Deep V 340

In 2002 Queensland-based boatbuilder DeepVee Marine purchased the moulds and tooling for the 26–34-foot Black Watch range of sportsfishing boats. However, due to the expiry of the licence agreement for the use of the Black Watch trademark in North America, in December 2004, the board of DeepVee Marine decided to re-brand its product range.

Now known as Deep V, the range currently includes the Deep V 260, Deep V 280, Deep V 310 and the largest in the fleet, the Deep V 340 which is the subject of this review. The company has also begun designing additional models to compliment this range.

The Deep V 340 is based on the old Black Watch 34 hull which BlueWater ran as a project boat for 18 months. Having spent over 1000 hours behind the wheel of BlueWater IV I didn't expect a dramatically different ride from our testboat, Watchdog, the first 340 to wear the Deep V badge, even though the company has made several modifications since they built our boat.

The most noticeable difference between Watchdog and BlueWater IV is the raised sheerline. The additional 100mm around the whole boat has resulted in more internal volume meaning bigger fuel capacity, more storage, and importantly, more space around the engines.

Watchdog was fitted with the now optional 1350lt long-range fuel tank whereas BlueWater IV had a capacity of 950lt. While extra fuel is great, there is no point carting it around if you aren't going to use it. An extra 400-odd kilograms onboard will affect the boat's performance so if all you do is daytrips, the extra fuel capacity may not be a necessity. We used to average three full days marlin fishing out of BlueWater IV's 950lt fuel tank.

FISHABILITY
The best way to test a gameboat is to go gamefishing so I arranged for our testday aboard Watchdog to be a day blue marlin fishing wide of the Gold Coast.

As we departed the seaway and headed east we were greeted by a fairly short and sharp easterly residual swell left over from the ordinary weather we had in the days prior. That said, there wasn't a lot of sea on top and conditions were quite reasonable.

Our course to the fishing grounds had the sea right on our nose so I sat Watchdog on a comfortable 22kt cruise and pushed the trim tabs right down to bring the bow down. It probably had a fair bit to do with the five guys in the cockpit and a belly full of fuel but I wasn't able to trim the nose down as far as I would have liked. Subsequently I didn't think the headsea ride was quite as comfortable as what I was used to in BlueWater IV.

An hour later we were putting the gear in the water and hopes were high for a shot at a blue marlin.

The cockpit on the Deep V 340 is purpose-built for gamefishing and one of the best you'll see in a 34-footer. The optional teak-laid cockpit sole and solid teak covering boards are not only practical but look the goods also. Floor hatches reveal two removable storage bins/fish boxes port and starboard while the aft hatches provide access to the bilge and steering gear.

A huge livewell in the transom can keep dozens of livies in tip-top condition and while its location can be a bit of a pain while being dragged around the cockpit on the wire, it's a much better spot than under the floor where it was on the old Black Watch models. My only complaint with the livewell is that it needs a cut-out in the edge of the lid so you can have a pitch bait clipped on and ready to go without getting the leader squashed by the lid.

The outward-opening transom door is restricted in size because of the central livewell but you might just be able to squeeze a grander in there. Steve 'Hoggie' Haygarth put a 980lb black in the cockpit of BlueWater IV which had the same door but you could be in trouble trying to boat the 1300-pounder. I noticed that the transom door latch is version 37B but they might have finally got it right.

The extra 100mm on the sheerline means you've got more height off the water. The upside to this is you won't get as much water over the transom while backing up but the downside is that it is now quite a reach to the water from the cockpit if you need to bill a fish.

Watchdog was fitted with three rodholders on either side plus a clearing rodholder in each wing. They got the rodholder angles right but they positioned the aft rodholders too far back for bent-butt chair tackle. Put a bent-butt 80 or 130 in the middle rodholder and you won't be able to reach the rodtip from the cockpit without lifting the rod.

They could run their outrigger lines from the gamechair, but I'm not a big fan of this practice. There is nothing worse than one or two guys clearing rods around your ears while you're trying to get harnessed up. An extra clearing rodholder in each wing would be nice too.

 Centre-stage is a Reelax 130lb gamechair with a standard backrest. I've decided that backrests on gamechairs are a total waste of space. Used primarily to steer the chair, they take up a lot of room for the job they do. Reelax now make a rocket-launcher/baitboard backrest which folds down when you're hooked-up. It is much more functional, takes up less room than a standard backrest and can still be used to steer the chair. You'd be crazy to fit anything else in my eyes.

ENGINES AND INDOORS
Watchdog has the standard layout with two engine boxes and a full ladder leading from the cockpit to the flybridge over the starboard engine box. I know I'm a bit biased but I still reckon the bait-rigging station, sink and compact ladder over the starboard engine box, like that on BlueWater IV, is a much more functional design.

More space around the engines is noticeable on the new Deep V 340. The new electronic 370 NEF Ivecos fitted with ease and access was much better than on BlueWater IV.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I noticed the company is still not fitting a bulkhead between the engineroom and the aft bilge. This is a must for anyone planning on fishing their boat hard. Put enough water in the cockpit while backing up and it can potentially end up in the engineroom. It happened on BlueWater IV and I thought they had learnt their lesson.

We also fitted a removable washboard - better known as the 'gotimon board' - which slid down between the two engine boxes on BlueWater IV. This prevented water entering the saloon and is a smart custom option.

For security reasons the owner of Watchdog has chosen to go with the solid bulkhead with sliding windows and lockable door between the saloon and the cockpit. To each their own but I much prefer the open bulkhead layout like we had on BlueWater IV.

If you're prone to seasickness, the open bulkhead is the only way to go. You can be inside and still have excellent vision and ventilation. In my opinion the solid bulkhead takes away that airy, open feeling and I reckon you won't see as many people inside with this layout.

The door also restricts access between the cockpit and the saloon slightly. I know of more than one angler or crewman who has got his shirt sleeve caught on the door handle as he races to the cockpit upon getting bit.

Other cockpit fittings worth noting are an engine-driven saltwater deckwash (a must on all gameboats), a freshwater shower and a downstairs VHF radio so the crew can hear the scheds during tournaments.

The saloon lay-out is very similar to BlueWater IV with a dinette to starboard and a settee with Pullman berth to port. I loved the teak and holly flooring although it may get a bit slippery when wet. We had carpet in the saloon on BlueWater IV and it was a real pain to keep clean.

There is a huge amount of storage below the saloon floor and below each seat are also cavernous compartments. A flush-mounted tackle locker in the forward dinette seat saves you having a tackle box floating around the saloon.

The dinette table is nicely finished with a marlin inlay and it drops down to form another berth - albeit a bit on the short side. The bulkhead above the dinette houses a flatscreen TV, a CD player and a circuit breaker panel. Horizontal rodracks are located on the ceiling.

Two steps down from the saloon you'll find a compact galley to port and an enclosed head to starboard. The galley features a gas cooktop, a sink, a microwave oven and a stainless-steel refrigerator. There is also a small storage cabinet above the bench and a larger one below.

The head is fairly basic but a reasonable size for a 34ft boat. Features include an electric toilet, a wash basin, a retractable shower head and storage compartments.

Forward of the galley is a vee-shaped double berth that can accommodate two people okay. There is plenty of storage space below this berth also. An overhead hatch provides natural light and ventilation while reading lights are also provided. Sidepockets provide more storage and are even long enough to house the stand-up gamerods.

IN THE HOT SEAT
The flybridge on the Deep V 340 is well laid out and quite functional in its intended role. The helm is far enough back that you have excellent vision of the cockpit and room for seating in front, but not too far back to prevent a passenger getting behind the helmchair or to result in you getting dripped on from the bimini in inclement weather.

Speaking of bimini tops, whoever decided to do the canvas bimini in black needs his head read. It must have been at least five degrees warmer underneath that canvas. If it was me I'd go for white canvas or better still get rid of the bimini altogether and opt for a fibreglass hardtop.

I've always liked the helm configuration on these boats. The steering wheel sits nicely under your bum while backing down and the single-lever controls on raised pods fall nicely to hand. Despite being electronic engines, the owner chose to fit Morse manual controls which he says have a more pronounced gear change than electronic controls. I agree with him. I'm obviously not the only one who's pulled up at the dock with electronic controls thinking I'm in neutral only to find I'm still in gear.

The owner has obviously done some research into electronics also. He chose a C120 chartplotter from Raymarine and an FCV1100L sounder from Furuno matched to a 2kW transducer, which in my opinion is one of the best deepwater sounders on the market.

The autopilot, trim tabs, remote spotlight, stereo controls and even the VHF radio are all located on the dash within reach of the helm. This is where your radios should be, not tucked away overhead in a radio box where you can't hear them or you have to stand up to use them.

 The only thing I didn't like about the dash layout was the positioning of the ignition keys and the trolling valve controls. I kept hitting my knees on these all day long.

The best choice the owner made when specing Watchdog was to opt for Navigator helm and passenger seats. Having spent over 1000 hours with my butt in these things aboard BlueWater IV I can categorically tell you they are the best helmchairs I have ever sat in and I wouldn't own anything else.

Apart from the black bimini, the only other changes I would make to the flybridge would be to rip up the carpet and replace it with a non-skid fibreglass surface. Carpet is useless in a wet area as it never dries, eventually starts to stink and is a pain to keep clean. With a fibreglass floor on the flybridge, it's simply a matter of hosing it off at the end of the day - job done.

I'd also put a board across the stainless step behind the helm chair. This will just stop anyone stepping behind the helmchair potentially getting their foot caught between the rails.

Finally I'd find a better spot for the gas bottle than right beside the helmsman. I'm not a big fan of gas on a boat fullstop, but if you have to have it, you shouldn't have to sit next to it all day.

QUICK BUT CLUMSY
I was hoping to tell you about all the blue marlin we caught and how good the boat was in reverse as we chased them around the ocean but alas we didn't even get a bite. So the only reversing I got to do on testday was chasing an imaginary marlin around.

My imaginary marlin fought pretty hard and did some radical direction changes so I had to give those throttles everything I had. Now I don't know whether it was the extra fuel, all the bodies or maybe even the props but I have to report that the performance in reverse was disappointing to say the least.

I should point out that I mean disappointing compared to BlueWater IV. Compared to many gameboats it wasn't too bad but this hull is renowned for its agility in reverse and no matter how hard I pushed, it just wouldn't do what it should. BlueWater IV would just about throw you off your feet when you slammed it into gear, but that neck-snapping agility was missing on Watchdog. It will be interesting to hear if a bit of prop testing solves the problem.

What was impressive though was the Deep V 340's performance in forward. The 370hp Ivecos provided excellent acceleration and you really felt the turbos kick in. There was absolutely no smoke and they had a nice rumble to them on the troll. Probably the only complaint was the high-pitched whistle from the turbos. It was almost ear-piercing in the cockpit while on the run.

Full of fuel and with a ton of bodies and gear, Watchdog had a top speed of 33kt which is snappy in anyone's language. Under a normal load you could honestly say it is a 35kt boat.

It was great to get back behind the wheel of a Deep V 340 and although we didn't catch any fish it certainly brought back some fond memories. Upon reluctantly relinquishing the keys to the owner at the end of the day I congratulated him on his new pride and joy and it hit home just how much I miss BlueWater IV. Now when is that next project boat getting here?