The Glasstream 360 SCX: Another Fast Center Console

Glasstream 360 SCX

Enlarge Photo

In the recent July "Speed" issue, we ran a feature called Five Fast Center Consoles. Actually, we had six. Here is the last of the outboard-powered performance center consoles we reviewed.

Glasstream 360 SCX, www.glasstream.com

Base price with triple 300-hp Mercury Verados $249,500

 LOA: 36’, 
Beam: 10’, 
Displacement (boat only): 7100 pounds, Draft (motors up): 12’1”, Fuel capacity: 275 Gallons, Fresh water capacity: 13 gallons.

Glasstream came to the performance center console party with the most experience in the fishing boat world. Company co-owner A.L. Kirkland founded Glasstream in 1979 and started building bass boats. He then bought Arrow Glass in 1984 and the following year he purchased Century Boats, which built center console models.

After some financial issues, Kirkland bought back Glasstream in 1991. He combined his experience from building the Century center consoles and from designing what was at the time the only stepped hull in offshore racing, the 30’ Century, Turn Of The Century, and started designing stepped-bottom center consoles long before they became the must-have boats that they are now. “I wanted something that the husband wants to fish from, but mom’s going to let him buy it because the way it looks and how comfortable it is,” said Kirkland.

Today Glasstream builds boats ranging from 17’ to the 36’ long 360 SCX, which has a twin-stepped bottom and a notched transom that allows Kirkland to run the outboards mounted higher on the transom. It’s an old bass boat trick. With a trio of 300-hp Mercury Verado outboards, the boat runs just under 75 mph, not bad considering it’s a full 10’ beam and most go out of the factory loaded with air conditioning, a refrigerator, a wetbar, a full V-berth in the forward cabin and a porcelain commode with a pumpout. And the boat is not built light. “We put more glass in the hull than is required, but we never want to change out a hull,” said Kirkland. While other builders have gone with a more sedate look, Glasstream is still going with more aggressive graphics that are all applied by hand by the manufacturer’s in-house artists.