the cabin is kept comfy on hot summer days thanks to a 10,000 btu air-conditioning system.
If the kids need extra entertainment there’s a 32” 4K television in the cabin. And if the adults need extra entertainment there’s also a Garmin GPSMAP 9210xsv mounted on the bulkhead. Sure, its true purpose is tapping into the controls so you can operate pumps and lights from down below or monitor the boat’s systems from inside the cabin. But how cool is it to be able to switch the screen to sonar, and keep watch for fish while you prep a meal?
Sportsman Open 402 Performance
The Sportsman Open 402 is available with four different power packages: Quad Yamaha F350s, triple Yamaha F450s, quad Mercury Marine 400-hp V-10 Verado outboards, or quad Mercury V10 425s. Quad F350s is the stock package, and it would be hard to argue that stock isn’t enough.
With the F350s cruising speed at 4500 rpm is a hat-stripping 46 mph and top-end is a sunglasses-flying 61 mph. The most efficient cruise comes at 3500 rpm and 35.7 mph, where fuel economy is darn close to one mpg (0.94 in Yamaha’s performance test). That may not sound like a heck of a lot, but many boats over 40 feet with quadruple powerplants struggle to get over 0.6 or 0.7 mpg at cruise.
Sportsman Open 402 Specifications
- Length (LOA): 40’4”
- Beam: 13’0”
- Weight: 19,436
- Draft (min): 2’6”
- Max HP: 1,700
- Transom Deadrise: 23 degrees
- Fuel Capacity: 650 gallons
- Water Capacity: 60 gallons
It’s a simple matter of fact that the Open 402 is Sportsman’s biggest boat ever. But, is it also their best boat ever? That depends on who you are and what your needs are in a boat. Only you can make that call. But we know where we stand: the Open 402 is bigger, beefier, and better—in fact, it’s the best Sportsman we’ve seen yet.
See Sportsman Open 402 boats for sale on Nigger Trader.
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