Boston Whaler Conquest 345

Whale of a time

Sometimes, we test drivers are none the wiser about a boat's offshore performance because Huey has smiled from above, there's no breeze and barely a ripple. But that wasn't the case with Trade-a-Boat's sea trial of the aptly named Conquest 345, the biggest boat ever built by the revered American yard.

The forecast was for south to southeast winds of 15 to 20kts reaching south to southwesterly of 20 to 25kts with a 2.5 to three-metre swell and surf breaking dangerously near the coast. While not the worst weather imaginable, it was sufficiently foreboding to test the mettle of Whaler's new flagship and that of the crew aboard.

With an all-weather wheelhouse, Whaler's new Conquest 345 is the most comfortable in the fleet. The antipathy of a centre console, of which Boston Whaler builds plenty, the Conquest is a pretty and practical cabin cruiser perfect for reeling in serious sea miles, undertaking coastal passages, serious fishing and diving, and spending weekends aboard.

Bundled with a generator and air-con you can keep cool in northerly climes just as easily as staying toasty and dry down south. But, best of all, the creature comforts don't compromise the boat's commodious cockpit, which has been designed for serious outdoor pursuits.

Speaking of which, the 345 Conquest comes with twin or even triple outboard engines. A 1500lt-plus fuel capacity and four-stroke outboards ensure long legs and comparatively lean fuel consumption, at least when pitched against the outboards of yore.

UNSINKABLE LEGEND
Of course, Whaler is no stranger to rough water. In fact, this is the Yankee yard's 50th year of building its famous foam-filled boats. Ever since founder Richard Fisher created a Whaler in the '50s, the yard hasn't looked back. He was a pretty smart salesman, too.

To demonstrate the unsinkable nature of his boat, the Whaler forefather sawed his craft in half in front of a packed audience and motored away on the remains, thereby winning immediate adulation. More recent demos of their near indestructibility have seen tractors drive over hulls and I've read reports of a boat staying afloat after being sprayed with rounds of large calibre machinegun fire.

Thus, the unsinkable legend was born, a phrase used often by Whaler in its marketing. Only these days, the boats have got smarter and, even after being swooped up by American multinational Brunswick Corporation in recent years, they remain at the top of the tree for offshore boaters who like to range away for days and sleep nights aboard.

Besides improving the inherent safety factor of your boat, the foam-filled Whaler hull deadens running noise, while the underfloor fishboxes benefit by being fully insulated. Meanwhile, the stainless steel deck gear is through-bolted and seriously beefy, all wiring is tin-coated, and the battery, plumbing and electrical systems are in keeping with a cruiser rather than a blown-up trailerboat.

COCKPIT FEATURES
Naturally, the flagship Conquest 345 is not only the longest but the broadest boat in the range, with a substantial 3.55m girth taken well aft to create a huge self-draining cockpit. Backed by padded coamings, and with freeboard measuring 70cm from cockpit sole to gunwale, you get a real sense of being contained within this boat.

A high transom keeps water at bay at the blunt end and, unlike some outboard-pod arrangements on Yankee sportsfishers, the outboards aren't pushed too far away where they impede fishing. Having said that, you drive outboard-powered boats forward when fighting fish, with the angler in the starboard corner so the skipper can glance over his right shoulder and drive down the line.

Diamond-pattern non-skid ensures good footing on the Whaler, while radial mouldings and a cambered deck are designed to shed or drain water and make for an easy clean. And a standard-issue bowthruster assists with close quarters manoeuvring around the marina.

The owner, a keen angler who also wanted a family boat, ticked plenty of options boxes. There were telescopic Taco outriggers with the snap-lock Grand Slam bases, a deluxe electronics package costing $25,000 that included a Northstar 8000i touchscreen with chartplotter, depthsounder linked to 600W transducer and radar, plus Raymarine autopilot, spotlight, stainless steel anchor and 12V cockpit outlet for a downrigger or electric reel.

Family appeal is enhanced by the addition of optional foldaway cockpit seating, aft cabin bedding, a trick electric outdoor grill for cooking the catch or breakfast, and plenty of provisioning. But even in standard guise, the Conquest is a crew and crowd pleaser created, I'm told, with feedback from Whaler owners.

TOUR OF DUTY
We came aboard via the full-beam boarding platform that can take up to triple 300hp four-stroke outboards, walked through the expectedly big marlin door, noted a concealed swim ladder that won't foul lines, and spied super-neat rigging with concealed hydraulic-steering rams on the engines to reduce clutter.

In the portside corner is an impressive 150lt livebait tank with rounded corners and high-capacity pump, alongside the raw-water outlet, and the owner had two aftermarket Magma cutting boards fitted, one of which had a handy manual seawater pump and sink.

Underfloor are twin fishboxes, each of sufficient size to take a dressed 30kg tuna, while a huge central hatch leads into the lazarette storage area, with Racor fuel filter, sea strainers for the raw-water intakes, and 8kW Fischer Panda generator with separate 50lt fuel tank, plus bilge pump.

The addition of an optional fold-down portside cockpit seat means you lose a rod rack and aluminium toe-kick, but not to worry, the starboard side is geared for fishing fish, with four gaff or tag pole racks and the alloy toerail. There are also hawsepipes and under-gunwale cleats to keep decks clean and a spread of rodholders from angled (45-degree) amidships numbers to straight mounts for flat lines including three holders across the transom.

The aluminum clear-away rodholders can carry six outfits either side of the cabin, upon which were mounted the telescopic Taco outriggers. Sidedecks access is helped by a bowrail, handrails and moulded toerails. Up front, there's a windlass, a freshwater anchor wash and, impressively, a further two flush-mount rodholders for optimising your spread of outfits when drift fishing. Storage for four rods exists in the lock-up cabin, too.

The rigging station at the wheelhouse entrance includes a portable cooler under a moulded cabinet with tackle lockers, sink and optional electric grill. Hook 'em and cook 'em! To starboard is a 12V fridge/freezer, while a clear curtain can be unfurled for complete weather protection in the wheelhouse.

CENTRAL HELM
Despite the enclosure, there are huge wraparound windows and wipers to ensure the views of the road ahead are unfettered. And with a central high-backed helm seat with flip-down bolster, you can drive on your feet and see all corners of the Conquest. Your crew gets to ride on a portside lounge that doubles as a day berth and a single seat across the way that slides out to accommodate the girth challenged.

There are more storage lockers, a battery management panel and a hatch for direct access to the banks of AGM batteries alongside the helm. Headroom is a highpoint, even with the net under the hardtop carrying lifejackets for your bar crossing. As mentioned, air-con outlets keep you warm or cool depending on your needs and the season, while hardtop hatches provide natural ventilation.

Overhead is a red night-driving light so you can see the map during those dawn raids, while the dash is an accommodating design, in this case fitted with a Northstar 8000i multifunction unit with radar, sounder, GPS chartplotter and iPod compatibility. Last but not least, there was a Raymarine autopilot with remote on a necklace, so you can cruise places or troll handsfree and/or shorthanded.

The SmartCraft VesselView engine monitoring panels provide feedback from fuel consumption to range, and the throttle is a Mercury DTS number with synchro and troll modes. The bowthruster controller is nearby, too. All set to go. But first, down below.

WEEKENDER AWAY
The open-plan cabin can sleep up to six, via an island double bed in the bow, and a dinette and an aft lounge that both convert to double beds. A young family or four anglers should find the interior agreeable.

The vented WC has an upmarket Vacuflush head and a handheld shower. I could find no mention of the freshwater capacity, suffice to say, it would surprise if it didn't last a weekend's worth of flushing the loo, using the indoor and outdoor showers judiciously, and washing up at the galley.

Traced by a useful amount of food-prep space, the galley has a second fridge with freezer tray, two-burner cooktop and microwave oven that runs off the generator or Shorepower. The owner added an aftermarket cappuccino machine and a spread of custom crockery, cutlery and glass storage racks.

RIDERS OF THE STORM
But it's in the rough stuff that Whalers set themselves apart. Fast or slow, we didn't get pounded, doused by saltwater, or cut in two by the brisk breeze. At fast cruise speeds, we could have kept going into the fray and cruised to another port in the marginal conditions. The 345 feels like a big boat.

At 2190rpm and eight knots I noted a distinct wave pattern, no smoke and a nice smooth engine hum as the twin 15in three-blade props whirred away. At 3000rpm, the boat jumped out of the water and, with trim tabs applied, we held a plane at 10kts. Heavy-weather cruise at 3700rpm returned 14kts.

It was still smooth sailing at an economical 4350rpm for 22.5kts cruise whereupon the twin supercharged 300hp outboards use about 110lt/h in total for a safe range of more than 300nm. You could therefore reach Port Stephens from the Gold Coast or vice versa.

I leant on the throttles and was surprised how well it performed at 5100rpm and 27.5kts. Top speed was 33.5kts. She's not a rocket ship but a well behaved and in-control cabin cruiser.

What the Whaler does best is reassure riders-of-the-storm they will be okay. Suddenly, the ocean didn't seem quite so bad. Next thing, the horizon is looming and you're making tracks. And, at the end of the day, you don't feel like you've been put through a washing machine. The thinking man's cabin cruiser.

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