TAKIN G CO MM AND
Enough looking – time to play. The
helm features a double bucket-seat
withaflip-upthigh-risebooster,a
great design that’s equally comfortable
standing or sitting. The dash seems
to have enough controls for a fighter
jet but everything is clearly labelled
and logically positioned. A Raymarine
multifunction display takes centre
stagewithenginegaugeseitherside.
Allenginecontrolsarepositionedon
ashelftotherightofthedash,falling
comfortablytohandbutalsoprotected
enoughnottobeknockedaccidentally.
These latest-generation engines
feature full electronic controls,
includingpushbuttonstartanddigital
throttle and shift (DTS). We pushed
thebuttonandthetwinMerCruisers
quietlycametolifewithverylittle
noiseescapingthatsoundproofed
engine compartment. The digital
shift is beautifully smooth and easy to
operate, and we gave it stick.
Despite its size, the 350 SLX is a lively
performer and the 600 horses threw
us forward with alacrity. Acceleration
is amazing and it is easy to forget that
this boat is bigger than many launches.
Flat-out speed is reportedly 43kt, while
cruising at 25 to 30kt felt effortless.
To give it some context, you could
head to an island 30 miles off shore for
theday,sincethetripwouldtakejust
an hour or so at cruising speed and
you’dusearoundhalfatankoffuel
for the return trip. More importantly,
this boat is big enough to comfortably
handlethebigseaswellswithout
skipping a beat.Thanks to that size and the high
deadriseangleof21degrees,the350
SLXcutsthroughswellandchop
smoothly, rather than lifting and
crashing. The bow is widely flared and
sitsafairheightoffthewatersovery
little spray comes up despite the open
foredeck. Although this is described as
adayboat,itlookscapableofhandling
some less-than-ideal conditions in
comfort, especially since at its cruise
speedtheboateasilyoutrunsany
spray the hull creates.
Theboatturnswell,althoughthis
iswhereitssizeandweightbecomes
more apparent. Hard turns at speed
are comfortable and controlled but
weight and inertia mean they take
more space. However, this boat is all
about comfort and the ride is smooth
enough that there’s little worry ofSeaTrialsTwin 300hp MerCruiser 350 MAG sterndrives
RPM SPEED (KT) FUEL BURN (L/H) RANGE
3500 25 74 330nm
5250 43 190 122nm
*Sea-trial data supplied by the author.“The dash seems to have
enough controls for a
fighter jet but everything
is clearly labelled and
logically positioned”
The boat you want is easier to find tradeboats.com.au^33