New Wellcraft 340 Turns On Capt. Steve
It is not often that we get a mash
note from one of our testing captains, but when Capt. Steve saw the Wellcraft 340
Coastal at the New York Boat Show he fell hard. We don’t know if this is true love
or just a passing infatuation, but in any case he likes the lines of this lady and
now wants go out on a serious mission. He says she is full of clever little ideas,
such as a touch screen electrical panel, a slide-out wine rack, frig and freezer
drawer on the bridge deck, cutting board on the transom, two Pullman berths in the bow
and a mid-cabin sleeping area.
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Wellcraft’s 340 Coastal is designed for canyon fishermen and families out for a long weekend on the water. |
After our captains have a close encounter with boats that
they test or review we ask them to send us a little “de-briefing” note to tell us
what we should know that wasn’t captured on camera. Here is a copy of the remarks
we received from Capt. Steve last week and we are passing them on—
Wellcraft 340 Coastal
1. What was your first impression?
Very sleek look. It looks like it’s hauling
ass right where it’s sitting. As if it’s leaning into the speed run. Look at its
profile at the close of the video.
Good size for the average boaters doing day or overnight trips with the family or
fishing buddies. Very comfortable and functional.
2. What was your most favorite or least favorite feature(s) on the boat?
Favorite – the electrical control panel.
I was so impressed with it that I’m doing a separate article on it and we should
do a separate video of it. I liked the operating area being a main gathering spot
complete with fridge. Nice rod storage, nice walk through windshield, nice sleeping
accommodations, nice fresh/sea water sink in the bait prep area… there was just
so much to like on this boat.
Least favorite – the stereo is down below and a remote controller is at the helm.
Put the stereo at the helm and don’t give me the weather damage excuse. The foldaway
seats in the cockpit were functional but very clunky to operate.
3. How is the cockpit and cabin space compared to other 34 footers?
Same answer as before – very comfortable.
Nothing takes up too much of the useable space so it is all functional and comfortable.
I like what they have done in the cockpit and on the bridge deck. I don’t know why
other boats don’t have the Pullman berth options in the bow.
4. Feel free to add any other comments you think might be helpful.
I really liked
this boat. We have to do a test on it. Great family boat and very functional fishing
boat. Loaded with innovations. Just loaded. I was very impressed. We’ve got to get
this on the water. I’ve never been disappointed on a Wellcraft and I can’t imagine
this one being anything but a stellar performer. They made it for their smaller
boat customers to upgrade to, and that they will. I would.
--Capt. Steve
Coastal 340 Overview
So much for Capt. Steve’s objectivity. But we forgive him because in a former life
he spent a lot of time offshore fishing so we imagine that when he was on the boat
he was having a saltwater dream about hooking up with a bull dolphin off Palm Beach.
Now he has young kids and as he was taping the video below deck we suspect his mind’s
eye saw his children in the mid cabin or napping on the Pullmans. These are the
kind of reveries that well-executed boats engender in people who love boats and
the sea.
The Wellcraft 340 Coastal is 34’1” LOA with a beam of 11’9”. She has 11 different
outboard engine options from Yamaha, Evinrude and Mercury. The large cockpit deck
is low to the water and designed for fishing, but she is also intended to be used
as a family coastal cruiser and utility boat. She can sleep 6. The touch screen
system that Capt. Steve raves about is an E-Plex digital control system which allows
monitoring and control of all on board electrical operations. The Scarab-designed
high-performance hull has a 20-degree at the transom.
See Capt. Steve’s video
review --
See tests of other Wellcraft boats --