From the moment I stepped aboard the new SeaVee 370Z, I was struck by the massive amount of deck space, but I was soon equally impressed by the smooth-riding performance of the twin-stepped hull design, quality of construction and details of fit and finish.
True to the SeaVee reputation, the 37-foot center-console offshore fishing machine brings it all together, especially when powered by a trio of Mercury Verado 300s, as was our tester.
The aft cockpit offers nearly 78 square feet of deck space, resulting in plenty of room to fish. You’ll also find an amazing amount of locker space below deck, including four for storage and two to access the bilge. The forward-most locker can be insulated for a fish box or plumbed as a livewell.
Below the forward deck is a monstrous main insulated fish box, and you can order an optional coffin box that tilts up on an electric lift to access the lockers under it.
All deck hatches on the 370Z have 1-inch gutters that drain overboard. Unobtrusive piano hinges, compression latches and gasket seals keep the lockers watertight. Contoured racks under each gunwale hold coil hoses for saltwater and freshwater spigots.
There’s no shortage of live-bait capacity. Standard 40-gallon pressurized livewells reside in the stern quarters, fed by a sea chest containing four Rule 2000 pumps, which also serve the forward 60-gallon livewell.
While the SeaVee 370Z is a serious fishing machine, creature comforts include a removable bench across the transom. A 170-quart Frigid Rigid cooler on tracks slides out from under the seating module, which does double duty as an aft-facing seat.
Tuck the cooler away, and the same area becomes a tackle prep station with a rigging table that folds out over a cabinet with trays and drawers. Above, angled stowage hold five rods and four drink holders.
Forward of the center console, the seat slides to port for access to the cavernous console interior, where you find a counter-top, a sink and a freshwater faucet with pull-out shower head. A 12-volt fan in the console bulkhead helps keep the electronics cool and dry. Convenient tilt-out storage lockers for dock lines and life jackets reside within the forward inwales.
Each SeaVee is built to order, allowing every buyer to customize a boat to his particular needs, with features such as a transom door or a portside dive door. SeaVee designed the voluminous anchor locker on the 370Z to secure the crossbars of a fluke-style anchor with pipe below to receive the anchor shank and prevent it swinging. Just forward of the anchor locker, there’s a second locker perfect to stow fenders.
The center console features nine gunwale-style rod holders on each side. The Key West-style hardtop accommodates longer rods, and cored-fiberglass construction allows it to serve as the base for an elevated second station.
The 45-inch-wide helm station with the wheel in the center provides plenty of space for the pair of Simrad multifunction displays stored behind an acrylic door for protection. Two tiers of angled footrests allow you to brace yourself while perched on the helm seat or using it as a leaning post. This came in handy on test day, as seas off the Florida Keys were running 3 to 4 feet. Yet the Z-hull running surface took the chop in stride, even when pushing the mph into the high-50s, easily bridging the wave tops.
The solid feel of the boat as we challenged the seas is the result of a new cored-hull design that not only improves strength and durability, it also reduces weight to save on fuel and increase speed.
In our acceleration tests, there was very little bow rise, thanks to the hull’s multiple lifting bodies. Our time to plane was a swift 3.6 seconds. And in our tests, the 370Z held on plane at speeds as low as 18 mph.
But once we mashed the throttles, the triple Merc 300s pushed the new SeaVee to a top speed of 60 mph at 6,000 rpm. We found the most economical cruising speed at 4,000 rpm and 37.3 mph, where the trio of 300s burned 38.8 gallons per hour for .97 mpg. That yields a cruising range of 465 miles based on the 480-gallon fuel tank.
The 370Z tracked smoothly and -predictably, even when cornering sharply while underway. Credit the design’s speed rails that help ensure directional stability at any speed. Ultimately, the SeaVee 370Z meets every criteria for a great boat, including abundant deck space, solid construction, top-notch fit and finish, and superb performance, even in nasty seas. About the only thing I didn’t like about this new SeaVee is that it didn’t belong to me.
SeaVee Boats: seaveeboats.com
