Her graceful sheerline and slightly reversed transom with just a hint of tumblehome gives the Back Cove 30 a classic Downeast look. Her designer did a nice job of softening the angles of her deckhouse, to avoid the boxy look that often plagues boats of this type.

An Ideal Dayboat

Some people call boats like the Back Cove 30 “lobster yachts,” we guess in an effort to identify with the simple, rugged working craft used to harvest everybody’s favorite crustacean. But the only lobster you’ll find aboard the Back Cove 30 will be swimming in melted butter, so maybe “Down East express” is a more accurate moniker.



The focal point of life onboard the Back Cove 30 is its deckhouse, a combination helm, dinette and general-purpose lounge area. Note there's seating everywhere, but we wonder if the cockpit seats leave too little room for other activities.

Whatever you call her, the Back Cove 30 is set up to be an ideal dayboat, with lots of comfortable, built-in seating in the deckhouse, cockpit and cabin. You can leave the folding deckchairs on the dock. The tradeoff is limited cruising accommodations.



The forward panel of each side window slides back to open, and the center panel of the windshield opens as well. The L-settee serves as seating for the dinette, and faces a straight bench opposite. To enclose the deckhouse, an aft curtain is a dealer installed option with a hard enclosure option also available from the factory. We like the openness the soft enclosure provides.

The Cockpit is for Sitting

Typical of this style yacht, the Back Cove’s cockpit is comfortable but not overly spacious, with corner lounges on both sides of the transom door occupying a good deal of space. It's a fine layout for socializing, but not for the fisherman. (Don’t even think of piling lobster pots here!) A swim platform, with a hot and cold shower, is standard facilitating watersports not involving a hook.



Corner lounges port and starboard, built on molded bases, flank a centerline transom door. They take up a lot of cockpit space but are way more secure and comfortable than a folding chair, or perching on the gunwales. And there's stowage underneath.



Back Cove has correctly placed its shorepower plugs inside the cockpit, and note they have made a clever provision in the transom door for the power cords to exit, yet still keep the door latched. The door opens out and is secured by a stainless latch.

Here at BoatTEST.com we're of differing opinions as to how a transom door should be hinged: Should it open in or out? We can argue either way. The folks at Back Cove Yachts designed the transom door on the Back Cove 30 to open out, so it doesn't intrude into the cockpit. That sounds fine to about half of us at BoatTEST.



Two non-skid-surfaced molded steps port and starboard with grab rails above, make stepping onto the sidedecks easy and safe. Be careful not to trip on the stainless steel drinkholder, though.

Belowdecks

In the cabin the Back Cove 30 has basic but adequate accommodations, typical for a 30-foot boat. On the other hand, in the forward section of the cabin where most builders waste space on seldom-used V-berths, Back Cove created a comfortable seating area with a small table for drinks or a continental breakfast. It will convert to V-berths with filler when necessary. And there is a well-appointed head.



In the cabin, the Back Cove 30 has basic but adequate accommodations for overnighting, about what you'd expect on a 30-foot boat, but finished and appointed better than most. The joinery and ceilings are varnished cherry and the sole is teak-and-holly. Headroom is 76".



The galley counter is 5' long, 21.5" deep. Note that both the sink and single-burner cooktop have drop-in covers to add working space.

The galley has a dual-voltage fridge/freezer, a single-burner alcohol/electric cooktop and a microwave oven. Cooking on an alcohol burner is torture, so if you want hot food underway, we suggest you spring for the 4kW genset or the 1800-watt inverter. We'd choose the inverter, to keep the mechanicals simple, add no excess weight and to save some money on the purchase price, too.



The head carries a freshwater MSD: Fresh water introduces less algae and bacteria into the holding tank. Each Back Cove 30 comes with a macerator and overboard discharge for areas where that's permitted. Headroom here is 72.5".



A dinette/lounge with a small table is forward. When converted, this space creates two V-berths measuring 76" long x 25" wide, or a double that's 79" L x 86" W.

There's stowage under almost every flat surface, and a half-height cedar-lined hanging locker. There’s both overhead lighting and reading lights for each side of the berth, and an XM radio-ready, remote-controlled sound system with CD player and MP3 jack. Back Cove offers a selection of color schemes and fabrics; air conditioning is also optional.

Technical Aspects

Efficiency was an important goal of the Back Cove design team and that means building as light and slippery a boat as possible, consistent with strength. The Back Cove 30 rides on a deep-V hull (16 degrees deadrise aft) powered by a single diesel, in this case spinning a prop tucked-up in a pocket to minimize draft and reduce shaft angle.



On the instrument console there is room for two nav screens. We'd like to see this surface lowered and canted forward to improve visibility. Nav screens at a 30- to 45-degree angle can usually be seen with the skipper standing or sitting.

Lightweight also demands less power, so a single diesel is plenty strong and economical, both to buy and to operate. To that end, the builder employs first-rate construction techniques: A resin-infused fiberglass laminate for maximum strength at minimum weight, with PVC foam coring in the hull, and end-grain balsa in the decks.



The single helm seat (Arrigoni standard, Stidd optional) works well on a boat this size, where a double seat will be too cramped. It's adjustable fore and aft, and the flip-up armrest makes entry and egress easy.

Base power, a 320-hp Yanmar 8LV electronic common rail diesel, produces 26.7 knots max, 20 knots cruise, according to the builder, but you can go faster: Power options up to 370 horses are available: A Yanmar 370 HP 8LV or a Volvo Penta D6 370 HP. Our test boat was powered with the 370-hp Yanmar 8LV which pushed the boat to 28.3 knots WOT, cruise at 23.4 knots.



The companion bench seat will fit two people. We like the flat surface on the dash, good for laying out a chartbook. The grab handle will keep it in place.





We like the port and starboard pop-up cleats, the grab handle for the swim ladder which is under the swim platform and the stainless steel "vents" to help drain water off the platform.

A bow thruster is standard, a stern thruster optional. You don't need pod drives to maneuver a boat in tight places; spend an afternoon practicing and you'll do fine squeezing the Back Cove 30 into tight spaces, especially if you add the stern thruster.



The optional radar mast adds just the right finishing touch to the Back Cove 30, and provides a base for GPS and VHF antennas along with the scanner. We like the sturdy 1 1/4" stainless bow rail, but would prefer an intermediate rail, too, even if only a stainless cable. An anchor roller is standard, windlass optional.

Recommendation

If you’re into serious long-term cruising, fishing or active watersports, we don't think the Back Cove 30 is for you. On the other hand, if you enjoy inviting friends along for day trips, or just want plenty of room to spread out when boating with your significant other, the 30 could be just what the doctor ordered. She has good performance at reasonable fuel burn; lots of comfortable seating, both sheltered and in the cockpit; compact but adequate accommodations for occasional overnights; a seaworthy hull if the weather turns sour and a secure deckhouse to keep the skipper happy even in the rain. What's not to like?

MSRP is $243,000 for a standard boat, but that price includes virtually everything you need. We could drive the boat away for that price and be happy. If you want to trick out your Back Cove 30, figure on spending about $270,000 for a super-well-equipped vessel with upgraded power and a genset.

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