Captain's Report by Capt. Steve

Mission Statement

Boston Whaler created the 370 Outrage to multitask between heading to offshore fishing grounds where and cruising to remote locations across open water. She's able to take several people on day trips, or a few guys to overnight trips to the canyons.



Adding hull color is a $13,907 option but looks so much better than the plain white that the rest of the world has.

Distinguishing Features

• Side dive door. The large hull side dive door allows boarding from a floating dock and has a boarding ladder that latches into position with a swing away grab handle aids boarding even with a full set of scuba gear on your back.

• Diesel Generator. Inside the "pump room" compartment is the 20-gallon (75.7 L) diesel fuel tank feeding the 8kW Fischer Panda generator. Boston Whaler uses a diesel generator for safety and reliability.

• Cockpit galley. At the forward end of the cockpit in the deluxe leaning post is a galley with both a Kenyon smokeless grill flanking a sink with hot and cold running water. A pull-out 1.75 cu. ft. refer/freezer is standard. A single burner stove top is optional.

• Three independent helm seats. No large bench seat for the 370 Outrage. This boat has three independent bucket seats, all with stainless steel flip down armrests and flip up bolsters. In addition, below two of the seats is a large flip down foot rest with a second individual foot rest for the helm seat on the port side.

• Bow lounge with storage. Aft the bow is a large double wide sunpad with flip down armrests and a center armrest that houses drink holders and a small storage compartment. There's also a 12 V power supply and an MP3 port. But the real attraction, in my opinion, lies underneath that sunpad. This is where there is rod storage for 6 rods, two 5-gallon bucket holders (which the cast netters will love), dedicated space for a carry-on 36-quart (34.1 L) cooler and finally, four brackets to hold dive tanks.

• Superior Freshwater System. The 370 in literally plumbed from bow to stern with a freshwater system as complete as any I have seen in class. Forward there is freshwater anchor (and rode) washdown, at the transom door there is a hot and cold shower, and another at the dive door. There is a sink with hot and cold water in the bait prep station, and hot and cold shower wand in the console in the sink. There is a standard water heater, of course. There is a midships bib in the gunwale. The freshwater tank holds 60 gallons (228 L), has a level indicator and is plumbed to a dockside hook-up. The boat also has a raw water washdown system.

• Bow Thruster. The 370 comes standard with a 4kW bow thruster with its own dedicated battery bank and charging system.

• Impressive Options List. The 370's options list is long so that buyers can customize the boat to their needs. Seven things caught my eye as being a bit unusual: an electrically operated bow table, high-pressure misting system, freezer plates in deck fish boxes, electrically retractable aft sun shade, fold-down trolling seats in the port and starboard gunwales, and what Whaler calls a "Summer Kitchen" package that replaces the bait prep station.

• Level Flotation. As every boater knows, Boston Whalers don't sink -- not even its biggest one, the 370 Outrage. Just as important, all of the Boston Whalers will float level, according to the builder, if swamped, including the 370. This is an important consideration when going offshore, particularly in a center console -- a type of boat which by design has little or no decking forward to shed boarding seas. It is for this reason that the 370 has an emergency cockpit high water relief gate in its transom door. And this is the reason why it has level flotation, something that is rare among any type boat this size. All of this is made possible by Boston Whaler's unique construction process and foamed hull-to-deck bond. See our construction video…

Performance and Handling

Because of this boat's size everything about her screams "take me offshore." She’s so solid and stable feeling that I got the impression that she could handle anything short of a named storm. I know that's a pretty bold statement, and I tested her in relatively calm water, but long experience has given me a feel for when it's right in when it's not.

Trim. Upon acceleration she had a 13-degree bow rise which left a clear view of the horizon. When put into a hard over turn, she'll roll into a 7-degree bank angle which I found comfortable. At cruise the 370 will settle into a 5-degree bow high attitude, and when you take the power off she settles back into the water with a level altitude.

Reverse. I found she's equally easy to control in reverse, a convenient attribute when backing down on a fish, and the engines are positioned far enough apart so that she remains easy to steer while backing down hard.

With her wide flared bows she throws water well off to the sides and keeps the spray down low for a dry ride. All in all, it's not hard to see why this model, with its fishing pedigree, is such a popular offshore cruising boat.



The 370 had impressive turning performance and she did not tend to bleed off a lot of speed in the process. You can also see the separate fore and aft gathering areas in this shot.

Speeds. Our Boston Whaler 370 outrage had a length overall of 37'6" (11.4 m), a beam of 11'6" (3.5 m), and a hull draft of 23-½” (.6 m). With an empty weight of 13,500 (6123 kg) pounds 83 gallons (314.2 L) of fuel, four people and test power we had a test weight of 16,693 lbs (7571.8 kg). The optional triple 300-hp Mercury Verados ($8,895) reached top speed at 6400 RPM and 44 kts. At that speed we had a measured fuel burn of 87 gph for range of 205 nautical miles.

Best cruise came in at 4500 rpm and 28.8 kts. That gave us a fuel burn of 34.9 gph and a range of 334 nautical miles. The 370 had a quick time the plane of 3.9 seconds, we reached 20 mph in 6.1 seconds accelerated to 30 mph in 9.1 seconds.

Features Walk-Through

Bow.The foredeck serves as a casting platform along with the first 4’ (1.22 m) of the caprails which are 10" (25.4 cm) of nonskid wide over a 16" (40.6 cm) wide caprail. A flush mounted hatch covers a compartment housing the recessed anchor windlass and integrally mounted anchor roller. To starboard is an open space that will allow you to manage any tangles that may occur, and this area also has a mount for the handheld windlass remote.

It's important to note that because of this method of mounting the anchor to deploy through the stem of the bow that there is no need for a deck mounted anchor roller. For options you can choose a bow rail ($831), a bow tow eye ($2371), and a split bow rail ($1760).



Notice how the anchor mounts through the stem which eliminates the need for an anchor roller mounted to the top of the cap rail.

Settee and Table

The bow also features a comfortable gathering area for after the catch. U-shaped seating follows the contour of the bow with a back rest made up by the bolster that wraps 360-degrees around the boat. There is storage underneath the three sections of the U-shaped seats and a hi-low table not only makes for comfortable dining but also converts the entire bow into a sun lounge.

Bow rails start at midships and continue forward, and these rails are recessed to the inside of the gunwales to avoid snagging any lines. The optional electrically-actuated table ($3,576) raises and lowers by a switch on the port side bulwarks right next to the remote control for the stereo. This means you don't have to go anywhere to control the entertainment while you're dining at this forward station. The forward quarter of the caprails houses two flush-mounted rod holders that are the start of the boat's 20 total rod holders.



The bow table has a Flexiteek top. Notice the recessed bow rail and how the bolsters continue all the way around. Just behind the portside seat you can see the control for the table and the stereo remote.



With the table in the lowered position, the addition of a cushion makes a forward sunpad.



All hatches are lightweight, Divinycell cored, supported by gas struts, and gasketed all the way around.

Forward Sun Lounge

Just ahead of the console is a very comfortable sun lounge that is double-wide measuring nearly 5' x 5' (1.5 m x 1.5 m). In the center is a flip down armrest that houses two drink holders and a storage compartment for your sunglasses and suntan lotion. There is also an outlet for your MP3 player and a 12V power supply. Additional armrests are to the outside's so that two people will have a secure ride even if the going gets rough.



The forward sun lounge is comfortable and secure with armrests to the outside and a center armrest that includes storage. To the outside of the backrest you can see drink holders.

Underneath the sun lounge is ample storage that will hold 6 rods, your shore cords, two 5- gallon buckets that the cast netters will be able to take advantage of, a 36-quart (34.1 L) carry-on cooler and four optional brackets for holding dive tanks ($1257). Additionally this compartment has three courtesy lights and it is locked by a slide switch located in the power panel cabinet in the cabin.



Under the forward sun lounge is voluminous storage that includes cargo netting under the hatch cover. Notice the three courtesy lights.

Side Decks

As we move down to the side of the console I measured 21” (53.3 cm) between the side of the console and the padded bolsters. The padded bolsters started 27 ½” (69.8 cm) inches and max out at 32 ½” (82.6 cm) with the caprails reaching a full 36” (91.4 cm) in height, which well exceeds ABYC standards. There are midship cleats measuring 10” (25.4 cm) that are below stainless hawseholes in the caprails.



The side decks feature these optional flip down trolling seats that I would leave down as I leave the boat to make a convenient step for reboarding.

The Center Console

The center console itself is massive with windows to three sides, including a very wide forward windshield measuring 4'8" (1.4 m) across. The window mullions are far enough forward from the helm to avoid any serious obstruction in your visibility and having three separate sections of glass eliminates a continual wraparound windshield which can cause distortion in the corners (and, of course, could not hold the weight of the hardtop.)

Helm vent. At the top of the windshield is a standard electrically-actuated vent that does a magnificent job of scooping air into the console allowing you plenty of ventilation at the helm without the need for the standard cockpit air conditioning.



The console is surrounded by glass on three sides and the single piece windshield has an electrically actuated vent at the top.



The Boston Whaler 370 comes with a standard hardtop. The supports contain rocket launchers and to the left you can see a ladder leading to an overhead hatch.

Helm Station

Electronics. The helm is nicely laid out and this is the area that gets the bulk of the optional features with the 370 Outrage. Our test boat was outfitted with twin 14” (35.6 cm) widescreen displays ($14,755 for E140 W, $11,826 for C140 W, $7,218/$9,105 for second display) over the Mercury SmartCraft Vessel View. An X30 autopilot ($7958) is over to the starboard side just above the spotlight ($483) remote control and the stereo ($500) remote control.

A Ray 240 VHF was fitted on our test boat as well as Mercury's DTS Digital Throttle and Shift system that was controlling the triple 300 hp Mercury 4-strokes. Waterproof rocker switches are just over the stainless steel wheel and the switches are also lighted to let you know when they are activated.



Notice the grab handle to the left that is convenient for both the operator and those going down below. The bow thruster control is located to the upper right of the switch panel in front of the stainless wheel.

Helm Seating. The three individual helm seats have stainless steel armrests and flip up bolsters. The port-side helm seat slides fore and aft on an electrically actuated mount and I found the switch to be a little hard to access between the helm and observer seatbacks. The two starboard side seats have a single flip-down foot rest that runs across the two seats. The port side seat has its own individual flip-down foot rest. To both sides of the helm seat are refrigerated drawers that make a part of the optional summer kitchen.



The captain and observers are equally comfortable in individual bucket seats with flip down armrests and flip up bolsters.



The center and starboard seat get a single foot rest while the portside Capt.'s seat gets a separate individual foot rest. Behind the hatch is the main breaker panel.

The Summer Kitchen

For starters, I know the kitchen on a boat is called the galley so save your cards and letters. "Summer Kitchen" is Boston Whaler's term, not ours. Just behind the triple helm seats is this optional summer kitchen ($4,134) that can be ordered in lieu of the standard rigging station. It consists of a smoke-free electric grill and sink with hot and cold running water.

There's a stainless steel grab handle running along the outside of the galley station and ample storage of six drawers flanks the pullout trash receptacle in the center. And of course it also includes the previously mentioned pullout refrigerated drawers to either side of the helm seats. This summer kitchen really drives home the cruiseability aspect of the 370 Outrage, and even if you do choose to do some fishing once in a while, it makes a handy place to grill your fresh catch.



The optional "summer kitchen" features a smoke-free grill to the left, a sink in the middle, and a single burner stove to the right. Refrigerated drawers are to both sides of the helm seats.

Cockpit

The cockpit is wide open allowing you plenty of room for fighting the fight. There are two sizable in-deck fish boxes measuring 5’4” (1.62 m) to either side of the cockpit, which on our test boat contained optional freezer plates ($14,583 for both, $9,289 for starboard only) for making sure that the ice doesn't melt during a long day of fishing and also serves to keep your catch in good condition on the way back from grounds.



Under the gunwale you can see the electrical connections for downriggers and the black panel is the control for the two freezer plates located in the fish boxes. At the bottom is a convenient toe rail to give a little extra support when fighting fish.



In the center of the cockpit deck is a pump room housing all the mechanical equipment in one convenient spot.

Pump Room

In the center of the cockpit deck is a sizable hatch that opens with the assistance of two stainless steel gas assist struts. Inside the compartment is what I would describe as a pump room as it contains all of the macerator pumps, the livewell pump, a pair of 2000 gph bilge pumps to either side of the float switch, and the 8 kW Fischer Panda generator right next to the dedicated 20-gallon (75.7 L) diesel fuel tank.

Dive Platform

The appeal of the 370 Outrage as a dive platform is not wasted on Boston Whaler. There is a sizable hull side dive door to the port side measuring 29” (73.7 cm) across and coming up to the full height of the 31” (78.7 cm) cap rail. A dive ladder is secured under the aft rumble seat and mounts to a stainless plate in the deck just ahead of the dive door. This setup, along with the dive tank storage under the forward sun lounge, solidifies the 370’s appeal as a dive platform.



There’s a portside dive door with a swing out stainless grab handle. At the deck level you can see the stainless mounting plate for the dive ladder which is mounted to the bottom of the aft flip out bench seat to the left.

Transom

The transom has the continuation of the full wraparound cockpit bolsters and a 24 -gallon (90.8 m) livewell is located at the port quarter. There are five flush-mounted rod holders just ahead of the engines mixed with the fill for the diesel fuel, water tanks, and gasoline fuel tank. A transom door is held in the open position by a magnetic catch and access to the swim platform is up a 9” (22.9 cm) step. A three-step reboarding ladder is hidden underneath a hatch and to the starboard bulwarks is a hot and cold transom shower as well as a stainless grab handle. On both quarter panels are 8” (20.3 cm) pull-up cleats.



Triple 250-hp Verado's are standard, here we have the optional 350-hp Verado 4-strokes.



There are five flush-mounted rod holders at the top of the transom along with fuel and water fills. Notice at the bottom of the picture is the clearly marked diesel fuel fill for the low CO generator. Just ahead of the splash well is a work platform that as a convenient step for servicing the engines as well as crossing from one swim platform to the other.



Underwater lights make a nice addition whether fishing or diving.

Accommodations

The accommodations below are rather modest but given the layout and mission of the boat I found them to be appropriate. To starboard is a head that can be closed off for privacy with a curtain. The vanity also forms part of the galley in that there is a microwave oven mounted in a cabinet under the sink. A queen size berth takes up the forward part of the cabin, and by dropping down the aft section of the berth and flipping a release lever on the bulkhead, the berth transforms into a double wide aft-facing bench seat.

An LCD TV is fixed to a swivel mount and hanging storage is to port. There is a separate climate control station for the standard 8000 BTU air conditioning. And interestingly, Boston Whaler went with a split power panel… 120 V to the port side 12 V to the starboard side.



Boston Whaler split the main power panel into two segments with the 120 V over to the port side and 12 V to the starboard side.



The forward section of the cabin is taken up by the berth. Notice the Flexiteek deck.



The forward berth easily converts to a double wide aft-facing bench seat.



You can see here how the vanity becomes part of the galley. The head is just to the right. Notice the dual opening port lights, and overhead are two skylights.



To the port side is a small refrigerated drawer and you can see the LCD TV on a swivel mount.

Pricing

The Boston Whaler 370 Outrage has a base price of $422,970. If you load her up like our test boat you'll be just over $500,000.

Observations

While the price may seem like a lot of money let me give you two things to consider--

Firstly, short of the living spaces, this boat has much the same fishing capabilities as an express fishboat or small convertible -- possibly even more so, given her shoal draft. And that low draft pays off when cruising as well, allowing the boat to go in many places that a larger boat could not venture.

Secondly, because she is equipped with a diesel generator you can load this boat up with creature comforts such as A/C, a dive compressor, and much more, yet still not have the initial cost or operating expenses of a larger boat. Thirdly, she doesn't need crew. You and your family and friends are the crew, because of the standard bow thruster docking is easy even in a cross current.

I think the 370 Outrage makes a versatile boat for family cruising no matter what else she is used for. Mom will like the privacy below, the ability to get out of the sun and rain (or chill). Pop will like the chance to take a comfortable nap waiting for the fish to bite. The kids will love the TV below. For day boating her bow with table is made to order for an afternoon picnic outing, or an even cocktail cruise with a few close friends.

People going south for the winter in the U.S. can consider trucking the 370 to Florida, Texas, or California and keeping her there for the winter, or jumping off for points south. Because she many of the capabilities of a large boat, but is truckable, she can serve double duty all year long for snow birds.

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions