What’s the biggest problem with most dual console fishing boats? They try to do so many things at once — please the angler, please the family, please the cocktail-cruiser — that they feel cramped and jam-packed, almost as though they’re trying too hard to be all things to everyone. You want a dual console that pleases all these people yet accomplishes the task with grace and ease? Check out the Pursuit DC 306.
With well over 31’ of LOA, sheer size is a huge part of why this boat feels so roomy inside. But intelligent design plays an even bigger role. Take the portside aft-facing helmdeck seat, for example. Fishermen will love how the back swings down to access a tackle station with slots for multiple Plano boxes and bulk stowage; the kids will love kicking back against the comfy upholstery with Dri-Fast foam and mesh backing; and the cocktail cruiser will love how the seat bottom flips up to open an integrated insulated drink cooler. All things to all people? Well, yes.
The bow and aft cockpits offer another example. Up forward you can leave the bow cushions at home and stand on the U-shaped seating when it’s time to cast. Or, leave the cushions in place and you can kick back in the forward-facing lounger-style seats with arm rests when it’s family time. Add in the pedestal dinette table for hanging around for drinks at anchor. Meanwhile, back aft with all the seating folded away you have an open cockpit for angling. Flip down the transom and gunwale seats and there’s room for four people to sit in comfort. Or add on the cockpit table and now a half-dozen of you can chillax.
As for armaments, the DC 306 is rigged for serious business when the rods are brought aboard. It has four flush gunwale rod holders, four more in the transom, and four rocket launchers on the hard top supports. Add in the hard top rocket launchers and you get five more. The transom livewell holds 26 gallons, and the fishboxes are evacuated with long-lasting diaphragm pumps rather than macerators. Opt for the 20’ carbon fiber outriggers and you’re ready for everything from bluefish to bigeye.
Another area of the boat that displays a multi-use attitude is the cabin. Well, cabins — each console has its own, the starboard side dedicated to a roomy head compartment and the port side to an open area with dedicated stowage for cockpit and bow tables, safety gear, and up to eight rods. Removable cushions even make napping down there an option.
Pursuits have always been designed and built to hit high a performance bar, so it won’t come as any surprise that the DC 306 can break the 50-mph mark when rigged with a pair of Yamaha F300s. What may be a bit more illuminating is that at 4500 rpm you’ll be cruising at right around 40 mph, and when the kids are aboard and you want to keep things a bit more mellow, a 3500 rpm cruise is darn close to 30 mph.
Can you please all the people all the time? Well, of course not. But if you’re trying to satisfy anglers, family, and friends all at once, few dual consoles are likely to fit the bill as nicely as the Pursuit DC 306 — without making you feel like the boat’s trying too hard.
Pursuit DC 306 Specifications
- LOA – 31’11”
- Beam – 9’11”
- Displacement – 10,583 lbs.
- Draft (min.) – 2’2”
- Transom Deadrise – 21 degrees
- Fuel Capacity – 224 gal.
- Max. Power – 600 hp
- Area Dealers: Bosun’s Marine, Grasonville, MD (443) 347-6314; North Point Yacht Sales, Gloucester Point, VA, (804) 885-4090; Rt 113 Boat Sales, Selbyville, DE (302) 436-1737.