Boat Tests

MADE TO ORDER

Sea Vee

SEA VEE BUILDS THE 320 OPEN THE WAY YOU LIKE IT

BY JOHN BROWNLEE

Sea Vee Sea Vee Sea Vee Sea Vee

Sea Vee’s new 32-footer will impress anyone who’s a fan of large, no-nonsense offshore center consoles. This boat displays no ambiguity about its purpose; the mission is fishing, and the designers that crafted the boat really did their homework.

I got a chance to run the 320 during a full day of dolphin fishing offshore of the Florida Keys, and I can say it performed beautifully in all circumstances.

Twin 275 hp Mercury Verados provided lots of power, yielding a top speed of 56 mph at 6400 rpm. At a 4500 rpm cruise speed, you’re traveling at a brisk 37 mph, yet burning only 25 gallons- per-hour. That’s about 1.5 mpg, good economy for a large boat that weighs 5,500 pounds before you hang engines on the transom.

The seas ran around two feet on our test day, so we didn’t get to run the boat in rough water. Having spent considerable time on other Sea Vees in some truly nasty stuff, I think it’s safe to say that the 320 will provide an exemplary ride. A truly aggressive 25-degree transom deadrise knifes through waves, and wide chines throw spray down and away where it belongs. Sea Vee sells factory-direct and builds each boat to order, so you can get a 320 pretty much customized to your personal preference. The boat has two huge insulated in-deck fish boxes that drain through macerator pumps, and a 60-gallon livewell is standard in the transom. But Sea Vees come from Miami, where live baiting is a way of life, so you can order up to three livewells if you insist on going offshore with several thousand baits aboard, as many south Florida captains do. The 320 has the large console that Sea Vee fans have come to admire, with one of the best, and largest, vertical electronics surfaces in the industry.The forward seat raises on gas rams, revealing a cavernous sub-console storage area that can also house a marine head.

You can order any type of T-top you want, but a growing number of boats leave the factory with the “Key West” T-top, which has a narrow top forward to facilitate vertical storage of up to 14 rods along the sides of the console. The top flares out in the back to provide sun protection at the helm. The rocket launcher selection includes three different models. All of them contain tackle storage, but you can get one that’s a massive tackle locker, while another comes with a livewell. The third has a Frigid Rigid cooler below, like on our test boat. The cooler rides on metal tracks and slides out from beneath the launcher when you need a cool drink, but slides back out of the way while fishing. It’s held in place by a clevis pin to keep it secure, and it works remarkably well.

The level deck design lets you walk a fish around the boat with ease, and two sub-deck rod lockers keep your tackle out of sight and out of mind when docked in unfamiliar territory. If you like to carry a wide selection of tackle offshore, the 320 can accommodate you since it can store up to 34 rods, in the lockers, on the T-top, in the leaning post, and alongside the console.

All Sea Vees come with excellent fit-and-finish, including hatches that are two-piece molded and finished in smooth gelcoat both inside and out. Sea Vee vacuum bags its hulls and they spend at least six days in the mold to ensure proper curing. Each model has a four stringer structural PVC grid system for strength, and you feel the solid construction beneath your feet when you drive it. A lengthy standard equipment list includes the integrated engine platform with a transom door, hydraulic steering, dual bilge pumps, trim tabs, tinned-copper wiring, and pop-up cleats.

The 320 is built for serious offshore use, and because the company builds to order, you can even buy the boat with a forward cuddy, or with single inboard diesel power. It’s all about choice, and Sea Vee offers a lot of them in a sleek, beautiful, and tough package.

December/January2007

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