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Those who say dual-console boats aren’t real fishing boats have never stepped aboard a boat like the Sailfish 316 DC, with a vast expanse of open cockpit space that channels the same feel as a traditional sport-fishing boat. Its best-of-both-worlds design allows occupants to go from fishing to entertaining in a blink or do both simultaneously.
The other vast attention-getter is the 316’s 41-inch-high, three-piece windshield. Extra-tall windshields are one of the fastest-growing trends in modern recreational boating design but usually confined to boats like the decidedly unfishy Sea Ray 370 outboard. The 316 DC comes equipped with a standard hardtop, stiffened by carbon fiber in stress points, and joined to the windshield to provide an oasis from the wind and sea. And under the big top is 6 feet, 10 inches of headroom that could fit NBA star Kevin Durant. While a couple of small vents or an air-conditioning option would be nice on blazing days, the sliding center section of the windshield allows for a variable amount of airflow without the usual all-or-nothing option provided by flip-open windshield sectionals, though it can’t be secured unless fully open or shut. For extra cockpit shade, there’s a manual SureShade option for $10,414.
Sailfish encourages owners to load up the 316 DC with reasonably priced options such as the Entertainment Package ($3,076), which includes features that expand its versatility with a ski-tow pylon, cockpit table with fore and aft receivers, Fusion transom remote control and three underwater lights. Our test boat came equipped with the galley option ($3,683) that includes a 12-volt Isotherm refrigerator, a sink with spigot, a wine rack cooler, and ample Corian countertop space that can double as a bait-rigging station. The bow section epitomizes the 316’s recreational vibe with twin Cleopatra couches that have the perfect amount of recline, although the flip-down armrests were unnaturally high. A table ($921) can also be placed aft, and it becomes a perfect place for dining or card play. A beverage is never far away with a bow cooler and a sandbar cooler built into the portside swim platformette.
A portside dive door enables easy passage for dockside guests and swimmers alike, and a rear-facing club seat in the open cockpit makes a perfect throne to observe a trolling spread, with storage for the dive-door ladder. In addition, three flip-down bench seats provide seating for seven-plus in a socially friendly layout without limiting fishing space. There are six rod holders at the transom, a pair in the gunwales, and six rocket launchers positioned on the hardtop support pillars, and an in-floor rod storage-locker option ($317). To keep bait frisky, there’s a curved 30-gallon transom recirculating livewell to port. Dual in-floor fish boxes give plenty of capacity, long enough for pelagic fish like extra-large wahoo.
At the compact helm, owners will find enough room for a pair of 12-inch Garmin displays, and a standard Mercury SmartCraft screen is above. The electronically adjustable helm seat has a flip-up bolster to create stand-up room or a higher perspective while seated. Black padding on top of the dash reduces reflective ghosts in the windshield. The companion helm seat is extra wide for comfort and sits far back enough to allow the head door to swing open without conflict. Inside is a yachtlike head compartment with a sink and electric toilet.
Our test boat was equipped with standard twin 300 hp Mercury Verado V-8 outboards that give the 316 DC a suggested retail price of $315,147, but the biggest no-brainer on the option sheet is an upgrade to twin Verado 350s for just $7,233. Another fishing-forward center-console to consider is the Grady-White Freedom 307, which comes standard with twin Yamaha F300 outboards. It has 10 inches more beam than the Sailfish 316 DC but is pricier, with a suggested retail of $345,058.
The twin Mercury 300 hp package provides sporty performance and pushed the 9-foot-9-inch-wide, 32-foot-6-inch-long hull with an estimated rigged weight of 11,315 pounds to a top speed of 51.1 mph during our sea trial. Acceleration was swift with a time to plane of 4.5 seconds and a zero-to-30 mph time of 8 seconds.
Sailfish’s Variable Degree Stepped (VDS) hull was put to the test in a gnarly Palm Beach Inlet churning up steep 4- to 5-footers. It’s not stepped in the traditional sense of adding a longitudinal notch with a vent that introduces air under the hull. Instead, the VDS hull uses a steep 24 degrees of deadrise at the centerline that gently flattens to 23 degrees, moving outward before tapering to 22 degrees at the outside of the hull, which gives it plenty of slicing ability without being too tender at rest. In front, the hull’s entry is 58 degrees, which helped it neatly slice through the maelstrom cleanly. The big windshield kept our faces dry as a stiff headwind blasted the spray. Fortunately, there’s a driverside windshield wiper with a fresh-water spritzer to keep it clear.
Part of our inlet adventure included breaking out the fishing rods to prospect for snook, and a ripping tide made it easy to do some vertical jigging. Although we remained in a state of snooklessness, the tall cockpit gunwale height, which averages 31 inches, made it easy to brace against the coaming pads for comfort and security.
Sailfish Boats – Cairo, Georgia; 229-377-2125; sailfishboats.com
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