2013 Pursuit S 280

Some boats are built for comfort, others for speed. The Pursuit S280 center console? It does both surprisingly well. Its amenities and style hark back to the gentle age of picnic boats, but the speed and hardcore fishing gear declare this a no-nonsense bluewater rig.

With 24 degrees of deadrise at the transom, the S280 should offer rough-water performance. To test this we leapt 3' wakes from the many yachts on their way south for the winter. The S280 proved easy on passengers and gear. And thanks to the 9’6" beam, there’s no tenderness such as that found in many narrower deep-V boats. It heels aggressively into fast turns, but sharp chines and strakes grab and prevent sliding even during emergency maneuvers.

For a rig displacing 7,042 pounds, the S280 is quick out of the hole-just over four seconds. It also accelerates well, hitting 30 mph in 9 seconds. Sure, with a top speed of 54 mph it’s slower than a go-fast fishboat such as a Fountain, but still exceptional given S280’s beam and heft. Fuel economy averaged 1.6 mpg at 4500 rpm and 39.8 mph.