Boating



SCAN

ME!

Galeon 385 HTS

PHOTO: COURTESY GALEON

shelving under the galley that unfolds to fully utilize space

that would otherwise be lost, to the fold-down vanity for

m’lady with a lighted mirror and storage for cosmetics in

another lost space in the owner’s stateroom.

The skipper gets a wonderfully ergonomic helm with the

throttle/shifters and joystick cantilevered on a base that is

exactly where the hand falls naturally. We noted 360-degree

visibility with a huge one-piece windshield with pantograph

wipers that sweep in formation. Slick trick: A teak “deck”

folds down so the skipper can stand behind the tilt wheel

with his head through the open sunroof.

The layout of the 385 might be called schizophrenic; the

main deck (Galeon calls it a “skydeck” with good reason)

is about entertaining, with a settee-cum-chaise opposite

the helm and an oversize dinette around a folding high-

low table, plus an outdoor galley with a grill, sink and

refrigerator. Do you want to party with a dozen close friends?

No problem. But the 385 HTS is also a getaway for two

couples at night, with lots of privacy (i.e., separation between

cabins) and two heads. Yep, definitely schizo.

Those couples can dine at the lower dinette with its

gorgeous inlaid table, served from the compact galley with a

two-burner cooktop and Isotherm refrigerator/freezer.

The Galeon 385 HTS has been upgraded and

Americanized specifically for MarineMax, starting with

the larger 370 hp Volvo Penta D6 diesels with Aquamatic

sterndrives and joystick controls. An 8 kW Fischer Panda

genset provides power, a Dometic Marine Air chilled-water

air conditioner keeps everything cool (including the helm),

and the usual options are standard, from the Cablemaster

shore power to a full Raymarine electronics package of radar,

chart plotter, GPS and autopilot.

We have to call out the huge garage with its transom door.

It can hold a 9-foot tender easily, and the floor rises on lifts

to reveal — and we mean reveal — the entire engine room. It

needs a ladder, but you can really get to everything easily.

It scores big points for engine access.

MarineMax also adds a humongous teak-planked swim

platform that is sure to become the family beach. Going

toward the pointy end, we give Galeon gold stars for wide

side decks with handrails every inch of the way, plus double

lifelines that are solid.

If you’re looking at the Galeon 385 HTS, you should

consider the Prestige 420S, which is about the same size

TBOATINGCertified Test Results

XLOA: 41'2" XBeam: 12'7" XDraft (max): 2'7" XDisplacement (approx.): 23,060 lb.

XTransom Deadrise: 16 degrees XBridge Clearance: 13'9" (up), 12'0" (down) XMax. Cabin

Headroom: 6'5" XFuel Capacity: 251 gal. XMax Horsepower: 740 XAvailable Power: Twin

Volvo Penta diesels

Price: $639,440 (with test power)

HOW WE TESTED

ENGINES: Twin 370 hp Volvo Penta D6 diesels DRIVE/PROP: Aquamatic sterndrive/

Duoprop DPH GEAR RATIO: 1.63:1 FUEL LOAD: 187 gal. WATER ON BOARD: 100 gal.

CREW WEIGHT: 500 lb.

AVAILABLE POWER:

STERNDRIVE

High Points

XExpect a comfortable ride in rough seas, thanks to the deep V-hull.

XOutstanding attention to creating stowage from every usable space

XImpressive use of solid wood (decks, drawers, salon sole) as well as inlaid

woods as accents

XEasily understood and accessible backlit master electrical panel

XHuge transom garage with rollers for tender and an oversize hatch to the

engine room for service

Low Points

XRocker-switch labels at the helm are hard to read when seated, since

they are on the forward side.

XNeeds a ladder into the engine room through the garage, although the

factory provides one through the smaller engine-access hatch.

MarineMax 888-890-4187; marinemax.com

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION

naut. stat. n. mi. s. mi. sound

rpm knots mph gph mpg mpg range range angle level

1000 6.80 7.83 2.00 3.40 3.91 768 884 0 68

1500 9.25 10.64 5.40 1.71 1.97 387 445 1 70

2000 11.24 12.94 13.00 0.86 1.00 195 225 3 73

2500 17.60 20.25 21.00 0.84 0.96 189 218 5 80

3000 26.20 30.15 29.00 0.90 1.04 204 235 4 92

3500 34.14 39.29 41.00 0.83 0.96 188 216 4 91

3570 35.79 41.19 41.00 0.87 1.00 197 227 2 91

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

Check out our photo gallery of the

Galeon 385 by scanning this tag or

visiting boatingmag.com/2940.

50 BOATINGMAG.COMBOATINGMAG.COM APRIL 2016

with its big swim platform and two cabins, priced about

$542,600 for the base boat with twin Volvo IPS-500s.

Galeon is priced below similar Sea Ray and Azimut models.

Underway, we ran the 385 HTS in a lumpy Gulf Stream

with slop like a washing machine, and the V-bottom

(22-degree deadrise midship, 16 degrees at the transom)

took it all in stride. Spin the wheel at full throttle, throw the

385 off waves at weird angles, and it seemed to say, “Bring

it on!” In between the lumpy bits, we topped out at a solid

35-plus-knot average, which is plenty quick. And, to the

delight of the dock crew waiting to hose our 385 down, we

didn’t get a single drop of salt spray on deck.

MarineMax imported a half-dozen Galeons and sold two

before ever announcing they’d arrived. So let’s see; it’s well-

built with a beautiful layout, lots of cleverness and a low

price. The Galeon 385 HTS is a great boat — no joke.

— Chris Caswell