BOAT REVIEW Boston Whaler 360 Outrage

There are some brand names that just go hand-in-hand with an assurance of brilliant engineering and high quality – Rolls Royce, Louis Vuitton, Apple and – certainly among boaties – Boston Whaler.
Founded in the United States back in 1958, Boston Whaler quickly earned a global reputation for quality construction and safety – driven in part by high profile publicity stunts that were subsequently made a focus of the company’s advertising.

For years, boat magazines bristled with full-page adverts showing Boston Whalers cut full of holes by chainsaw-wielding employees – or even cut in half altogether – still defiantly floating in spite of the catastrophic damage they had sustained.
In one award-winning television spot, company president Dick Fisher sat in the bow of a Whaler speaking about its unsinkable hull design, as the camera pulled back to reveal Fisher straddling the sawed off bow section of a Boston Whaler while another man drove the decapitated stern around him in circles. Thus was born the “unsinkable legend” moniker that persists to this very day.
But Boston Whalers aren’t only known for their tremendous durability – the brand is equally well-known for its forward-thinking engineering and adoption of leading-edge technologies. Perhaps no model in the company’s current portfolio speaks to this advanced tech like the new 360 Outrage, which offers a scintillating sneak peak of where boat design is headed in the decade ahead.

Formally introduced at the 2022 Miami International Boat Show, the 360 Outrage has been nothing short of a runaway hit for the company – to the point Boston Whaler sold out its entire 2022 global production run of the boat before the Miami show wrapped up just five days later. So what is it about this model that drives all the fuss?

All that and a bag of chips
For starters, the 360 Outrage continues Boston Whaler’s direction of making hardcore offshore fishing boats with multi-function appeal. While designed from the keel up as a big water fishing boat for keen offshore anglers, the 360 Outrage is a far more family-friendly vessel than its ancestors ever were, allowing the boat to pull double-duty as a serious fishing platform, a weekend cruiser, or a versatile day boat for hanging out in the sun with family and friends.

That’s obvious as soon as you step aboard, with the Boston Whaler’s extensive cockpit coaming, port-side entry door (no climbing over the gunnels on this boat) and plush seating throughout.
Enter through that port-side entry door and you step into an open cockpit with plenty of space for fishing, diving, or just about anything else you can enjoy on the water. Two rear-facing bucket seats with integrated arm-rests and stainless steel drink holders invite you to get comfy right away. Facing them is a flip-down transom seat, which creates a cozy space for comfortable conversations. A removable pedestal-mount table can be set up between these seats, enabling this area to serve as a lovely lunch spot.

Look more closely at the rear-facing seats and you’ll note the centre arm rest is actually a step, which provides access to the standard upper helm station located above the hardtop. This is a huge step up – if you’ll pardon the pun – from previous models which were accessed by ladders to the side, making the climb to the upper driving position far safer and far more comfortable.
The upper helm is simple and straightforward, with the engine binnacles, a stainless steel steering wheel with a turning knob, and a 30cm (12-inch) Simrad multi-function display mounted to the left of the wheel.
A Bimini top provides sun protection for the driver.
Back on the main deck, those aft-facing seats of the 360 Outrage have yet another trick up their sleeve in the form of a fold-down seat back which converts the space from seating to a teak-lined counter with integrated drink holders.

The anglers in the family will quickly note the multiple, flush-mount stainless steel rod holders mounted in the gunnels – there are 24 of them in all – along with the expansive 208-litre aerated live well positioned centrally across the transom. Boston Whaler thoughtfully includes a removable bait divider, and a stainless gas ram to hold the lid open when in use.
As expected on any serious fishing boat, the cockpit floor provides space for two large, insulated fish boxes complete with macerators.
Convenient pull-out sprayers offering either raw water or freshwater washdown make it easy to quickly rinse away any fish scales and slime, washing debris right out the scuppers of the 360 Outrage’s fully self-draining cockpit.

On top of its long list of exciting standard features, Boston Whaler thoughtfully offers an extensive and highly appealing option list, allowing new buyers to personalise the boat exactly as they wish. Available upgrades include goodies like a gyroscopic stabiliser, radar, night vision cameras, an anti-theft system and more.

Built for drivers
If there’s anyone who gets truly spoiled on this boat, it’s the driver.
The main deck helm of the Boston Whaler 360 Outrage is much larger and more fully equipped than the upper driving position, providing a full glass cockpit arrangement with two 30cm Simrad displays mounted in a side-by-side configuration. These units can be easily upgraded to twin 40cm or even twin 48cm displays if desired and, let’s face it, most buyers will want to do exactly that.

A neat row of backlit, stainless steel push-button switches located across the top of the dash provide quick and easy access for managing electrical accessories like the lights and live well pumps.
Digital switching technology empowers remote control of key onboard systems so you can remotely access the boat on your mobile phone and start up the fridge before you even leave the house, so it’s nice and cool by the time you arrive onboard. Remote connectivity also allows boaties to start up the available gyro-stabiliser, so it’s fully wound up from the moment you step aboard. A standard 30-amp shore power system ensures you’ll be ready to go.

More high tech on deck can be found in the form of the available joystick piloting control, which makes docking a cinch in any weather, any wind, any current or any tide – even for newbies.
Another thoughtful amenity is the standard defogger – a wonderful feature for dealing with morning dew and mist.
Creature comfort for the Captain and copilots is provided by three plush bucket seats, which adjust forward and backward automotive-style to provide perfect comfort for occupants of all heights.
The aft side of the leaning post in the 360 Outrage sees the aforementioned live well and bait prep station shifted to a new location on the transom, allowing for the option of an available electric grill and Corian countertop. This is a much better arrangement than what we’ve seen in previous models, where buyers were essentially forced to choose between the big live well or the cockpit galley. In the new boat, buyers can opt for both.

Up front in the bow there are four lounge seats – two side-by-side located on the front face of the console, which share a central arm rest with integral cup holders, and two more farther forward on each side of the bow. A pedestal-mount table can be set up between those four seats to create another perfect lunch spot. Or lower the table, install a filler cushion on top of it, and the space converts to a large sun pad.
Had enough sun? A sun shade pops into place in seconds to provide ample protection from the mid-day rays.
The best part about the bow in the 360 Outrage is how the reconfigured seating arrangement allows so much easier access to the ground tackle – along with more fishing space, and just a greater sense of space overall, and without giving up any storage space or the big in-floor insulated fish box with its own macerator.

Mr Versatility
Of course there’s a lot more to the 360 Outrage than just the main deck amenities.
For starters, the centre console conceals so much more than just the expected head compartment. In fact, there’s an entire lower deck cabin hidden below there, and one that’s large enough to make the Boston Whaler 360 Outrage a legitimate weekender. It’s a surprisingly large space, with nearly two metres of headroom.
The head comes with a Vacu-Flush toilet, a shower with a curtain and pull-out sprayer, a Corian counter and LED lighting. The below-decks accommodations include a comfy double berth with a 12cm thick foam cushion, LED lighting, and an opening portlight for fresh air.

But what really sets this boat apart is its complete lack of a generator. Instead of the expected internal combustion unit, Boston Whaler has equipped the 360 Outrage with parent company Brunswick’s advanced e-Fathom technology that uses banks of lithium-ion batteries to power onboard loads like the galley equipment and air conditioning.
No more do boaties have to get up in the middle of the night and fuss with a jerry can in order to refill an empty fuel tank, nor do they have to suffer through the droning hum of the generator that keeps anyone onboard from getting to sleep. More to the point, no longer do they have to worry about being that guy who keeps everyone else in the anchorage up all night with the whine of their bloody generator.

Power to the people
Power options for the 360 Outrage are simply impressive, ranging from the standard triple Mercury 300hp V8s up to triple Mercury Racing 450s or twin 600hp Mercury V12s. Even with standard power, the Boston Whaler 360 Outrage is a legitimate 100kph boat – with maximum power it will top out well above that, providing plenty of hustle to get where you’re going quickly.

Better yet, time to plane for the 360 Outrage is around four seconds flat, which is definitely impressive for a vessel of this size. Even more impressively, the Boston Whaler hull design allows the 360 Outrage to remain on plane down to just over 20kph, keeping the running attitude nice and flat even when slowing to observe speed zones.
Boston Whaler enjoys a global reputation for building very high quality, innovative and functional boats that hold their value. The new 360 Outrage takes this heritage to the next level while raising the bar on centre console design. There’s far more to this boat than we can cover here, so take one for a test drive and see first-hand all it has to offer.