Do you want a fishing boat that envelopes you in comfort? Welcome to the Pursuit S378.
There was once a time when getting a seriously comfortable angling machine in the upper-30-something range meant searching for a twin-screw inboard convertible, or maybe an express fishing boat.
New intros like the Pursuit S378 prove that those days are gone. Long gone. Modern center console boats can go well beyond comfortable and hit a perfect 10 on the cushy scale.
Start off with the fact that the cabin inside the console is finished with solid wood tongue-in-groove accents and has a solid wood dinette (which converts into a berth), gets chilled with 6,000 BTUs of air conditioning with reverse-cycle heat, has a fully enclosed stand-up head with shower, and has gobs of natural lighting via a pair of huge side windows set in the console sides. But then consider that Pursuit adds sound-dampening insulation between the hull and liner — talk about going the extra mile, to bring comfort to the next level.
Pursuit S378 Specifications
- LOA – 40’5”
- Beam – 12’0”
- Draft –2’7”
- Displacement –18,000 lbs.
- Transom deadrise –22 degrees
- Fuel capacity – 427 gal.
Out on deck, the cush continues with a plethora of seating, all stuffed with multi-density foam and wrapped in diamond-stitched vinyls. Helm seats have lumbar support, folding armrests, flip-up bolsters, and fold-down footrests. The forward console lounger is just plain sick, with plenty of room for a triple-wide that has instead been used to create a monster double-wide, multi-level lounger with lower seats that adjust to become chaise-style leg rests. Oh, la, and la.
But it’s the aft-facing seat behind the helm where just plain sick gets even sicker — press a button, and the whole dang unit silently moves aft a couple of feet. Then step into the space you just created between the helm station and the seat’s back, flip up the top, and there’s an entertainment center with an electric grill, a sink, a cooler, a cutting board, and stowage drawers.
Wait a sec—doesn’t boosting the cushy-factor to the moon mean making sacrifices in fishability? Well yeah, of course, it does. In this case, the biggest ones will be noted in the amount of deck space given up for seating and console size, and in the height of the rocket launchers. They’re raised extra-high to be above the Make-Fast electric sunshade (yup, it deploys at the press of a button), so getting rods in and out will require stepping up for anyone who’s not an NBA pro and getting out rods with a tuna on the end of the line will be a serious adventure.
Beyond that, the boat comes rigged and ready for serious offshore duty. It has 10 flush-mount gunwale holders (four in the cockpit, two in the transom, and four in the bow), a 38-gallon livewell in the transom, and a pair of 41-gallon fishboxes in the deck drained by diaphragm pumps. Due to the unusual nature of how space behind the helm it utilized with that entertainment center, rigging and tackle stowage is shifted aft to the transom. Flip up the lid behind the folding transom bench seat and you’ll discover room for four Planos and some additional bulk stowage. Truth be told, hard-cores won’t find that sufficient for all their gear and will likely appropriate some of the entertainment center’s stowage capacity.
What about performance? Pursuit likes to uphold high standards for their boats and the S378 is certainly no exception. With triple Yamaha F425 XTO outboards lining the transom, cruising speed at 4500 rpm is a zippy 44 mph. Goose the throttles and the boat can break the 60-mph barrier.
You think you need to jump up to a “big boat” convertible or express, to get maximum comfort in a fishing machine? Heck no. Step aboard a Pursuit S378 for yourself and sit in the seats, chill in the cabin, then kick back on the lounger. We’re betting you’ll agree that this boat doesn’t just get a perfect 10 for its cushy factor—it pushes the scale up to 11.
For more information, visit Pursuit Boats.
