Flagship Fast Forward
10/13/2006 3:48:17 PM by Taylor Peters
Get ready to tour Wellcraft’s 360 Coastal flagship, the brand’s largest boat model, designed to combine the latest advances in fishing with family-cruising luxury.
Photos courtesy of Wellcraft
If you haven’t had an opportunity to check out the flagship of the Wellcraft fleet, the 360 Coastal, this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show will be your chance. The 360 Coastal will be on display at the Wellcraft Bahia Mar I Dock in slip 913.
“We’re especially proud of the 360 Coastal,” says Mike O’Connell, senior vice president and general manager of Wellcraft. “Not only does it offer the keel-up quality and fishability we build into every Wellcraft, it also offers features and amenities any yacht owner would be proud of.” The 360 Coastal features Corian countertops, cherry wood finishes, ample storage and plush seating in the spacious cabin.
Don’t be fooled by the boat’s luxury and styling, though. The 360 Coastal is a serious fishing machine. The open cockpit and 13-foot, 8-inch beam leaves plenty of room for battling blue-water species. The well-considered placement of the bait prep center, large fish boxes in the cockpit deck, freezer, and rod and tackle storage let experienced fishermen know this boat was made for action.
Other cockpit fishing amenities include plentiful rod holders, padded cockpit bolsters, a 37-gallon Kodiak Pro Flow livewell, optional outriggers and an optional aft facing fold-down trolling seat.
The 360 Coastal is 36 feet, 6 inches long (40 feet, 4 inches with pulpit and platform) weighs in at 20,000 lbs. and complies with NMMA Yacht Certification standards. The fuel tanks hold 400 gallons of fuel for the Volvo D-6s (370-hp. each) or the Cummins 540s and standard 8 KW generator. Options include a full electronics package, bow thruster, air conditioning, Brazilian cherry/maple wood cabin floor, cherry wood dinette table with compass rose inlay, full enclosure, ice maker on the bridge deck, LCD TV/DVD, oil changer system and premium sound system. The Sirius satellite radio system is standard.
The optional Raymarine electronics package features two 12.1-inch color displays, chartplotter and HDFI fishfinder, along with VHF radio, Ray 40 Module System, high-performance 1KW in-hull transducer, Sea Talk networking and video instrumentation integration capabilities, auto pilot ST8001 S1G and 4 KW open array radar.
Special appointments include a standard hard top, hydraulic cockpit lift and day hatch for easy access to the engines and a bonus rod storage locker with drop-in dry boxes under the cabin sole.
The Hunt and Wellcraft designers focused on more than fishing and comfort, though. The boat also features a carefully crafted hull for outstanding offshore performance. “The 360 Coastal features one of our best hull designs ever,” says O’Connell. “The boat has handling and seakeeping abilities among the best in its class.”
The boat has been tested to plane at just over 10 seconds, with a cruising speed of nearly 31 mph with a range at that speed of 400 miles and a top end of nearly 35 miles per hour. As with any boat, actual performance may vary according to rigging, weight and other factors.
John Deknatel, president of C. Raymond Hunt Associates, says innovation is the key to the design relationship. “Wellcraft has a strong reputation as an innovator in the marine industry and we share that spirit as naval architects,” says Deknatel.
Hunt Associates is among the foremost small-craft design firms. Founded by C. Raymond Hunt, creator of the high deadrise, deep-vee hull, the company’s designs are in service around the world in recreational, commercial and military use.
“Some fishermen reach a point in life when they simply begin to want more luxury and comfort from their fishing boat,” O’Connell concludes. “The Wellcraft 360 Coastal gives these boaters and their families an unparalleled cruising and fishing experience. The Fort Lauderdale Show, in one of the great yachting capitals of the world, is an ideal environment to check out this boat and see how it leads the competition.”
As with any boat manufacturer that is committed to ongoing product improvements, specifications, options and equipment are subject to change without notice. A subsidiary of Genmar Holdings, Wellcraft produces center console, dual console, bay boats and express-type fishing boats ranging in length from 18 to 36 feet. Models feature a foam-filled fiberglass stringer system for structural integrity and long service life, and offer a transferable 10-year structural hull limited warranty. The company, whose products are sold at dealerships throughout North America and in 20 countries worldwide, is a unit of the Sarasota, Florida-based Genmar Bluewater Fishing Boat Group.