There’s 650.6 cubic inches of displacement wide open and thrumming, 16 spark plugs that flare out every microsecond, and 9,685 pounds of fiberglass going into rocket mode. My brain is trying to catch up with my body-damn, there’s some serious power working here. And as perfect as a pair of 350-hp Yamaha outboards is for this new Pursuit C 340 center console, the boat is just as perfect for the motors. Pursuit designed it specifically to carry these 804-pound beasts, and when I throw down the throttles, the end result is awesome.Changes from the norm for Pursuit include a new fiberglass stringer system, redesigned weight distribution, and an increased transom thickness from 27⁄8″ to 4″. The new stringers mate with the transom via a ply-cored, fiberglass-infused center stringer knee, which is bonded to the face of the transom. When tackling the prospect of extra weight and horsepower, many builders simply mount a motor on the old transom, then wait to see if complaints trickle-or flood-in from the field. Not so with Pursuit.
The C 340 is designed with angling as a priority. Check out the livewell. It has oxygen injection, two separate inlets (each with dedicated pumps), a soothing blue interior, no hard corners, and a whopping 55-gallon capacity. It’s even pressurized, so your baits don’t get bashed around by sloshing water when you charge through six-footers. Stow your gear in the five tackleboxes or bulk stowage drawers in the transom or the six tackleboxes in the leaning post. Once you strike blood, reach for the raw-water washdown. You’ll be happy to know that the gutter system ringing the deck evacuates lots of water-fast.
Another nifty feature that you won’t find on other boats (yet) is a role reversal for the forward compartment hatch latches. Instead of being mounted in the top of the hatch, the latch is mounted on the side of the box’s inwale, where it’s easily accessible. Clearly, the designers put a lot of thought into this boat-instead of merely firewalling the throttles and leaving their minds behind.
