Boating USA — January 2018

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48 | BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018

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# 3046

Scout’s compact dual-

console 175 Sport Dorado,

rigged with a 90 hp

Yamaha four-stroke out-

board,  jumped on plane and

reached 30 mph in 9.2  sec-

onds. Our tester hit a max-

imum speed of 40 mph at

5,700 rpm twisting a 13^1 / 8 -by-

16-inch Yamaha Reliance

stainless-steel three-blade

propeller.  That’s with two

crew members aboard

(400 pounds) plus about

14 gallons of fuel. Though

powerful and respon-

sive, the Sport Dorado-

Yamaha combination  sipped

that fuel miserly. We noted

the most economical and

comfortable cruise speed for

the 175 Sport Dorado was 29

mph at 4,500 rpm, where we

barely ticked over the fuel

consumption gauge at 5.2

gph, calculating to nearly

5.6 mpg. Even at full pedal, it

SCOUT

175 Sport Dorado

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION

rpm knots mph gph naut. mpg stat. mpg n. mi. range range s. mi. angle levelsound

1000 2.61 3.00 0.40 6.52 7.50 264 304 0 59

1500 4.34 5.00 0.80 5.43 6.25 220 253 1 63

2000 5.65 6.50 1.20 4.71 5.42 191 219 2 66

2500 6.95 8.00 2.20 3.16 3.64 128 147 3 70

3000 6.95 8.00 3.10 2.24 2.58 91 105 3 73

3500 13.03 15.00 3.40 3.83 4.41 155 179 3 78

4000 21.72 25.00 4.60 4.72 5.43 191 220 3 82

4500 25.20 29.00 5.20 4.85 5.58 196 226 2 84

5000 30.59 33.00 6.60 1.89 5.00 77 203 2 88

5500 33.40 37.00 8.60 1.47 4.30 60 174 2 94

5700 34.76 40.00 9.10 3.82 4.40 155 178 2 97

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

High Points

If your funds and garage space are

limited, but you have champagne taste

in boats, the Dorado won’t disappoint.

Big-boat features, like the bow anchor

locker, Carolina flare, and stainless ski

tow with fiberglass swim/boarding

steps, make the Dorado a great fishing

and family choice.

Low Points

Aft console placement makes for

bow-high planing, so trim tabs are a

good investment.

Max of 90 horses makes 40 mph the

best you’ll see, although this hull would

easily handle a larger engine and

50 mph speeds.

Toughest Competitor

Boston Whaler’s 170 Super Sport

($26,589 with Mercury 90 FourStroke)

goes head-to-head in performance and

capacity, and has the Whaler unsinkable

reputation, but the Dorado stands head-

tall with the custom Scout features and

touches that make it unique.

·LOA: 17'5"·BEAM: 7'5"·DRAFT (MAX): 10"

·DISPLACEMENT (MAX): 1,310 lb. without engine (as

tested, 1,676 lb.) · TRANSOM DEADRISE:13 degrees

· FUEL CAPACITY: 28 gal. · MAX HORSEPOWER:

90 · AVAILABLE POWER:Single Yamaha or Mercury

90 hp

HOW WE TESTED

ENGINE: Yamaha F90LA DRIVE/PROP: Outboard/

Yamaha Reliance Series 13^1 / 8 " x 16" 3-blade stainless

steel GEAR RATIO: 2.27:1 FUEL LOAD: 14 gal.

CREW WEIGHT: 400 lb.

achieved 4.4 mpg. At cruise

speed, range in this little rig

is over 225 miles, leaving 10

percent fuel in the 28-gallon

tank for reserve. To put it

in what may be more rele-

vant terms, you can fi ll up

on Friday and probably boat

right through Sunday with-

out refi lling.

The choppy Charleston,

South Carolina, harbor

where we tested threw

some windy conditions at

the Dorado, but we perse-

vered; the ride was

a bit bouncy but

clean and dry. The

aft placement of

the driver and pas-

senger consoles

smooths the ride

and keeps spray off the crew

— and it also aff ords the

Dorado a huge bow section

complete with forward-fac-

ing lounge seats and a raised,

cushioned bow platform.

For a 17-footer, the Dorado

has a ton of cockpit space.

The Dorado is 100 per-

cent hand-laid fi berglass,

and the quality quotient is

at the same level as its larger

brethren — very high. Fit and

fi nish are a cut above most

competitors, if not all, and the

typical Scout attention to de-

tail is evident in the console

layout, welded stainless rails,

high-end stitching and vinyl,

and high-gloss gelcoat fi n-

ish (even underneath where

many builders spatter-coat,

but not Scout — the gel un-

derneath is as smooth and

polished as the hull and deck

that you can see).

The option list for the 175

Sport Dorado is short but

does include a Bimini top and

trim tabs — two upgrades that

should be strongly considered.

— John Tiger

To see a photo gallery
of the Scout 175 Sport
Dorado, visit boatingmag
.com/3046. SCOUT BOATS
Summerville, South Carolina; 843-821-0068;
scoutboats.com

PHOTO: COURTESY SCOUT BOATS

Price: $27,999

(as tested, includes trailer)

AVAILABLE POWER:

OUTBOARD