Sea Sport Voyager 3000: Sea Trial
Sea Sport Voyager 3000: Are you ready to join the Sea Sport fan club?
May 16, 2002
The Voyager 3000's additional 3 feet of length and 2 feet of beam translate to a faster ride and more a spacious interior with more creature comforts.
Ask a Northwest sport angler about boats, and you're likely to hear a lot about Sea Sport. These versatile, solid-riding boats with enclosed pilothouses have long been favorites for sportfishing in less-than-perfect weather and sea conditions — and their seakindly hulls have won many fans for Sea Sport among cruising families, too.
When we last tested a Sea Sport four years ago, we were zipping around Washington's Bellingham Bay aboard a 24-footer that provided a fast, sprightly ride — and accommodations large enough for a crew of four passengers or sport anglers.
At that point, Sea Sport was producing a line of high-quality, high-end multipurpose fishing and recreational boats from 19 to 27 feet. Then-owners Ron and David Wright — the second generation of family members to steer the company through the vagaries of the boat building world — said that, in addition to appealing to recreational boaters, Sea Sports have enjoyed great success in charter fleets in Alaska. At that time, Sea Sport was completing a prototype 32 foot power catamaran it was considering adding to its product line.
In the years since, Sea Sport has converted the catamaran from a dream to reality, and has delivered 35 of these boats to new owners. The Wright brothers have passed the ownership torch to longtime Sea Sport dealer Chuck Lindhout, owner of BoonDock Boats and Motors in Bellingham.
Day-to-day management of the company has fallen on the shoulders of Chuck's son, Jeff Lindhout, who grew up in the marine industry; and Scott Boysen, an 11-year employee of the firm with extensive production experience. Lindhout is vice president of marketing and sales, while Boysen is vice president and general manager.
The company's 55 employees continue to produce 100 boats a year at a production facility located 10 minutes from Bellingham, in what was a hay field when operations commenced in 1955. Unable to entirely eradicate the boating bug from his system, Ron Wright still plays a hands-on role as a mentor, providing manufacturing and marketing assistance to the team.
A Brand-New Sea Sport
During winter 2002, at the insistence of Sea Sport boat owners interested in stepping up to a bigger monohull, the company introduced the Voyager 3000 — continuing its commitment to the production of durable vessels capable of spending days on blue water.
The Voyager 3000's additional 3 feet of length and 2 feet of beam translate to a faster ride and more a spacious interior with more creature comforts. We discovered this for ourselves during our sea trial on a blustery midwinter day, with winds producing a short chop on Bellingham Bay.
Like its older siblings, part of the appeal of the Voyager 3000 is its ruggedly handsome design. On this model, the design is accented by a flying bridge surrounded by stainless steel rails.
Though the cabin has a forward lean to it (the sloped windshield makes for a better view from the inside helm in rough weather), the lines flow smoothly aft to a 7-foot-long cockpit. This area is large enough for several lounging chairs or four anglers.
A 30 by 15 inch bait well is located in the cockpit sole; and an optional third helm station can be added on the aft bulkhead.
You board the Voyager 3000 via a 26-inch-deep swim platform that leads to a door on the starboard quarter in the 30-inch-tall bulwarks. Since this vessel's dry weight is 10,000 pounds, it feels especially solid underfoot when you're moving about the cockpit or negotiating the 9.5-inch-wide sidedecks when moving forward. Handrails atop the cabin and a 24- to 26-inch-tall rail running to the bow add excellent handholds.
The sole occupants of the bow are a hatch that provides ventilation in the stateroom below, a Simpson Lawrence Sprint 600 windlass and a sturdy stainless steel plate housing the anchor roller.
Four large windows are located on each side of the cabin — three are in the aft bulkhead and door — and the windshield consists of three large sections. Though not a consideration in the gray elements of our trial run, this boat's standard tinted windows will be a plus on sunny days.
Accommodations
Galley appliances include a two-burner Force 10 propane cooktop, a microwave oven and an under-counter refrigerator.
The new Voyager 3000 is significantly more spacious than the 27-footer. Length on the centerline in the saloon is 9 feet, 10 inches. There's 6 feet, 4 inches of headroom in the dining area and 6 feet, 10 inches of headroom at the helm station. The Voyager 3000 is also well appointed, with natural light reflecting off teak surfaces and a white liner.
Interior woodwork added elegance without compromising functionality.
The interior layout includes a dining area that converts to a berth, a navigator's seat to port, and a galley and helm station to starboard.
The two seats at the 33 by 42 inch table are 44 inches wide — especially roomy for two adults per side. In its initial edition, the area converted to a 6 foot, 3 inch berth — however, the space has been reconfigured and the berth length has been increased to 80 inches, adding to crew comfort.
Opposite the table, the galley has a 78-inch-long counter that is big enough to prepare a four-course dinner. Appliances include a two-burner Force 10 propane cooktop, a microwave oven and an under-counter refrigerator. An optional freezer (priced at $1,200) may be installed under the navigator's seat.
Forward and one step below the cabin sole are two berths and a head compartment. A queen-size mattress fills the V-berth. A second berth — a double, located under the helm station — is oriented athwartships.
Headroom belowdecks is more than 6 feet — and there's adequate ventilation, thanks to three portlights and a hatch. A head compartment, enclosed by a solid door, is large enough for a full-size adult to shower with ease.
Performance
With the exception of raindrops splattering against the windshield, from a lofty position atop a Bentley's Commander seat at the helm, our sight lines were virtually unimpaired as we crossed the bay.
The helm station boasted a Bentley's Commander seat .
The well-organized helm console displays rpm, oil pressure, water temperature, and fuel data for each of the Volvo Penta engines.
Once clear of the harbor's speed zone, we hit the "fast forward" lever and accelerated onto plane at 3,000 rpm in less than three seconds.Although we were bouncing into a short chop, we were able to talk in normal tones. Foam coring in the hull and deck and honeycomb laminate in the cabin sole not only strengthen the hull, but also act as sound barriers.
With speed increasing to 35 knots at 3,200 rpm, the boat's Teleflex hydraulic steering system allowed us to carve tight turns with only two fingers on the wheel. After warning the crew to find secure handholds, we turned the wheel hard over at 25 knots —and we were rewarded with tightly carved 360-degree turns within three to four boat lengths.
We then carved a zigzag course across the bay, to test the Voyager 3000's stability at high speed. We discovered that the 45-degree bow entry angle produces impressive wave-cutting performance, and the 21-degree deadrise at the transom produces a flat, stable ride.
The Bottom Line
We were not surprised when Jeff Lindhout told us, "This boat was four years in the development stage," since the company has a history of bringing new products to the marketplace only after careful planning.
Sea Sport has a 45-year history of building seaworthy performance cruisers, and it has developed an extremely loyal customer base. Its boats enjoy surprisingly high resale value.
Like its Sea Sport predecessors, we expect the Voyager 3000 to provide Western boaters with a plethora of enjoyable boating experiences. Thanks to its family-friendly size, ready fishability for up to four anglers and comfortable accommodations, this just might win the already-popular Sea Sport line more fans than ever before.
Specifications
| Length | 30' |
| Beam | 10'6" |
| Draft | 2'1" drive up and 2'9" drive down |
| Weight | 10,000 lbs. |
| Fuel capacity | 240 gallons |
| Water capacity | 50 gallons |
| Propellers | Volvo Penta C4 stainless steel |
| Price with twin 216-hp Volvo Penta KAD43 diesels and Duoprop outdrives | $167,595 |
Performance
| Top speed | 44 mph |
| Miles per gallon at 3900 rpm (top engine speed) | 1.5 |
| Fuel cost for 100 miles | $72.66 |
| Range at 3900 rpm | 360 miles |
| Sound level | 77 dB |
(Fuel cost based on fuel price of $1.09 per gallon.)
Question for Your Dealer
What helm electronics are available?
Standard Equipment
AM/FM/CD stereo system; trim tabs; 30 amp battery charger; dual engine group 27 batteries; freshwater head; heater/defroster; microwave oven; Racor fuel filters; tinted windows.
Options on Test Boat
Webasto 15,000 Btu furnace; 4 kw generator; Freedom 20 inverter; Force 10 propane stove; arch.
Construction
Hull is knitted fiberglass with biaxial orientation, making it 30 percent stronger than those built using traditional materials. Premium vinylester resins are used for maximum blister protection.
For more information:
Sea Sport Boats
Bellingham, WA
(360) 733-3380
www.seasportboats.com
