Max HP: 400 | Price: $135,800 w/ twin 200 Verados | seaveeboats.com Test Conditions: Weather: Cloudy Location: Biscayne Bay, Florida Wind: WNW 19 knots Sea State: 2- to 3-foot chop Test Load: Two adults, 64 gallons of fuel, 9 gallons of water Courtesy SeaVee
When designing bay or hybrid boats, most builders focus on inshore performance first, then implement features to enable a model to tackle deep water. But SeaVee approached its 270Z differently. This multifaceted center console has all the requisites for the inshore game, but with only minor tweaks and twin outboards, the brand’s offshore pedigree really shines.
The vacuum-resin-infusion process used to build both the hull and deck ensures only the necessary amount of resin and eliminates air pockets, yielding a higher modulus per square inch, which translates into lighter weight and superior strength. To maximize integrity and rigidity, the stringers and bulkheads are all laminated at once.
SeaVee’s fit and finish match the quality of the components and construction. All surfaces are smooth, hardware is perfectly aligned and through-bolted, and hatch seals deliver true dry storage. Well-organized wiring makes any repairs and electronics installations a cinch, while their protected location minimizes the corrosive effects of the marine environment on connectors and fuses.
According to SeaVee, the patented two-step hull produces a fixed running angle that eliminates unwanted bow rise. A number of runs and maneuvers proved that to be the case and revealed the twin-powered 270Z takes only 9 seconds to go from zero to 30 mph.
The hull stability is evident at anchor, adrift and underway, with speed rails ensuring steadiness and proper tracking during high-speed turns. Meanwhile, the sweeping sheer line and substantial bow flare keep spray down as the boat takes full advantage of its 27-foot length to bridge the gaps between waves, and its 17 degrees of deadrise provides a cushy ride.
The twin outboards on the transom provide insurance when venturing miles from the coast, and a fuel capacity of 125 gallons affords the range to make long runs to find the hot bite.
For peak performance, SeaVee extends both outboard shafts to 30 inches — using authorized conversion kits that won’t void manufacturer warranties — and mounts the motors on a Bob’s Machine Shop double hydraulic jack plate, which also improves the boat’s shallow-water access.
Biscayne Bay waters, turned mighty bumpy by stiff frontal winds, gave me a true sense of what the twin-powered 270Z is capable of, and I found the boat’s layout, numerous amenities and ample storage equally impressive. A cleverly designed step, housing a 24-gallon livewell, provides a comfortable transition to the front casting deck, which, in turn, accommodates an anchor locker, plus 75-gallon fish boxes and rod lockers — with foldaway racks and tubes long enough for 9-foot rods — to port and starboard. A center compartment stows large items such as tackle bags, dock bumpers and, under a false floor, trolling-motor batteries.
Between the step and the console, beneath an in-floor hatch, hides a chamber tailor-made for a 5-gallon bucket and a cast net, or other wet items that require draining. The forward console seat lifts to access a generous 68-quart drink cooler, and the backrest is attached to the door affording access to wiring, breakers, batteries and electronics inside the console. Flush-mounted rod holders line both sides of the console, forming dual vertical racks for up to 10 outfits.
The dash has space for a pair of 12-inch displays, digital multifunction gauges, a stereo, a large switch panel, plus a VHF, trim-tab and Power-Pole switches, and more. A leaning-post-style bench with backrest sits two comfortably at the helm. In back, a rocket launcher keeps four rigged rods at arm’s length while a molded-fiberglass tackle center holds tackle trays, leader spools and a fillet knife. The hatch (made of Starboard) folds down to double as a cutting board, which comes to rests on top of a sizable Frigid Rigid pull-out cooler.
Seating at the rear comes via a large, comfortable bench-style seat that hides under its fold-up backrest, which remains part of the aft casting deck when not in use. The bench also lifts up for bilge access. Behind it sits a 30-gallon livewell that, like the smaller well up front, gets its constant supply of water from the same type of sea-chest system used in SeaVee’s larger models. Outboard, to port and starboard, identical, insulated compartments provide additional dry storage, convert to supplemental fish boxes, or may also be plumbed to serve as release wells.
SeaVee rigged the twin-powered 270Z we tested with a 36-volt trolling motor, raw- and freshwater washdowns with coiled hoses under the gunwales, twin Power-Pole Blades (on angled blocks molded in the transom), and a half-tower with spreader lights, multicolor cockpit lighting, six aft-facing vertical rod tubes, and a nifty electric actuator that opens the fiberglass top to access a second helm station above, which are just some of the many custom options to choose from.
The clean, sleek lines of this hybrid SeaVee, its somewhat unusual array of compartments, and the fact that convenience and performance are clearly behind every design element left an indelible impression. If you’re in the market for a dual-threat kind of boat that won’t limit your fishing to protected waters when the weather turns ugly, don’t leave the twin-powered 270Z off your short list.
