New Boston Whaler 405 Conquest | Formula 350 Crossover BR | Palm Beach 70 - 02/18/20
BoatTEST Newsletter February 18, 2020
New Features Video
Boston Whaler 405 Conquest:
A New Pilothouse Weekender
The Boston Whaler 405 Conquest has a full galley in the transom.
The new Boston Whaler 405 Conquest continues the company’s expansion of the mission of its fishing-centered boats into fully-loaded family weekenders. The 405 is actually an innovative express cruiser with all of Boston Whaler’s DNA firmly intact. She has a beam of 13’6” (4.11 m), which not only adds fishing space in the cockpit but also living space in the house and below decks. The transom can be optioned with a full galley, including a sink, grill and drawer-refrigerator as shown in the photo, or with a massive baitwell, or with a fold-down jumpseat. Two high-gloss tables can be positioned here for al-fresco dining. There’s also a galley in the house, as well as a dinette that converts to a chaise. Both enjoy the view from the large windows to port and starboard. Below, she’s designed to sleep up to six. And, like all Whalers, she’s unsinkable. More...
New Editor's Report
Iguana Yachts:
Amphibians Climb from the Ocean in an Evolutionary Leap
Iguana Yachts has spent nearly 10 years perfecting their amphibious boats with fold-out tank-like tread systems – great for anyone wanting to go ashore on a remote beach, onto shorefront property, or a nearby boat ramp. The brainchild of French engineer Antoine Brugidou, the nylon track system can be powered by either a dedicated gas engine or electric motor. More...
Test Video
Formula 350 Crossover Bowrider:
Outboard Dayboat w/Amidships Cabin
Formula 350 Crossover Bowrider
The Formula 350 Crossover Bowrider is a premium-class dayboat designed to carry numerous guests in the abundant seating that wraps around the cockpit and the bow well, but she also fits a surprisingly roomy cabin beneath the deck. Included is not only a settee, standup wet head, full galley with a sink, microwave and refrigerator/freezer but also a double berth amidships with a flatscreen TV at the foot. The area is air-conditioned, and hullside windows offer ambient lighting. She’s available with twin sterndrives or in the outboard version we tested with triple 350-hp Mercury Verados. Turning 19” pitch props, the engines delivered a top speed of 58.2 mph. Best fuel economy on plane was 1.2 mpg, which was almost identical at 3500 rpm and 28.3 mph and at 4000 rpm and 36.4 mph. See the full test and features videos here...
Test Video
SUN TRACKER® BASS BUGGY® 16 DLX ET:
Spacious Fishing Platform
SUN TRACKER® BASS BUGGY® 16 DLX ET
The Bass Buggy 16 DLX ET offers a dedicated forward deck area that has enough room for casting and working a hole without getting in the way of one’s fishing buddy. Both front seats have an easy reach to the trolling motor for quick deploying or stowing via the forward deck gate. There is easy access to the boat's concealed livewell, which is located just aft and integrated into the helm console. The well-designed thermoplastic helm console houses several handy features including cup holders, rod holders, utility storage and courtesy light. More...
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Test Video
Palm Beach 70:
Classic Design w/Comfortable Ride
Almost the entire length of the keel stays in the water when the semi-displacement Palm Beach 70 is at cruising speed or higher. This is the secret of this vessel’s comfortable ride – her bottom is sharp forward to split the waves, then warps to a minimal deadrise aft for stability and speed/efficiency. By having the bow slice through the water, rather than wasting energy to climb atop it as many boats try to do, the boat achieves a more comfortable ride and needs less horsepower. She’s carefully engineered for optimum balance, with heavy components such as the engines more forward than what we often find in vessels in this class. This means virtually no bow rise on acceleration with the twin 1000-hp Volvo Penta D-13s with shaft-drive. Top speed was 31.1 knots, and fuel consumption was linear, with no pronounced best cruise. Most will probably choose to operate her at around 2000 rpm, at which she ran 24.4 knots and had a range of about 638 NM with her 1,585-gallon (6,000 L) fuel capacity. She’s also available with twin Volvo IPS 1350s, which reportedly deliver a 32-knot cruising speed. Below decks, she is set up to welcome six guests plus a single crewman. More...
Boating Tips
How Much Horsepower
is Enough?
Not all boats with the same LOA will respond to the power of an outboard the same way.
Sure, we all love seeing those massive center consoles with three, four, or even five engines. That’s cool stuff. But for the average boater, how much horsepower is enough? Naturally, to get to the answer you need to dig quite a bit deeper. Learn more here...
New Login Procedures.
New BoatTEST Website: New Login Required
Home page for the new BoatTEST website.
Most regular BoatTEST Members know that we have a new website with larger pictures, new functionality and easier to read Captain’s Reports. We are now requiring a password to access many of the important features of the site, such as —
- Pricing Information
- Archived videos and tests
- Boat-to-boat comparisons
- BoatTEST’s Seamanship Library
- New Boat Maintenance Log (coming soon)
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- Free tickets to select boat shows
To log into our new website, simply click on the login button that appears in the upper righthand corner of every page. This will also keep your information secure.
LOG IN HERE...
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