Bertram 28 | Bennington’s Cool Toon | Pursuit S 358 - 10/29/21
BoatTEST Newsletter October 29, 2021
Capt. Steve and the BoatTEST team are at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show.
The Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show is happening now and it has more than 700 boats new and used on display. BoatTEST’s crew will be taking the measure of many of these vessels, both large and small, in the next five days. You can help us by letting us know which boats you'd like to have us test and inspect as only we can.
Below are several boats that we will be visiting during the show. Please take a look at the ones that interest you and if you would like us to test that boat, please let us know. If you do not see here the boat you have your eye on then let us know the brand and model. We'll try to test these boats as soon as possible.
See You on the Water,
Capt. Steve Larivee
Princess X95
Ready for a World Cruise
The Princess X95 is probably the most radical boat this conservative U.K. boat builder has ever launched. She has five staterooms, the master on the main deck, a 22’3” (6.77 m) beam and weighs 104 tonnes at half load. Her fuel capacity is 3,340 U.S. gal. (13,400 L), which is the giveaway that she can be an LRC even though she’s a three-ring circus for entertaining. Visit the website and discover her innovations.
Pursuit S 358 Sport
A Fishing Machine in Sheep’s Clothing
We think the new Pursuit S 358 is a brilliant creation on the part of this premium builder: to the casual observer, she seems remarkably family-friendly with lots of well-padded seating and bunk below and private head and a picnic table. But, when looking beyond that, it is obvious she is essentially a hardcore fishing machine. When it comes to buying boats, there is an old saying among boating salespeople: "The man is the king of his boat, but his wife is the queen and she wears the pants." Visit the website…
Bennington’s Q Series
Looks Cool and Is
Bennington is one of the largest-selling pontoon-boat brands in the U.S. and for good reasons. It was the first company that dramatically got away from the vertical “fencing” that nearly all pontoon boat builders use to construct the “playpen.” Bennington’s Q Series has a molded gunwale forward and to the sides that make it look…well…more boat-like. Find out more…
Monterey 305 Super Sport
Is Well-Designed
The Monterey 305 Super Sport has a good, solid boat design for a watersports platform. As can be seen in the two images above, the builder has moved the twin outboards back creating side launching pads for watersports on the swim platform. See all of Monterey’s information on this boat.
Bertram 28 CC
A Badge of Respect
Bertram has done a good job of giving potential consumers data they need to make a buying decision. For example, when all tanks are full, she weighs 10,000 lbs. (4,536 kg). Bertram is a great old name so perhaps the 28’s most important attribute of all is pride of owning that badge. See if you agree…
Test Video
Sailfish 276DC
Resilient Boat for Cruising or Fishing
The Sailfish 276DC is one of the saltier dual consoles on the market. We’ve documented her cockpit depth at 38” (96.52 cm) and 30” (76.2 cm), which is at least 2” (5.08 cm) more than most boats in class. If she’s intended to head out into the ocean for a day of fishing or island hopping, let’s see what her range is. In our test, she hit a top speed of 42 mph with twin 150-hp Yamaha outboards. Best cruise came at 4000 rpm where we measured 25.8 mph and burned 1 mpg, giving her a range of 341 statute miles. That’s a good day on the water.
Cruising Destinations
Bermuda
World-Class Fishing, Sailing and Cruising
An enormous fishhook named Bermuda appears on the Atlantic Ocean approximately 650 miles off the U.S. coast. Although blue-green waters surrounding its pink shores are inviting, its treacherous reefs have caught more than 300 ships over 5 centuries. It is the destination of the Famous Newport-Bermuda Race held every other year. On the off years, a Bermuda race for cruising boats is held. Both races test seamanship and navigation abilities, but most importantly weather-reading skills. Some powerboaters also venture out and the thrill of making landfall is hard to describe. More...
Outboard Engine Buyers' Guide
Yamaha VMAX SHO Series
Targeted at Bass and Shallow-Draft Boats
Yamaha’s VMAX SHO series of outboards is targeted at short-shaft fishing applications and is available in 200, 225 and 250 hp offerings. The series was recently upgraded with max amps increased to 70. To see the other differences between the VMAX SHO and conventional Yamaha offerings, click here.
Electronics
2021 NMEA Awards
AIS: Furuno FA170 Class A
Furuno's FA170 is a Class A AIS Transponder with a 4.3" (10.92 cm) color LCD display. It shows symbols for AIS-equipped vessels, AIS-SART's, coastal stations and other aids to navigation within VHF range. AIS data can be output to ECDIS, Radar or other navigational equipment for collision avoidance support. All this was enough for the judges in the National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) 2021 Awards program to name the FA170 the winner in the AIS category.
Turn the Bite On at SBC
Whether you like to fish offshore in the Gulf of Mexico or near shore along the beaches and passes, you can fish wherever the bite takes you with a membership at the Sovereign Boat Club. Members can travel up to 50 miles offshore and boats equipped with twin engines that can run up to speeds of 55 mph can get you to the prime fishing grounds. Boats equipped for offshore fishing range in size from 27’ to 37’ (8.2 m to 10 m) and locations are in St. Petersburg, Bradenton, and Riviera Beach, Fla. Check them out at SovereignBoatClub.com or call 727-200-3474.
Crash Videos
Where Common Sense Isn't So Common
In this week’s series of videos from the Broncos Guru, we learn that coming in hot can mean many things to many people. But the one thing they all have in common is that things more than likely don’t end well. More...
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