T
he conditions that we are testing the SLX 310
in are a world away from what it is designed for.
We’re off Porto Cristo on the east coast of Majorca
and the Med is in a horrible mood, throwing up
a confused, pointy chop that doesn’t allow for any
sort of rhythm from the helm seat. It’s about being
on and off the throttle to keep impact to a minimum and spotting
a small gap in the onslaught to make some decent progress. The
standing driving position is comfortable for rough-weather work.The 310 may be a watersports-orientated family dayboat,
but it’s tackling these conditions admirably. The ride is dry
and assured and the pair of 6.2-litre 300hp MerCruiser V8s
are delivering a delicious soundtrack to proceedings. At times,
in the rough among the troughs, the torque of the optional
twin 260hp diesel motors is missed, but for fl at-out performance
and smooth operation, the twin petrols can’t be faulted.
This isn’t the sort of focused, slender sportsboat that you
drive like hell into the waves and let the hull do the work –
you have to caress it through the chop. But drive sensibly and
it will dig deep and look after you. It’s a family boat, and all you
need to know is that when the afternoon breeze kicks up some
obstacles, the 310 will get you back to base safely and comfortably.DESIGN IN MIND
Stop bouncing around for a second and you can appreciate
some of the work that has gone into making the 310 such
a competent day cruiser. It has a very fl exible cockpit with
an aft bench that can be converted into a sunpad and pop-
up backrests facing aft so you can sit and keep an eye on those
swimming behind the boat. You can set up tables in the cockpit
and bow rider section at the same time, or you can convert
one or both of them into sunpads. The twin bench adjacent
to the helm swivels, on a nicely engineered mechanism that’s
a breeze to use, to face into the cockpit and become part of the
dinette. Overhead there is an optional powered canopy that
can be raised and lowered at the touch of a button to either add
more protection to the helm, adjust the shade level of the cockpit
or clamp completely down to reduce the air draught, or for inland
work or transport.Big bow riders like the 310
make a lot of sense if you
only use it as a dayboat
The digital display can
be hard to read in direct
sunlight but it looks good
SEA RAY SLX 310
A dayboat with plenty of tricks up its sleeve, this is
a great introduction to fun-fi lled days on the water
Words Jack Haines Pictures Lester McCarthy