Captain's Report

Mission Statement

The Boston Whaler 320 Outrage has been designed and is equipped for serious boaters, whether they are tournament anglers, long-distance offshore day cruisers, weekend warriors, or just sunshine boaters who want to go to Bimini for lunch. The keyword here is "serious." The 320 Outrage comes standard with about everything most people will need no matter what they want to do with the boat. At 12,680 lbs. (5,751 kgs.) and with a 23-degree deadrise she is designed for going fast offshore in comfort and safety.

Distinguishing Features

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Most Equipment Is Standard.

As alluded to above, virtually everything most people need is standard. ●

Designer Hardtop with Windshields.

As standard, the 320 Outrage comes with an aerodynamically-designed, advanced hardtop with integrated windshield. It has an electric vent facing forward, lights, cabinets for electronics and PFD stowage.●

2 x 250 CXXL L6 Mercury Outboards.

The standard engines are twin 250-hp Verado 4-strokes and comes with SmartCraft VesselView instruments and diagnostic system and power steering.

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Fold-Away Stern Bench Seat.

Not only is it standard, but it is built with one of the most robust cantilever mechanisms in the industry. ●

Over-Sized Hardware.

The boat comes with six 10" stainless steel cleats, three 8" stainless steel cleats plus, four stainless house pipes. ●

Unibond Construction.

Boston Whaler is the only builder that mates its decks and liners with the hull in a single clam shell mold and injects it with foam so that the hull is connected to the deck over its entire surface, not just around the boat's perimeter. We have made a video on this unique process…

In-Depth Inspection of the 320 Outrage

The Helm.

Boston Whaler has packed a lot of innovations into this boat, as well as making many normally optional items standard, such as her powder-coated hardtop with fixed safety glass on three sides.

This console with fully integrated hardtop and windshield is the gold standard. By making the hardtop supports integral to the console and windshields, Boston Whaler has been able to balance excellent weather protection for the driver and companion with slightly reduced visibility of the frame.

The next thing we noticed when standing at the helm with the seat bolsters up, there was ample room between the boat's stainless steel steering wheel and the seat. Also, the helm seat is high, providing good visibility and there is a molded-in foot rest in the console for comfort and stability.

The Head.

The door to the head in the console, like most other things on the boat, is large. It is 22" (55.8 cm) wide by 38" (96.5 cm) high. That makes for an easy entrance and exit for most people. Once inside the head, we measured 71.5" (181.6 cm) of headroom. This is a real win-win, because Boston Whaler managed to get good headroom in the console while simultaneously keeping good visibility over the top of the console for average-height skippers.A VacuFlush toilet with holding tank and Y-valve is standard.

Inside the head compartment are access points to the batteries, breakers, some electrical buses with fuses and the battery switches. We prefer the battery switches in the cockpit for ease of reach, but since the door to the head compartment is so large it is not much trouble going there to turn on the switches. (The door is lockable which is probably why Boston Whaler put the battery switch there.)

The Cockpit.

In the cockpit, we measured the depth as 28.5" (69.5 cm) and 31" (78.7 cm) forward, just abaft the port seat. Hand holds were obvious all over the boat. This is an important measurement and one that has been carefully calculated by Boston Whaler engineers. By having the coaming 28.5" (69.5 cm) high, small children will be more secure, yet the freeboard is low enough that it will be easy for an angler to reach over the side to net a finny friend. The transom door on the starboard side is stout and opens in.

Fold-Away Transom Seat.

In the cockpit we found a sturdy seat that folds up out of the way into the transom. The mechanics of this seat are manufactured from solid stainless steel. While requiring slightly additional effort to deploy, we appreciated the rock-solid feel of this setup especially underway. This seat was easy to open and close, something that sets it apart from some other such seats in class. The seat is held in place by thick stainless steel supports on both sides. One of the few options for this boat are two fold-away "trolling" seats that are fitted in the gunwales port and starboard of the center console. Anglers can use them facing aft in the shade of the hardtop to watch their baits. We wonder if the builder might also mount fold-away seats in the gunwales of the cockpit instead of having rod racks there. This might be a good idea for cruising folks who like to entertain.

Fishy Features

When it comes to fishing amenities, the 320 Outrage is among the best in class. The bait prep center abaft the helm seats, the fish boxes with macerators, livewells, and rod holders all make this boat on a par with her peers in fishy stuff. Here is a list of standards-- ●Vertical rod holders on the console ●45-gallon pressurized aerated livewell with clear top window ●Cockpit area and bow area flood lights for night fishing ●Five rod holders ●Sink with pressure water in bait prep station ●20 gallon livewell in port quarter ●Raw water washdown system ●Three insulated in-deck fishboxes -- 2 x 80 gallon, 1 x 108 gallon -- with pump out ●Two lockable rod storage lockers forward for 3 rods each ●Under gunwale rod racks for 4 rods

Construction and Design

The 320 has a deadrise at the transom of 23-degrees which means that her designers were strongly tilting the bottom shape toward comfort at speed in sloppy conditions, rather than to even higher speeds in choppy conditions.

Performance Test

With two people on board, 65 gallons (247 L) of fuel and 50 lbs. (22.7 kgs.), our 320 Outrage test boat powered with twin 300-hp Mercury Verado engines had a full weight of 10,677 lbs. (4,853 kgs.). The engines were turning 14-5/8 x 17 Rev 4 stainless steel props and the reduction ratio was 1.85:1. Our wide open throttle speed at 6300 rpm was 51.5 mph where we burned 59 gph. Best cruise was found at 4000 rpm where we recorded 26.7 mph, burning 20.4 gph.Our average time to plane was 4.5 seconds. Our 0-to-30 time was 7.9 seconds.

Handling on Test Day

The day we tested the 320 Outrage on the east coast of Florida it was blowing 15 to 20 knots "outside" of the north, which meant conditions offshore were snotty. It was far too rough for our cameraman to be shooting video, so we took the Outrage offshore by ourselves to see how she would behave in these conditions.

Offshore.

Bashing out the New Smyrna inlet was simply a matter of matching the speed of the boat to the conditions and holding on. Once outside we were in 3' to 5' seas. Going into the teeth of the fresh breeze we were happy to have such a big boat under foot as we traveled from 25 to 30 mph with spray flying. Then it started to rain. The windshield with side windows does a surprisingly good job of protecting the skipper and companion from rain and spray. Nevertheless, this is still an open boat and the helm will be the only dry place aboard. Running in a beam sea the boat rolled as the waves passed under the hull and the boat swayed back and forth which is normal in a deep-V with a solid hardtop, but she stayed easily in control. In fact, she was so easy to maneuver that she felt like a much smaller boat. In following seas the twin 300s kept our course true and we could even take our hands off the wheel.

The Hard-Over Test.

Going back in we approached the inlet from the north and slid through as easy as you please being sure to keep our boat speed in sync with sea conditions. Once in protected water we opened her up to 40 mph or so and then spun the wheel quickly to put her into a hard turn to port. In some boats this can be a dangerous maneuver, but in the 320 Outrage the boat banked and felt secure as we stood at the helm.

Docking.

At the dock, again the 320 behaved like a much smaller boat and we were able to easily guide her into the slip. The twin 300s are spaced far enough apart to be able to move the boat port and starboard with the gears alone.

Power and Price

The standard 320 Outrage has an MSRP of $224,976 powered by twin 250-hp Mercury Verado, supercharged outboard engines. The 300s on the test boat are options. Boston Whaler is owned by the Brunswick Corp., owner of Mercury, so naturally the boats come standard only with Mercury engines.

Our complaints

of the 320 are minor when compared with the totality of this boat. But, nonetheless here they are: we would expect for these kinds of dollars we'd get four steps on the swim ladder; we'd like to see the battery switches outside of the head; and we'd like to see the throttles with a more horizontal mounting instead of the diagonal. The optional bow table looks like an afterthought to us and we would like to see one that is larger and supported by two pedestals. We would also like to see a dodger for the forward seating on the option list, although this could be acquired in the aftermarket.

Observations

For people wanting to use the boat for cruising and entertaining friends on day outings we recommend getting the optional bow table. Optional side curtains for the hardtop will also increase the utility of the boat and prolong its season, as well as give comfort to those who are afraid of melting when it rains. As to whether to order the boat with the standard 250-hp engines or the 300s as measured on our "Test Results" page, we would say that depends on how important breaking the 50 mph "barrier" is to the owner. She certainly will perform well with the standard engines.For people who like everything done right, great attention to detail, top notch fit-and-finish and the peace of mind offshore that only level flotation can give, then this boat should be on a very short list of boats to consider.

Standard and Optional Features