Boston Whaler 420 Outrage: the importance of being a legend

There’s not distinction between a sea trial of the Boston Whaler 420 Outrage and the understanding of what an “ocean machine” is. Especially when on the tap there’s four engines, 350 HP each…

Testing a boat during the Cannes Yachting Festival is a tough task, both for us and for the boat. And this Boston Whaler 420 Outrage is no exception. But why? Because normally there’s plenty of passengers aboard, among colleagues, dealers, prospect customers, guests…and the sea is always choppy and unforeseeable due to the wakes of hundreds of boats crossing the sea outside the port. On a different point of view, the skills of a boat are highlighted, and that’s what I expect from this stars-and-stripes icon.

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Boston Whaler 420 Outrage: unless you see…

The deck of Boston Whaler 420 Outrage is simple to describe, as the layout is nothing revolutionary, but it’s tough at the same time for the incredible amount of lockers, storage spaces, compartments everywhere. Let’s just say that her 13 meters of length are exploited in the best way to please hard anglers and passengers.
Some of the photos on this page come from Boston Whaler archive, which features a different solution for the cockpit when compared to the one we tested. Our boat sports an extra row of seats, very useful when cruising at 50 knots, in order to clear the area for fishing trips. For the same reason, the aft bench folds up into the sides.
The bow deck is more comfort-oriented, with a dinette quickly transforming into solarium, and a second sun pad with three armrests and hiding cup holders.
The real core area of Boston Whaler 420 Outrage is the center console and its three bucket seats (an additional three on our test boat face the cockpit, as mentioned). The dashboard features three screens for all the engine data, the navigation information and the sea bottom graphs: the pilot has everything under control A sturdy hard top protects the area, especially to the front, and takes a big part of the beam. Beside the helm station, the companion door leads to the open space cabin below, with a dinette turning into double bed, a long sofa to port and the galley to starboard. The head is ample enough although it doesn’t sport a separate shower. The quality of the furnishing and finish is top-notch and, in the typical American style, the hues are slightly darker than the average.

Boston Whaler 420 Outrage: the test, with four Mercury Verado 350

As said before, it’s not been easy to get to test one of the most desired boats of the Cannes Boat Show. But the will to personally check the capabilities of this Boston Whaler 420 Outrage lead me to accept the compromise, and go out with a number of other people, customers and passionate. Not bad at all, as I have then the chance to test the behavior of the boat in hard conditions, fully laden and in challenging waters.
Not challenging enough, I’d say, as our Boston Whaler 420 Outrage faces any wave we cross like it’s butter, or whipped cream: despite the load, it reaches a speed north of 42 knots at 6500 rpm, with a demanding fuel consumption of 470 liters per hour. The latter value drops down to 260 lph at 32 knots and 5000 revs, while the gutsy acceleration from the four Mercury Verado 350 takes to plane in 6 seconds.

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The test with four Mercury Verado 300

In order to have a wider range of readings, I have analyzed the figures from a boatyard’s test: same boat, less demanding conditions, and four Mercury Verado in the 300 HP powerstep. The top speed has reached 50 knots, with a time to planing of 10 seconds and 12 seconds to reach 30 knots. It’s an excellent performance indeed, especially as the real discriminating factor is the hull. With a (not impressive, on paper) deadrise of 15 degrees, it proved to be fierce in any sea condition and returned a feeling of total and easy handling. Despite the power in excess, even the craziest maneuvers are faced with steadiness and safety. The legend lives on.
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The numbers of Boston Whaler 420 Outrage

Length overall 13.00 m (42ft 8in)
Beam 3.96 m (13ft)
Draft 0.79 m (2ft 7in)
Displacement 11250 Kg
Engines Mercury Verado 4×350 HP
Fuel reserve 2271 l (600 US gal)
Fresh water reserve 230 l (60 US gal)
Passengers 20

Performance*

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*factory test with Mercury Verado 4×300 HP, Mercury Rev 4 17” propeller, 3 passengers, fuel 1136 l (300 US gal), water 95 l (25 US gal)

Test conditions with four Mercury Verado 350
Moderate sea, temperature 32°C (90°F), clean hull, fuel 1200 l (317 US gal), water 180 l (47 US gal), passengers 15

Indicative price (VAT not included, as tested in Cannes)
With four Mercury Verado 4×350 HP           € 963,000

Notizie correlate

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