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With me on this October morn was Joey Weller, marketing manager for Grady-White; Lee Hale, a member of his staff; Greg Idol, Grady's area sales rep; and Kevin Baker of Yamaha. The 360 was propelled by three brand-new 250-hp four-stroke Yamahas. Greg was eyeing me with friendly suspicion. He and I had been on an ill-fated trip when we tried to ferry a 26-foot Grady from Miami to San Juan and were blown out of the ocean at Long Island in the Bahamas by a ferocious nor'easter. Ancient history. But it was a testimonial to the marque's virtually indestructible hull. All Grady-White boats have full flotation, including this remarkable-and remarkably agile-new family member, by far the largest boat Grady has built. It is yet another C. Raymond Hunt hull design, which Grady-White has patented as the SeaV2. Or, specifically, it is a modification, because the builder took its popular 33, split it and widened it to 13'3", and lengthened it to 36 feet.
After an hour of cruising at 34 mph (she tops out at 44), we raised Old Baldy, the 1817 brick lighthouse on Bald Head Island-which also appears on charts as Smith Island-at the very tip of Cape Fear. There are few islands anywhere on the East Coast that boast three beaches-east, south and west-but Bald Head has them, plus a beautiful maritime forest, an incredible dune system and thousands of acres of unspoiled marsh. The developer says there are 12,000 acres of land in all, and it intends to build on only 2,000. One can hope. The rental cottages and B&Bs are accessible via ferry from Southport. The island figured early on the charts drawn by European explorers. Giovanni Verrazano came by in 1524. Supposedly, he took one look through his spyglass and exclaimed: "Que bella! Condominios! Campos di golf! Ragazza in costume da bagno bikini!" Maybe not.
There is a double V-berth tucked into the bows, with two hatches in the overhead. A 15-inch TV is mounted on the port bulkhead and aimed at the dinette/sitting area, but it will also swivel so you can lie in bed and watch the Tar Heels beat Duke. Needless to say, there is a ton of stowage under the berth, including a space to put the dinette table when it's not in use. The dinette itself is to starboard, with the aforementioned high/low table and seating for four. It makes up into a double berth. The galley, along the port side, offers two sinks and a two-burner Kenyon cooktop with a fold-up Corian cover. Stowage above is behind teak tambour doors, and below in three drawers and two cabinets. A Samsung microwave and slide-out U-Line fridge and freezer compartments complete the arrangement. You could whip up a fine mess of shrimp gravy and grits here.
The head is full service in its own right, offering a Corian counter and molded fiberglass sink, a VacuFlush MSD and a shower curtain on a semi-circular track. The door has a large mirror on the back. A second double berth is tucked back under the deck, behind a privacy curtain. Let's face it, this boat is designed for a bunch of guys to go yahoo fishing in, but the family possibilities have not been overlooked. The big, 96-square-foot cockpit on the 360 is perfect for multiple uses. Put your wife on the aft bench and give her a glass of wine. Her argument about the ratio of fish to money will quickly vanish. The express bridge is set up for multiple uses, too. A single, center helm seat is flanked by bench seats so your guests can sit and watch the world go by, or watch the baits, as needed. The starboard-side bench has a foldaway table. The electronics console raises and lowers at the touch of a button, while tach, speedo and fuel gauges are permanently mounted just above. There is also a nice covered chart area and-techies take note-there are three 12-volt outlets aboard for your cell phone chargers and laptops.
And there is a Lewmar bowthruster. The boys at Grady call it the "sissy stick." But they use it all the time. The cockpit offers a reinforced area for a fighting chair or a rocket launcher, a 269-quart fish box with digital controls for refrigeration or freezing, a 48-gallon live well, and a rigging station with freshwater sink, insulated fish box and four lockable drawers. There are rod holders everywhere plus a pressurized raw-water washdown, an 8-kW genset when you're not on shore power and hydraulic trim tabs. And all of this comes standard. In fact, the 360 is offered with just two options. It's a true turnkey cruise/fishboat. The standard hardtop has a radio box, storage net (perfect for PFDs), recessed spreader lights, recessed stereo speakers, rod holders and custom-fitted canvas. So, now you understand the luxury in which we cruised.
Spots are so tasty. We did take the boat out onto the edge of the ocean to test her seakeeping. You only had to stick her nose into the snotty seas to reconsider. I admit it, in my approaching dotage I've become a fair-weather fisherman. Beating my brains out in 10-foot seas no longer appeals. But if your macho side insists, this is a brawny, broad-shouldered boat that can take it with the best of them. With her Carolina-influenced flare, she is also very dry. Eddie Smith is very high on this boat. He sent me an e-mail that read, in part: "At the risk of sounding immodest, I honestly believe the boat has the potential to set a whole new trend in our industry. Its performance in rough water, the amenities on board, the fishing capabilities, etc., historically have only been found in inboard boats costing many hundreds of thousands of dollars more. In my opinion, this boat will outperform them in every category and probably will lead the way (as four-stroke technology continues to improve annually) to many more boats being outboard-powered in the future. I really believe that it is a groundbreaking boat, not unlike our first walkaround cuddy many, many years ago." We had lunch on Bald Head Island, took a closer look at Old Baldy and the lovely chapel nearby, and cruised back up to Wrightsville Beach. Saturday dawned bright, the first sun we'd seen, but the winds offshore were now honking at a steady 30 knots. We took advantage of the crystalline light to photograph the boat, using the Grady-White 282 Sailfish as a chase boat, and then took off for Morehead City. This little 28-footer is a gem in its own right and very sprightly with the twin 250s. A good thing, as the ICW was choked by snowbird yachts fleeing to Florida and spot fishermen anchored everywhere, including the channel. Think what old Giovanni would have said about either of these boats: "Magnifico! Barcas per dios!" And if he'd stopped to fish for spots, he never would have gone back to Italy. |
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The center of the cabin has a "skylight" that is abetted by variable lighting all around. The sole is of teak and holly, and a 16,000-BTU air conditioner vents into every zone of the cabin.
One terrific feature is the Teleflex electronic shifter throttles, which allow you to choose all three engines at once, or any combination thereof. For example, you can run without the center engine, or use it alone for trolling. Also, you can adjust the throttle so you're only using 30 percent of available power, which makes docking easier and safer.
