| The boat cut through the nasty stuff with nary a creak or shudder. |
Pursuit’s new 2670 attempts to offer fishermen the best of two worlds: the fishing efficiency of a center console combined with the comfort and storage capacity of a cuddy cabin. Other designs such as walkarounds and raised cuddy-cabin boats do the same thing, but this one is a little different.The low-profile cuddy provides some shelter, but doesn’t substantially hamper fishing or visibility.
The aft end of the boat is wide open for fishing, and features the well-designed transom fishing station that now graces many Pursuit models. The bulkhead houses a 49-gallon live well, roughly on the centerline, with a fresh water sink and a bait-prep station with Corian cutting board to starboard. Beneath the prep station, two tackle drawers and a storage cubby hold a fair amount of gear. The transom gate is to port.
Serious Fishbox
Pursuit has designed the 2670 with ample fish-holding capacity by placing a sub-deck transverse fishbox just forward of the transom bulkhead. This is a real fishbox, too, not just a storage space beneath the deck. It features a standard, overboard macerator pump and a pitched bottom that allows it to drain completely.
The rocket launcher/leaning post holds four rods and contains a tackle-storage bin, along with two handy drink holders. An aluminum foot rail along the aft edge of the console makes steering more comfortable-a Pursuit hallmark. The designers at Pursuit spend a lot of time thinking about ergonomics, and it shows in the details.
The console has a port-side helm with an electronics surface to starboard and the gauges above the wheel. The factory-supplied T-top on our test boat came with a zippered lifejacket storage area sewn into the underside, and the console is protected by a sleek, wraparound acrylic windshield. The sub-console compartment does not contain a head, but is useful for dry storage. There’s a small DC electrical panel down there, plus four hatches that let you get to the boat’s wiring and plumbing, but provide no additional storage. A handy insulated drink cooler is hidden under the front console seat.
The forward cuddy eliminates the ability to easily cast from the bow, but in return it gives you a secure place to lock things up. The low-profile deck is easy to see over from the helm, and two steps along either hullside let you step up on top of the deck for docking or anchoring. You could conceivably stand up there to fish, but you wouldn’t want to try it in rough water unless you’re a really good swimmer.
The cuddy has vee-berths and storage racks for five rods per side and four more overhead. This is a great system for locking your rods up neatly when docked in an unfamiliar or unguarded area. It would not, however, be the best place to leave the rods while running in rough weather. An electric Vacu-Flush head with a macerator and holding tank (all standard equipment!) sits between the berths, a vast improvement over the old head-under-the-console trick.
| ¿ SPECIFICATIONS LOA w/pulpit: 28′ 5″ LOA w/o pulpit: 26′ 5″ Beam: 9′ 3″ Draft: 2′ 6″ App. dry weight: 4,500 lbs. Max hp: 400 Fuel: 190 gals. Water: 18 gals. Transom deadrise: 21 ¿ Base price w/ twin 200-hp Yahama HPDI outboards: $85,590 |
The boat’s batteries sit in a small recess beneath the deck, just aft of the cabin, and can only be reached by either laying on your stomach and looking back upside-down, or by virtually standing on your head in the cuddy. I would much prefer to see the batteries placed under the console, even if it means losing some storage space.
The weight of the forward cuddy gives the 2670 a very level ride at speed, and the solid, heavily built deep-vee hull tracks and handles extremely well. We tested the boat on a very windy day in the Florida Keys, with steep four-footers whipped up inside the reef. The boat cut through the nasty stuff with nary a creak or shudder, although we didn’t just get wet, we got soaked. So did every other boater we saw out that day, so it probably wasn’t a fair test, and every other Pursuit we’ve tested has delivered a very dry ride.
The 2670 cruised at 37.1 mph with twin 200-hp Yamaha HPDI outboards, while burning a miserly 18.8 gph of fuel. Firewall it, and the boat hits 48.7 mph at 5300 rpm. The 2670 comes with Pursuit’s excellent level of fit-and-finish, a standard-equipment list that rivals anything else in the business, and it’s all backed by a five-year hull/ deck structural and blister-free transferable warranty. It is the latest in a long line of top-quality boats from one of the country’s premier builders.
Pursuit, Ft. Pierce, FL; (561) 465-6006; www.pursuitboats.com.
