Overview
Robalo’s R300 is the latest introduction into its center-console lineup, and it’s impressively equipped with standard features for beachcombing, touring and, in keeping with Robalo’s heritage, serious fishing.
Robalo reinvented its popular 30 with a Michael Peters running surface and a Robalo-engineered fishing-and-fun machine on top. The new hull offered impressively crisp handling during sharp turns and while crossing aggressive chop. Top speed tapped nearly 60 mph. At rest, the 10-foot-6-inch beam held steady footing for efficient fishing or comfortable sunbathing.
Engines
Twin Yamaha 350s with the Helm Master EX Full Maneuverability system, joystick, and integrated autopilot system provides exciting handling and confidence-enhancing easy docking. It also supplies station-keeping capabilities that can hold the vessel on a GPS point in an orientation that the skipper selects—a feature essential for awaiting a slot at the gas dock. It also allows the vessel to drift in its current orientation along whatever line the seas determine.
Interior and Accessories
A spacious 10-foot-6-inch beam is equally suited for relaxing or battling fish. The console has three adjustable bucket seats with flip-up bolsters. Driving seated or standing, the tilt wheel is within comfortable reach. The hardtop underside is powder-coated black to contrast with the custom white hull color on our test boat, an effect pleasing to the eye. It seemed to reduce glare from the sea. Overhead handrails stabilize riders in rough water.
In the cockpit, standard mezzanine seating faces electrically actuated foldaway transom seating. There’s a Yeti cooler under the mezzanine seat cushion, and seatbacks and cushions for the port and starboard lounges can be stowed for fishing.
For anglers, there are ample rod holders in the transom, gunwales and hardtop. Dual 28-gallon livewells with acrylic lids flank the transom seat and are plumbed through a sea chest. Fish can be landed via transom and portside dive doors. The console itself opens from the front, offering easy access to the deep compartment plumbed with a toilet and sink.
Fishability, performance and family amenities make the R300 a pride to own and a top resale brand in the boater’s marketplace.
How We Tested
- Engines: Twin Yamaha 350
- Drive/Prop: Outboard/ SWS II 15″ x 20″ 3-blade stainless steel
- Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 140 gal. Crew Weight: 600 lb.
High Points
- Crisp handling with the efficiency of a Michael Peters hull system optimizes speed and fuel efficiency.
- A protective, three-sided bonded-glass windshield opens on sturdy stainless-steel struts while running at sea.
- Silicone upholstery is nearly stain-proof and UV-proof for long, mildew-free life.
Low Point
- The transom seat switched from electrically operated to manual.
Toughest Competitor
Blackfin’s 302CC ($452,108 base with joystick and dual Mercury 350s) also specializes in building tough, fishable and luxurious boats. Blackfin boasts a stepped bottom for efficiency, stowable cushions for convertibility, and a comparably high bow for seaworthy reliability.
Pricing and Specs
| Price: | $323,745 (as tested without trailer) |
| LOA: | 30’6″ |
| Beam: | 10’6″ |
| Draft: | 2’0″ (motors up) |
| Displacement: | 9,900 lb. (with power) |
| Transom Deadrise: | 21 degrees |
| Bridge Clearance: | 8’5″ |
| Fuel Capacity: | 280 gal. |
| Max Horsepower: | 700 |
| Available Power: | Twin outboards from Mercury or Yamaha |
Speed, Efficiency, Operation
