Boston Whaler 325 Conquest (2020-)

Brief Summary

The Boston Whaler 325 Conquest is a do-it-all boat that can take a family fishing or cruising with a spacious cockpit, convertible seating on the helm deck, and a cabin that can sleep up to four. Power is provided by twin Mercury outboards up to 400 hp total.

Key Features

• Twin outboard motors
• Spacious cockpit with summer kitchen or livewell in stern
• Convertible dinette seating
• Full-width windshield with twin opening vents
• Foredeck sun pad
• Private aft berth

Test Results

Specifications

Length Overall	32’ 3'' 9.83 m
Beam	10’ 8'' 3.25 m
Dry Weight	10,500 lbs. 4,763 kg
Tested Weight	13,999 lbs. 6,350 kg
Draft	26" .66 m
Deadrise/Transom	20-deg.
Bridge Clearance	10’ 7'' 3.23 m
Weight Capacity	4,300 lbs. 1,950 kg
Person Capacity	14
Fuel Capacity	300 gal. 1,136 kg
Water Capacity	46 gal. 174 kg
Total Weight	13,999 lbs. 6,350 kg

Acceleration Times & Conditions

Time to Plane	5.2 sec.
0 to 30	12.1 sec.
Props	16x17 Enertia
Load	3 persons, 1/2 fuel, no water, 600 lbs. of gear
Climate	86 deg., 53 humid; wind: 10-15 mph; seas: 0

Engine Options

Tested Engine	2 x 350-hp Mercury Verado
Std. Power	2 x 300-hp Mercury Verado V8 DTS Black engines
Opt. Power	2 x 300-hp Mercury Verado V8 DTS white engines 2 x 300-hp Mercury V8 DTS black or white engines with Joystick Piloting 2 x 350-hp Mercury Veradpo L6 DTS black or white engines 2 x 350-hp Mercury Verado L6 DTS black or white engines with Joystick Piloting 2 x 400-hp L6 DTS black or white engines 2 x 400-hp Mercury Verado L6 DTS Black or white engines with Joystick Piloting

Captain's Report

By Capt. Martin Frobisher

Mission Statement

Boston Whaler designs the 325 Conquest to be able to fish or cruise with equal efficiency and capability. She comes ready to fish with a livewell, spacious cockpit, and plenty of rod holders. Convertible lounge seating to port provides versatility for cruising and the boat can be equipped with a Summer Kitchen in the cockpit galley for more entertainment options. Belowdecks, the dinette converts to a berth and there’s an aft cabin as well.

Major Features

• New bottom design
• New cabin layout
• Hullside dive/tuna door
• Optional gyroscopic stabilizer available
• Available in a pilothouse model
• Available outboard power up to a total of 800-hp

Features Inspection

The Cockpit. The 325 Conquest’s cockpit measures 8’7” x 7’3” (2.62 m x 2.21 m) and bolsters that ring the area top out at 28” tall (71.12 cm). Insulated 40-gallon (151.42-L) fish boxes are under the deck to each side. Rod holders are in the caprails on each side, in the transom and on the powder-coated supports for the hardtop. A livewell is in the aft port corner and there are toe rails to add stability when fighting a fish. Just inboard is the utility connections and there are JL audio speakers on each side. The most noteworthy addition to the standard-equipment list is an inward opening hull side dive door. A reboarding ladder that stores against the transom bench seat easily locks in place. Storing accessories close to where they are used is what Boston Whaler calls point of use storage.

Aft to starboard, a gate opens the passageway to the 325 Conquest’s stern. There’s a four-step reboarding ladder on the starboard platform and a freshwater shower just ahead. Shorepower plugs are easily accessed to port. 

Cockpit Features. For cruising or relaxing on the hook, a standard bench seat easily flips into position from the transom. An optional single-person lounge that folds in from the port side is also available. A solid teak pedestal table can be added and it stores under the center hatch in the cockpit, another example of point of use storage. A SureShade extendable awning can be ordered to cover the cockpit abaft the hardtop. At the front of the cockpit to port, a lounge has a convertible backrest that allows forward- or aft-facing seating and a footrest slides out from the base to add to the comfort. Under the seat is a pull-out grill with two small lockers to port.

Mechanical Room. In the center of the cockpit, a hatch opens to access the Conquest 325’s mechanical components. Additionally, the cockpit table stores in a dedicated rack on the underside of the hatch. Inside the compartment, everything is conveniently accessible including the batteries, pumps, thru-hull fittings, the 7kW generator, and the Seakeeper 3 gyroscopic stabilizer.

The bow side decks are accessed from 15” (38.10 cm) tall steps on both sides of the cockpit with 10” (25.4 cm) spring cleats at the top. The average width of the passageways is 17” (43.18 cm) and rails at amidships top out at 20” (50.80 cm) tall. There are also stainless-steel rails on the hardtop. Fully forward, the grounding tackle consists of a Lewmar windlass with a tie-off cleat just ahead. The plow-style anchor deploys with a stainless-steel roller. To starboard, there’s a hatch leading to rode storage and the wired windlass remote. Cleats are just outboard in the caprail, eliminating the need for chocks, and rail height all the way forward is 28” (71.12 cm). On the 325 Conquest’s foredeck is a 60” x 60” (152.40 cm x 152.40 cm) sun pad with two beverage holders and safety rails on each side. Sockets in the corners support the stainless-steel stanchions for the optional sunshade.

The Helm Deck. As mentioned earlier, when we stepped up onto the helm deck, aft to port is the lounge that can be set up for forward- or aft-facing travel. Just ahead is a dinette with the table on an elevated platform. The table can be lowered and a filler cushion creates a full-length forward or aft-facing chaise lounge. Keep the table lowered and flip the forward seatback aft for forward-facing seating so a companion can enjoy the same views as the captain. The dinette can also be set up to create two forward- or aft-facing individual seats and the front seat has a grab handle alongside. Just ahead is a padded recess for quick-drop items with beverage holders abaft and USB and accessory plugs. To starboard, the optional Summer Kitchen features a Corian countertop, beverage holders, and a sink. In the base, there’s a refrigerator and storage.

The Hardtop Overhead. The hardtop adds protection and supports optional items including outriggers, the open-array radar, and remote spotlight. LED lights are recessed in the leading edges. There’s also nonskid in this area to add safety when servicing the gear. Ladders are integrated into the hardtop frame and hatches add to the ventilation. Full-height side windows can be added. An optional weather curtain can enclose the entire helm deck and store overhead in a soft compartment.

The Helm. To starboard, the 325 Conquest’s helm consists of a compass in the center on top of the panel and it’s in-line with the stainless-steel steering wheel that has a spinner knob. Forward of the compass is a padded recess that includes USB and accessory plugs, similar to the port side. Accessory switches flank two climate-control vents in an acrylic panel. Below, our test boat had a 15” (38.10 cm) Raymarine multifunction display. To the right is a 7” (17.78cm) Mercury VesselView display and just below are the digital throttle/shift levers with the trim tabs just ahead and the joystick behind. Overhead in the hardtop is the VHF radio, the controls for the Seakeeper 3, and the auto trim control for the outboards. The captain travels in a seat that adjusts fore and aft and has a thickly padded, ventilated backrest, flip-up armrests, and a folding bolster. Dual footrests are molded into the console base. Forward, the single-piece windshield measures 6’4” by 4’1” (1.93 m x 1.24 m) with a 17” (43.18 cm) eyebrow over the front and two opening vents at the top.

Belowdecks

The Cabin. A sliding hatch centrally positioned on the helm deck opens access to the 325 Conquest’s cabin, which has been redesigned with a focus on storage and accommodations. Boston Whaler put a wastebasket under the bottom step and the headroom at the entrance is 6’5” (1.96 m). It drops down to 5’1” (1.55 m) over the dinette.

Galley. To port of the cabin entrance, the galley has a microwave oven, a cooktop, and sink with a pull-out sprayer. There’s storage outboard behind sliding glass and below are a refrigerator, another wastebasket, and storage.

Dinette. Moving forward, the dinette is on a platform that’s raised 9” (22.86 cm) off the cabin sole. The high-gloss table is expandable and mounted on a manually-actuated pedestal that lowers and converts to a 73” (185.42 cm) long, 31” (78.74 cm) wide berth. In addition to the usual storage under the lounges, there’s rod storage overhead. A comfort package includes fitted sheets and pillowcases. A buyer can also get an entertainment package that includes a 19” (48.26 cm) TV and DVD player. A forward cabinet houses the Fusion stereo and the rechargeable VHF handheld unit in the same location.

The Head. To starboard, the wet-head includes a porcelain VacuFlush toilet and a vanity sink with a pull-out faucet that clips in place for shower usage. A glass shelf includes a small rail to hang products and an opening port provides ventilation. Hangers on the bulkhead make this an ideal location to rinse down and store foul weather gore. Overhead height is 6’ (1.83 m) and there’s a full-length mirror inside the door.

Mid-Cabin. Abaft the entry stairs is a mid-cabin with a 74” (187.96 cm) x 55” (139.70 cm) berth. Overhead height ranges from 32” (81.28 cm) to 25” (63.50 cm). Even here the storage has been improved with shelf storage to the sides. In this spot, the comfort package includes the fitted sheet, pillowcases, and a privacy curtain.

Performance

The Specifics. The 325 Conquest has an LOA of 32’3” (9.83 m), a beam of 10’8” (3.25 m), and a draft of 26” (66.04 cm). With an empty weight of 10,500 lbs. (4,763 kg), 56 percent of fuel, three people and test power, we had an estimated test weight of 13,999 lbs. (6,350 kg).

The Numbers. With a pair of 350-hp Mercury Verado supercharged four-stroke outboards turning 16” x 17” (40.64 cm x 43.18 cm) Enertia three-blade stainless-steel propellers, we hit a top speed of 42.3 knots at 6000 rpm. We found our best cruise at 4000 rpm and 25.0 knots. Fuel burn was 22 gph, which translated into 1.1 nmpg and a range of 306.8 nautical miles, all while holding back a 10% reserve of the boat’s 300-gallon (1,135.6-L) fuel capacity. For anglers, we recorded a speed of 3.1 knots at 600 rpm and 4.7 knots at 1000 rpm. The boat planed at only 10.7 knots in 5.2 seconds. We reached 20 mph in 6.8 seconds and 30 mph in 12.1 seconds.

Handling. The 325 Conquest’s bottom is all new and in terms of handling and ride, she leaves nothing to be desired. When crossing wakes, she felt smooth and solid with clean transitions and no pounding or hull slap whatsoever. Around the docks, Mercury’s Joystick Piloting System let us put the boat wherever we wanted.

Options to Consider

• Painted hull side colors
• Hardtop underside painted to match the hull
• Opening deck hatches in the hardtop
• 12-volt downriggers
• Active Engine Trim
• 8,000 BTU reverse-cycle air conditioning
• 12-volt bow thruster
• Cruising package with dockside water hookup, electric single-burner stove, and a water heater
• 7 kW Westerbeke generator
• Raymarine 12” (30.48 cm) or 16” (40.64 cm) Axiom multifunction displays
• Raymarine radar

Observations

With the recreational boating industry seemingly focused on super-sized center consoles powered by five or six huge outboards, Boston Whaler hasn’t forgotten about the middle class with the all-new 325 Conquest.

Designing the boat for twin engines helps keep her affordable and she’s equipped with everything a family would need for fishing, cruising or day boating.

Noteworthy introductions include the hull side door and the re-arranged cabin to maximize the storage and passenger space. The options list was created to make it easy for a buyer to customize the boat for the intended use.