How does it rate?
Average
1 SUITABILITY FOR PURPOSE
2 INNOVATION
3 DESIGN AND LAYOUT
4 QUALITY OF FINISH
5 HANDLING AND RIDE
6 STABILITY AT REST
7 ERGONOMICS
8 STANDARD EQUIPMENT
9 VALUE FOR MONEY
10 X-FACTORWellcraft 302 Fishermanto protect reels on rods is great, the
dive entry or exit door provides easy
access, decks are non-slip and self-
draining, the upgraded sea-grass mat
package is soft on the feet and easy
to rinse down, while the upgraded
premium sound system takes care of
the tunes for the day.
For the serious fi sherman the 302
has sizable livewells built into the
stern plus dedicated bait cutting
board/hatch, big insulated killtank/
hatches, outriggers, multiple fl ush-
mount rodholders, and raw water
deckwash. The list just goes on
and on. Plain and simply, it’s well-
equipped and nicely set out in all
areas.
BIG KAHUNAS
With tests generally restricted for
time, we can get a fair idea of a hull’s
ride and performance, but when you
are given a boat for a full day and
includes running out to the deep
to try your luck at a few fi sh, well
nothing can beat that.
The venue was the Gold Coast and
the plan was a run to The Pin from
Runaway Bay on fl at water to shoot
some awesome pics and crank the
Verados to their max. Following that
was to head offshore and catch a
dolphin fi sh or marlin, then return
south and back through the Gold
Coast seaway ending the day with a
cold one – that’s simple enough.INSHORE FLYER
Again, the Scarab lines and design
coupled with the twin 400R
supercharged Mercury Verado’s
most certainly portray an image of
power and speed – and that the 302
Fisherman does with ease.
Regardless of load, the 302
has the holeshot of a smaller
sportsboat, however the transition
is far smoother. Digital throttle and
steering control also make it ever so
smooth to drive and handle.
On the plane and tapping off
to mid-range revs, you can sit
comfortably at 4000rpm and 27kts,
at an economy of 87lt/h, which is
not bad considering the size, weight
and grunt on the transom. Let’s not
forget that you will be averaging
comfortable and higher speeds
on these boats, so although fuelconsumption might be a tad higher
than usual, you will get to your
destination far quicker.ADRENALIN FIX
Regardless of who you are the 800hp
of supercharged business sitting on
the transom is a temptation no-one
can resist. Knock the throttle down
from mid-range rpm and this baby
winds up pretty quickly to a topped-
out 7020rpm at 49kts and 298lt/h
with the motors trimmed to just
short of cavitation. WOT is 49kts, and
that’s a rush on its own. Fuel burn is
to be expected and nothing to worry
about as you won’t, or shouldn’t be
hammering along at this speed all
day long.BAR CROSSING
Flexing 800hp is no problem,
cranking you at pace around waves
and out through the bar. In saying
that, run-out tides do produce those
awesome standing waves on the
banks and just to prove the stability
on the 302, we copped a decent one
over the snout. Again, this was just to
check stability and drainage speed110 trade aboat.com.au