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The seams and joinery were smartly finished, but not everything on this prototype had reached that level of refinement. For instance, the frosted skylight over the MSD should be replaced with a hatch to let steam escape from the shower. (A similar hatch is already over the Origo two-burner electric cooktop that lets any smoke-alarm-reliant cook know when dinner's done.) Scout does plan on installing exhaust fans in both the shower and over the stove.
After I'd examined all of these details that both set the 350 Abaco apart from other boats in her size class and give her some of the amenities of larger sportfishermen, we dropped the docklines and took her out to the protected waters of the Biscayne Bay Aquatic Preserve, just outside Sea Isle Marina. The wind was blowing out of the southwest at about 15 to 20 mph, yet even with a headwind, her speed was an exhilarating 52 mph, thanks in part to a Michael Peters-designed hull bottom—a stepped hull that helps her plane quickly, as you can see in the acceleration curve on the opposite page.
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Although the speed was impressive, the boat's steering could be tightened up a bit. It's not an issue at high speeds, where she tracked like a needle on a turntable, nor when performing gunwale-wetting tight circles at 20 mph in little more than two boat lengths. It's the slow-speed maneuvering that could be better: Lock to lock took nine turns. Scout says its intent was to make a wheel that was easy to turn, but it's currently contemplating reducing maximum wheel rotation to seven. When the winds whipped up as a squall line approached, I attempted to back her up straight, but she required significant helm correction—still not an uncommon feature on outboard-powered vessels. After realizing that the closely mounted outboards make the 350 operate more like a single-screw than a twin, I soon felt comfortable moving her around.
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The hardtop has optional manual teaser reels in the center and windshield wipers along the leading edge. The wiper motors are accessed via small panels on top. |
As we headed back in, the squall line darkened, and I handed the controls over to Scout's Capt. Mike Tierney to let him back her in the tight slip, with 25-mph-plus gusts pushing him off the dock. With the ease of a helsman who knows his vessel, he snuck her in stern-to with the aid of the standard 6-hp Lewmar bow thruster.
All of the innovative features on the 350 Abaco are designed to let you to live, work, and fish aboard with minimal hassle. The polished interior and smart layout, with access to everything you need to keep her in prime operating condition, seem to have fulfilled Potts' goal: She's definitely much more than a big trailable boat.
For more information on Scout Boats, including contact information, click here.
SPOTLIGHT ON: Guy Harvey Etchings
In its effort to create the feeling of a custom sportfisherman, Scout employed renowned marine artist Guy Harvey to create a special etching for the 350 Abaco. Harvey decided on a sailfish leaping, an image he believed would inspire fishermen.
Scout then took Harvey's design to South Carolinian Lex Melfi, who specializes in sand-carved glass. Melfi creates his three-dimensional look with a combination of techniques that include blasting an array of sand-grit against special glass at varying pressures.
The result is a beautiful panel that Scout backlights with LEDs that change color. This touch of designer class is standard in the 350.—G.R.
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This article originally appeared in the May 2008
issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
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