Fountain 34SC | Leopard 43 PC | ULTRA Anchor - 10/03/21

In the hotly contested single-engine center-console market, small details make a big difference. Boston Whaler’s 250 Outrage comes standard with a deluxe leaning post that includes a 30-gallon (114-liter) pressurized livewell, a bait-prep area, rod holders, a freshwater sink and lots of tackle drawers. The captain and a companion travel in thickly padded seats that have fold-up bolsters and armrests. More...  

The Fountain Powerboats name is synonymous with performance, whether it’s on an offshore race course or a center-console bound for the canyons. We tested the 34SC with power provided by triple 300-hp Mercury outboards. Our test boat hit a top speed of 68.2 mph. We recorded best cruise at 34.3 mph and 3500 rpm, where she had a range of 551 statute miles/479 nmiles. But, with just a slight penalty in range (6 nmiles), she can travel at 42.7 mph/37.1 knots with a range of 545 smiles/473 nmiles. This is prodigious range for a boat this size at any speed. It means that she can hunt through the Bahamas with a minimum of fuel stops. More...  

While she is certainly capable of island-hopping, the Leopard 43 PC is an ocean-going catamaran designed for long-range cruising. She’s powered by twin 320-hp Yanmar 8LV320 diesel inboards and during our tests, she hit a top speed of 24 knots at 3730 rpm. Back down to 1500 rpm and 8.3 knots and she wrings 3.0 nautical miles out of a gallon of diesel and has a range of 713 nautical miles. If a captain needs to cover less distance in a shorter time, at a fast cruise of 16.7 knots at 2800 rpm, she still gets more than 1 mpg and can cover 254.4 nautical miles. More...  

CL Yachts tells us that virtually every buyer of a CLB72 has been an owner/operator. That means the engine room can’t be a game of “Where’s Waldo?” There must be an obvious place for everything – and easily reachable by a human, not an Orangutan. That includes access to all sea strainers and through-hulls. It means the fuel manifold must be simple to understand and handy. Likewise for the electrical system, which in this case is CZone. Because CL Yachts is a division of Cheoy Lee, a major commercial workboat builder, its engine rooms are second to none in motoryachts. More...  

BoatTEST captains have used the ULTRA anchor in several different bottom conditions — sand, mud, gravel and rock — and find that it almost always sets on the first try. The entire shank is hollow so the weight is concentrated on the lead-filled tip. We found that it seems to always land in attack position and its downward-curved tip must help the anchor dig in and stay set, even when rotating from a tidal swing. The anti-foul bar ensures that the chain won’t wrap around the shank. Its polished stainless-steel finish makes a handsome statement on the bow. More...