Trade-A-Boat – April 2018

hence Wadecraft X310 by Sharpcraft.

This means you get the same

generous warranty as Nick Sharp’s

own design, the aforementioned

4.7 Scout, an almost unbelievable

10 years on the structural hull. I

quizzed Nick hard on this when out

on the water and the reasoning was

simple to him. He builds the boats,

so he knows what goes into them

and how they should perform. Oh,

and did I mention he is a qualified

shipwright, mould maker and go-

to-guy for a range of local brands

needing expert ’glass work? Nick’s

confidence has valid grounds and for

you buyers, that’s a great thing.

Talking to Nick about the cost to

replace Jim’s X310, we were told to

expect around $200K, pretty good

value for what goes into a bespoke

build but there is room to spend

more, a lot more. Nick will look into

rating the hull for up to 800hp, yep,

for a pair of Mercury 400Rs and when

you cost just them, you’ll see how

you could spend a lot more than Jim.

Looking around the boat, when on

the hard, a moderate radius deep-vee

stood out to me as did the slightly

extended andraisedsemi-pod.Isay

semi as it is full-width, not like most

traditionalpodsbutitisclearlyan

extension. Defined strakes make

an appearance front to just before

the semi-pod, while the chines are

not massive but still deep enough

looking at the front to take some

spray andwideenoughdownbackto

add some lift and stability. Looking

at the hull,thepropsandthepower,

I expected okay holeshot and some

serious top end.

THAT RIDE

Unfortunately 30kts of breeze and a

sea provinghardtoreadmeantwe

couldn’t really push the X310, the

best we could do was nudge 40kts

with more than 1000rpm left. I’m told

it will cruise in the mid-forties day-

in, day-out. Our glimpses of 40kts

was with the wind and down the

chop, how you hope to drive heading

home an hour after you should have,

but it wasintothewindsweptswell

stainless steel works of art. Being
four-blade and 21-inch pitch, they
had a lot of bite, which came in
handy in what were pretty horrible
conditions.

THE BUILD
There is no denying the X310 looks
similar to some the famous boats
that started the Cigarette-style cult
but it is its own design. First penned
20 years ago by WA’s Chris Wade,
the hull was engineered to tackle
the west’s worst chop. Wade was a
shipwright and avid offshore racer, a
great combo for a go-fast design. The
designs are not owned by Sharpcraft
but are leased on a per-build basis,

Wadecraft X310

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