3070 Pursuit Info

[jwdrech]

I have been checking out 3070 pusuits and like the boat from dry land but would appreciate some first hand feedback on this boat on how it performs in 2 to 4 seas like those in lake ontario. Does it pound? Any idea for real numbers MPG? Any information fishing or cruising with this boat would be great. THANKS!!

[PSW]

I had an 2005 Pursuit 3070 with F250's. Nice boat. If I were doing it over again I would look at the 3370. Same power and very comparable performance. I believe the 3370 rides a bit better from the added running length and the cabin is way nicer and more accomadating on the 3370. If all you do is fish and use as day boat the 3070 is nice and has great storage under helm deck. Also the 3070 has a better fish box than the 3370.

Great boat overall and good luck.

[triguy7]

Great boat. There is better boats if you are looking for the ride in 4's. Good fuel numbers for a boat that size. Mine had 300 hpdi's. Top quality boat.

One of the best looking boats on the water.

[jwdrech]

Thanks! I don't plan on fishing in 4s but I don't want to get pounded if the lake gets rougher on the way back. My thoughts are to travel and stay where we fish over night instead of trailering like I did in the past. I would want to feel like the boat can give a good ride if we had to travel about 25 miles back to port. The trip is not way off shore but along the shore in seas that typically are close to one another in Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario however can get nasty.

My choices right now are between a trailerable World Cat 270 EC or a more comfortable Pursuit 3070 with a cabin. I have not looked into the 33 Pursuit but I would if I knew it handles that much better than than the 3070. I have heard the World Cat can start to pound after 4 footers and if you have a following sea that large you begin to loose the advantage of the Cat.

[doeboy]

I had an 2003 3070 with f225s for 3 1/2 years. very good boat with good fuel economy. it will pound in 3 to 4 ft seas and you will need to slow down to 26 mph. the 33 is nicer room wise not sure if a better ride

[jwdrech]

triguy7,
I was wondering what your thoughts were about boats with a better ride in this design?

[cat tales]

Problem is there are not many good choices for this type boat if ride is a primary concern. Grady is the closest competitor and their ride, while ok, is not what they are about either.

[GOB]

I currently own a 2004 3070 with twin 225s and I think that for the price, the boat cannot be beat. Regarding pounding, I have not experienced this at all and we were doing 25 knots on much bigger seas (seas that made a Viking 52 break his anchor and many Bertram 31s stay in the bay while we rode 45 miles back home ).

Triguy7: I'd love to hear which boat rides better as a few other boat owners that have been on my boat all say the same thing: awesome ride in the rough, but the cabin is a bit small for its size. These are people who have owned Blackfin 28, Bertram 28, Bertram 31, Welcraft 30s, and other boats.

If I were to start all over, I would have gotten the 3370 instead due to the cabin. When we go on tournaments, 2 "friendly folks " sleep in the front bed, one in the floor (cannot move much) and one in the mid berth (due to its layout, many people find it too claustrophobic). Also, make sure it has the built in generator from factory (only way to have the generator and keep the fishbox) as carrying around a Honda EU2000i becomes a bit tiresome after a while

I really like my boat a lot, there are a few things I would love to have (bigger cabin, built in generator), but that would cost me at least an additional $50K and that money buys a lot of fuel and hotel nights for tournaments

[triguy7]

Bought my boat in Naples, Florida and bought it to Dauphin Island, Alabama. Did not pound often but when it did.....and this was running in 3-4's as the OP asked.

In the upper GOM we have more 3-4' days than we do 1-2' days so I want a soft ride.

I will not comment on mono hulls vs the 3070 Pursuit as I am clueless. I based my comments on my experience. I went from a 26' Twin Vee to the Pursuit - sold the Pursuit (here on THT) and went back to a cat.

I loved the boat - but the ride was better with the much smaller cats.

[albiewhore23]

i had one for two years. i loved the boat but it definitely pounds in 3 to 4s and it was a much wetter ride than i would have expected. i used the windshield wipers almost every time i fished outside. Also thought it was a little underpowered with 225 4 strokes. I had an 02 which had a tiny mid berth (useless except for storage) and the big storage area outside under the floor of the helm, i think on newer models they extended the mid berth aft and did away with the outside storage area.


Fit and finish are exceptional though as is customer service.

[GOB]

Cats do have a tendency to run better in rough water as long as the waves aren't big enough to crash against the center tunnel. The 3070 has a 10'6" beam and a 21˚ deadrise.

Look at the pictures below and once we landed the fish being fought, we ran home for 45+ miles in that weather doing 22-27 knots. The person fishing owns a Bertram 31 and the other fella with me owned a Wellcraft Coastal 330 and both said that their boats would have pounded a lot more and they were amazed how well mine broke through the waves without crashing.

That said, if the weather turns like this again, I would run away from it first as it was a really nasty sight and feeling It actually turned worse before it got to be as "good" as it got in these pics (visibility went down to perhaps 30 feet and the cloud cover was so thick the GPS lost its bearing !

[jwdrech]

Great inputs. Always about the trade-offs. I have been leaning very hard to the Cat boat. Can any one tell me how it handles in a 2 to 4 following sea? I heard Cat boats lead the way in head seas but fall behind in a following sea conditions. Right now I am used to coming off a wave plowing with my Grady 22 Seafarer. Not the greatest but I know what to expect.

The reason why we would choose the 3070 is for the cabin and the cabin only because it has hot water, a counter area with burner, shower and a closed head compared to the 270 EC cat boat. If we did choose the Pursuit I would want to know we can still perform well in the 15 to 20 mph wind 2- 4 foot sea condions. We don't go out in any thing worse-but we could get caught in some thing worse and want to feel safe in either boat.

Choosing the Pursuit would mean gaining comfort. Choosing the the Cat would be an increase in MPG and head sea condition but possible loss of following sea condition. If we sacrificed the MPG I would like to know we still have the comfort riding in those sea conditions and not have to sacrifice both MPG and ride to gain a cabin. The cabin isn't worth the pounding because it's only use is when we sit at the dock over night.

[bc22]

a freeman 33 would eat up 3-4' seas
if you got the bling bling you could be the first to have Billy make you a WA or express on that awesome hull with twin F350's.

[GOB]

jwdrech: the 3070 came in many different layouts for the cabin, so pay close attention before purchasing. The earlier center console versions are different than mine (one with a small dinette to starboard). Somewhere in 2004 Pursuit changed it to the "new" layout (renamed it OS305 too) where it has a more traditional forward berth and instead of the dinette seating area, it has a galley with a single burner on it. If you are staying on a dock overnight with shore power, then no biggie on the generator, unless you want the cabin with AC all day long (I wish I had this option as its very warm here in Panama). Also, the head is VERY small, so make sure you go on a 3070 before you purchase, and if you can spend the extra cash, then the 3370 is a lot better regarding cabin amenities. I doubt anybody will tell you that a 3070 is an unsafe boat and cannot handle rough waters. Like you said yourself: "always about trade-offs".

[albiewhore23]

GOB good point im 6'2" and i cant lay down flat on the bed and can barely fit in the bathroom. I slept on the boat once with my wife then decided we'd never do that again. And my brother whose a few inches taller, couldnt fit into the bathroom at all.

[GOB]

I am 5'11" and weigh 195lbs and I cannot fit in that bathroom with the door closed! I don't know how my brother in law (same height, 220ish+ lbs) fits in there and does what he does. No idea, nor do I care to find out how he does it

I think if you are over 6' its going to be a tough fit in the forward berth. I barely fit in the mid berth. Best sleep on my boat was actually in the floor (I put a memory foam cushion that was cut to the exact size of the "hallway"

I am going back and forth on the idea of selling my boat and move up to a 3370/3305 or jump even bigger to a 35-37' flybridge type boat, but right now, with the less than 100 hours I have put in it in 9 months and only 5 nights sleeping in it, well the jump in cost of purchase and ownership seems a bit too steep

Should have gotten the 3370 to begin with, then I would have absolutely no problems at all

[jwdrech]

I heard with the generator you loose the fishbox? My wife and I are both less than 5'10".

I guess it will come down to a sea trial.

Any thoughts on pursuit still using wood construction?

[GOB]

On the 3070, you can have the fishbox and the built in generator (Express models). Thing is that its MUCH better for you if it already comes from factory this way as doing this post delivery entails taking the boat back to Pursuit or trusting someone to do quite a costly and extensive job (relocate fresh water tank where the batteries normally reside and relocate the batteries to the under helm storage).

We thought (recall, bought sight unseen ) that the fishbox was "removable" and it would be an easy install, but the truth is that on non generator equipped 3070s from factory, the fishbox is molded into the cockpit. The labor and relocation of the aforementioned parts would have cost us more than the purchase and subsequent installation of a 5 kw Westerbeke (what Pursuit installs from factory) Talk about an expensive learning lesson!

What we decided to do instead (mostly due to finances) was to purchase a Honda EU2000i portable generator. It works fine for 6 hours of AC and battery charger, but hauling it around becomes a chore after a while That said, I have a few friends with built in generators in their boats and it is always giving them headaches/problems/issues. Does not matter if they are Onan/Panda/Westerbeke or any other brand, all appear to be "delicate" items to deal with. One of them burnt something on his Westerbeke from his Pursuit OS285 in the storm pictured above (when it got real bad) due to the fact that the pickup seacock did not get enough water during those huge waves The Honda has been rock solid from day one.

[jwdrech]

wow that's great advice.....Can you give me real numbers for mpg cruising? Keep in mind I was looking at a boat with 250s. I heard the 3070 with twin 225 is a bit under powered. Numbers so far are 1.5 mpg. Does that sound right?

I am trying to find a boat in my area to sea trial. north new jersey

[relentlesspursuit]

Originally Posted by jwdrech

Any thoughts on pursuit still using wood construction?

What would you like to know about Pursuit's wood construction? I've build many of the 3070's, which became the OS305.